Sports
Springing into action
Gay sports groups get moving with warm weather
With any luck, this past week brought the last frost of the season and many of the outdoor LGBT sports teams are in full swing.
The D.C. Front Runners continue to host their Tuesday and Thursday evening runs along with their Saturday and Sunday morning runs. The group meets at 23rd and P streets during the week and at Rock Creek Park on the weekends. The runners also host walks at the same locations on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings.
Recently the Front Runners launched a 10-week series of track workouts which will run through the middle of May. The sessions are on Wednesday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. and will rotate between McKinley High School and Banneker High School. The rotation can be found atdcfrontrunners.org.
Congratulations to the Washington Renegades RFC members for kicking off their spring season by winning the Gray Ghost Cup tournament in Bel Air, Md., on March 10. Their Blues squad took down North Bay, Lockport, Pax River and the Washington Rugby Club to win the tournament.
This weekend the Blues squad will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to take on Virginia RFC, while the Reds squad will be at home playing the Washington Poltroons. The Renegades schedule can be found at dcrugby.com.
Among the many opportunities offered by the D.C. Strokes Rowing Club is the Learn to Row Program. This season, to accommodate busy schedules, they are holding four different sessions on weekdays and weekends.
The sessions begin at the end of April, assume no previous rowing experience and teach the basics from square one. Rowers who complete the program are invited to join the team as part of their Novice Program. More information is at dcstrokes.org.
The recreational biking series has begun for the Adventuring outdoors group and on Saturday, they will host the Washington & Old Dominion Rail-To-Trail. This will be an easy, paved and mostly flat trail ride to help riders get in shape for more challenging events to come. The route will run from Falls Church to Herndon and back and will be a 29-mile ride. Riders will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the East Falls Church Metro Station in the Kiss & Ride Lot. Bring helmet, fluids and $2. The group will stop for a quick lunch at a Herndon restaurant or you can pack a lunch. Contact Mike at [email protected] for more information.
Adventuring has also rescheduled the Scott’s Run Preserve Hike on Sunday. The hike will be in the range of 2.2 to 3 miles. The hikers will go past the waterfall on Scotts Run and follow along the Potomac River to the Palisades of the Potomac. The group will also stop by the Burling House ruins as they cross through the area. Carpooling to the preserve will depart at 9:30 a.m. from the Rossyln Metro Station. Bring fluids, bug spray and a packed lunch plus $2 trip fee and $3 for non-drivers. You can RSVP at meeting.com/Adventuring-Gay-
The Capital Tennis Association coordinates league play throughout the year at both tennis clubs and public courts. Registration for the summer leagues for both singles and doubles will begin in April and the league runs from May to September. There is also the opportunity to sign up for sub spots on the league. More information on the tennis players is atcapital-tennis.org.
The first tee off of the season for the Lambda Links Golf Club will be Sunday. The golfers can be found on the greens every weekend through October 28. Join the group’s mailing list at lambdalinks.org for information on its tee-off locations.
The District of Columbia Aquatics Club will be hosting the 21st annual Swim for Life on July 14. The event is a fundraiser for HIV/AIDS nonprofits as well as local watershed organizations. Swimmers will compete in 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- or 5-mile races beginning and ending at Rolph’s Wharf on the Chester River. This is also a great opportunity for anyone training for a triathlon. Details on the event are at swimdcac.org.
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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