Sports
Getting in the game
Local LGBT sports groups celebrate several 2011 triumphs
Hudson Taylor with award recipients at the October presentation of the Team D.C. scholarships. (Blade file photo by Pete Exis)
It was another incredible year for the Washington LGBT sports community. We continue to grow and are one of the largest and most organized LGBT sports communities in the world.
There were many things to celebrate in 2011 such as the District of Columbia Aquatics Club traveling to Honolulu where members won the large team title at the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatic Championships. It was the 10th time they have claimed the trophy. Next they’ll head to Reykjavik, Iceland to defend their title in June. Swimdcac.org.
The D.C. Strokes Rowing Club celebrated its 20th anniversary and once again members hosted the Stonewall Regatta to kick off the summer racing circuit. The Strokes sent 13 members to the USRowing Masters National Regatta in Oklahoma City, Okla., and medaled in seven events. Dcstrokes.org.
Stonewall Kickball and the D.C. Gay Flag Football League both exploded in 2011 with around 200 players joining each league. Members of the football league went to the inaugural Sunshine Bowl in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and brought home the winning trophy. The footballers’ 2012 calendar is available online and the proceeds go to the Team D.C. College Scholarship. stonewallkickball.com and dcgffl.org.
The D.C. Sentinels basketball team won two national tournaments in 2011 taking A division honors at both the Sin City Shootout in Las Vegas and the Coady Roundball Classic in Chicago. teamdcbasketball.org.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League won the bid to host the 2013 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association Softball World Series. The event is expected to bring more than 160 teams and 2,000 players from member cities across North America. eteamz.com/caps.
The D.C. Front Runners celebrated their 30th anniversary and continue to host multiple runs and walks on a weekly basis along with a seasonal race circuit. dcfrontrunners.org.
The Washington Renegades rugby football club sent their Reds squad to Dallas where they won Hellfest going 5-0 for the day. The renegades finished league play with their best record ever going 8-1 and qualifying for the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union playoffs two years in a row. dcrugby.com.
The Federal Triangle Soccer Club hosted the second season of the Summer of Freedom League, the second annual Women’s Winter Wrap-Up Indoor Cup and the 13th annual Rehoboth Beach Classic soccer tournament. federaltriangles.org.
Lambda DanceSport moved the bulk of its dance classes from Chevy Chase to the Dupont Circle area along with adding several special events. dupontdance.com.
The international LGBT watchdog group AllOut.org collected 46,000 signatures in a petition to bring action against Eucharia Uche, head coach of the women’s Nigerian soccer team. The petition prompted the FIFA to begin an investigation into the allegations that Coach Uche was conducting lesbian witch hunts. allout.org.
Team D.C.’s Night Out series grew to include five local professional sports teams, the Washington Nationals, the Washington Kastles, the Washington Mystics, D.C. United and the Washington Capitals. Look for more to be added in 2012. teamdc.org.
Support from the above mentioned pro teams grew exponentially in 2011 with several of them filming “It Gets Better” videos and expressing interest in future partnerships with the LGBT sports community in D.C.thetrevorproject.org.
Organizations such as the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Athlete Ally and the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation drew national attention for their efforts to further LGBT sports and combat bullying.
Along with these organizations, incredible straight sports allies made national news with their show of support to our community. Thank you Hudson Taylor, Ben Cohen, Paul Tagliabue, Brian Burke and all the others who stepped forward to say that it’s OK to play sports and be gay.
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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