Sports
Beating the heat
Several local LGBT sports leagues have indoor activities planned
The Rainwbowlers. (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
All the local LGBT sports teams that are in action during the summer months have been executing their schedules despite the oppressive heat. Here are a few options for those of you wishing to beat the heat.
The Capital Area Rainbowlers Association (CARA) is hosting a Summer Social Bowling Night to be held Aug. 6 from 8 to 10 p.m. This year’s event will be held at three different venues:
Washington — Lucky Strike at Gallery Place, 701 7th Street NW (on the Metro red, green and yellow lines). Six lanes are reserved and you must be 21 years old. The price is $15 all you can bowl and includes shoe rental.
Maryland — AMF College Park Lanes, 9021 Baltimore Blvd. Four to six lanes are reserved. The price is $1 per game and the shoe rental is $2.50.
Virginia — AMF Annandale Lanes, 4245 Markham Street. Eight-10 lanes are reserved. The price is $1 per game and the shoe rental is $2.50.
You may RSVP at surveymonkey.com/s/carasummer2012. CARA can be found at carabowling.org.
The Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club (RSSC) is setting sail on weekends and some weeknights from the Baltimore shores and waters just outside of D.C./Alexandria. You can sign on to be a skipper or just sail along as a passenger. Details are at rainbowspinnakers.org.
The Capital Splats Racquetball League offers all levels of competition for men and women as well as recreational play, group meet-ups and skills training clinics. Information is at capitalsplats.org.
Rainbow Climbing D.C. organizes indoor and outdoor climbs for all levels of climbers. They can be found weekly at Earth Treks in Rockville or Sportrock in Alexandria. The climbing schedule rotates and upcoming dates can be found on their Facebook page under Rainbow Climbing D.C.
It’s not too late to get in on the beginner square dancing classes being offered by the D.C. Lambda Squares. The square dancing club is open to singles and no prior experience is necessary. To register and learn more about the club, go to dclambdasquares.org.
The Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association is hosting its monthly horseback ride at Piscataway Stables in Clinton, Md., on Aug. 5 at 11 a.m. The cost is $25 per rider for an hour-long ride. Experienced and novice riders are welcome. Email Patrick at [email protected] or check out their website at asgra.org.
Men’s Naked Yoga is being held at the Vitruvian Gallery at 734 7th Street S.E. (second floor) every Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The class is conducted with Hatha style poses for stretching and strengthening in a gentle Vinyasa flow. The cost is $18 per session and all levels of yoga students are welcome. More information is at vitruviangallery.com/yoga.
The D.C. Icebreakers’ next regular skating night is Aug. 15 (and the third Wednesday of every month) at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington from 8 to 9 p.m. A group social will follow the skate time at a local watering hole. Their site is at dcicebreakers.com.
And what would we do without Nellie’s Sports Bar, which continues to support the LGBT sports clubs in numerous ways, including sponsoring happy hours as follows.
Every Thursday is Stonewall Bocce Night beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Every Second Tuesday is Southern Universities Alumni Night from 5-8 p.m
Every First Thursday is Log Cabin Night from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Every Second Thursday is Washington Wetskins Night from 5-8 p.m.
Every Third Friday is Lambda Divers (Scuba) Happy Hour from 5-7 p.m.
Every Fourth Tuesday is Ping Pong Madness Night beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Every Fourth Wednesday is HRC Happy Hour Night beginning at 5 p.m.
Every Fourth Thursday is Homoto Night for LGBT Motorcycle fans beginning at 6 p.m.
Every Fourth Thursday is Capital Splats Racquetball Club Happy Hour from 5-8 p.m.
Every Thursday is Active Duty Night beginning at 8 p.m. $2 from every Nellie’s Beer supports Servicemembers United.
Congratulations to the D.C. Flag Football League for sending three teams to the Chicago Pride Bowl last month. All three of the teams placed in the A Bracket finishing third, seventh and 11th. The league is at dcgffl.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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