Sports
A piece of the action
Local LGBT sports outfits spike season events with casino night, fashion show and more
(left) Jack Mackenroth (Photo courtesy of Kevin Majoros)
The annual Team D.C. Fashion Show and Model Search will be held at Town Danceboutique on March 9 at 8 p.m. Models will compete for a $500 first prize, the cover of an upcoming issue of Compete Magazine, a professional photo shoot and some other great prizes.
Special guest judge at the event will be Jack Mackenroth of “Project Runway” fame. Mackenroth was recently named 2012 athlete of the year by Compete Magazine for his swimming accomplishments.
The fashion show benefits the Team D.C. College Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to local openly gay student athletes. In 2012, fundraisers such as the fashion show led to six awards being given out by the scholarship committee.
Anyone interested in modeling should contact Brent at [email protected].
Team D.C.’s Night OUT series will launch with Night OUT at the Wizards on Feb. 8 as they take on the Brooklyn Nets. Tickets are $20 and available at verizoncenter.com/wiz/teamdc. The promotional code is “nightout.”
Team D.C.’s Casino Night series kicks off on Feb. 16 from 8 p.m. to midnight at Buffalo Billiards. Join the athletes for poker, blackjack, craps and a chance to win raffle prizes. The cover is $10 for chips to play with drink specials running all night. teamdc.org.
It’s never too soon to start thinking about the upcoming international sporting events.
World Outgames 2013 will be contested in Antwerp, Belgium from Aug. 4-10 and Gay Games IX will be contested in Cleveland+Akron, Ohio from Aug. 9-16, 2014. Registration is open for both events and Team D.C. will be sending contingents to both games.
The D.C. Lambda Squares begin its New Dancer Series on Monday. It runs every Monday from 7:30-9 p.m. for 16 weeks at National City Christian Church in Thomas Circle. The square dancing group welcomes singles and couples. They can be found at dclambdasquares.org.
If you’re looking for other types of dance, Lambda DanceSport offers classes in everything from Samba to Salsa to Swing and even “dance-at-your-wedding” workshops. They are housed at the Church of the Pilgrims near Dupont Circle and are on the web at dancesportdupontcircle.com.
The sport of Walleyball is played on a racquetball court and is also called Rebound Volleyball. There is an LGBT league that plays on Sundays in Alexandria from 3-5 p.m. in Alexandria. They will be hosting their 20thannual Winter Walleyball Tournament on Feb. 9. Anyone interested in playing can contact [email protected].
The Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association will sponsor its monthly trail ride on Feb. 3. The group welcomes beginners and experienced riders for an hour long trail ride at 11 a.m. at the Piscataway Stables in Clinton, Md. Riders must arrive by 10:30 a.m. to prep for their ride and RSVP by going toasgra.org/special/trail.htm.
The Adventuring outdoors group lead the Blockhouse Point Hike Saturday. The Blockhouse Point Conservation Park near Damestown in Upper Montgomery County offers views of the Potomac from bluffs high above the C&O Canal, plus remnants of a Civil War blockhouse and encampment.
The hike will not exceed six miles, over rolling terrain with some steep sections. Bring beverages, lunch, proper winter footwear, layers and $6 for transportation and trip fees. Meet up is 10 a.m. at the Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station. Contact David at [email protected] for details.
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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