Sports
Rookies & vets: Stonewall Dodgeball
Players value fun, camaraderie over winning
In this weekās installment of the Washington Blade series spotlighting the rookies and veterans who make up the LGBT sports teams in D.C., we check in with two LGBT players from Stonewall Dodgeball.
Stonewall Dodgeball burst onto the LGBT sports scene in 2014 and quickly outgrew its venue. Now operating out of the Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center, players are wrapping up their fall season with playoffs to begin next week.
The league rotates seasons between a draft system where the players may not know each other, and a season where the teams are formed by the players.
John Elias signed up for his first season in April of 2016, a draft season. He only knew one person on his team and half of his teammates were also new to the league.
āThe draft makes the league more accessible to new people,ā Elias says. āThis was completely outside my zone and I have been surprised by how much I am enjoying it.ā
Elias was born in California and grew up in Plainville, Conn., and other than running junior varsity cross country, did not play sports. While earning his degrees at Yale and Stanford Law School, he played ultimate Frisbee recreationally.
He moved to D.C. in 2006 and is working as a lawyer for the federal government. After giving Stonewall Bocce a try, he decided he wanted to play a new sport.
āI thought dodgeball would be fun, energetic and athletic,ā Elias says. āI only consider myself to have moderate athletic ability, so I wanted something that would be a good time without having to take it too seriously.ā
Elias says he was a little lost at first in terms of the team dynamics, but Stonewall Dodgeball offers open gyms on the weekends to work on skills and he has found a lot of direction from the veterans, especially his team captains.
āThe veterans have been great for giving tips on timing and positioning,ā Elias says. āMy captains have been good about directing traffic, pacing and instructions on playing our own game. They even send out strategy emails.ā
The social aspect has also been a plus for Elias and he has met an entirely new group of people.
āWe recently had a social outing to laser tag in Virginia,ā Elias says. āI am having a blast, all while getting a real workout.ā
Sean Holihan is in his sixth season with Stonewall Dodgeball with three seasons as a team captain. He has also played multiple seasons with Chesapeake and Potomac Softball, the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and Stonewall Kickball.
Originally from New York, Holihan grew up in Virginia Beach and played football for one season, but ultimately turned his attentions to theater and debate after wrecking his ankle. He moved to D.C. in 2009 to follow his partner and be closer to the political scene. He is working in political consulting and is now married to his partner. He found his way back to sports shortly before moving here when he joined a gay softball league in Hampton Roads, Va.
āI get a great deal of enjoyment from playing sports and meeting new people. It is a great use of a day,ā Holihan says. āI am a simple guy and I love any sport with a ball.ā
Becoming a captain in the league was a natural progression for Holihan because he enjoys teaching people how to play the game and better themselves.
āI also like board games and the parallels are there with sports,ā Holihan says. āThere are different pieces on the dodgeball court; scramblers, throwers, blockers, catchers and snipers. I like putting the pieces together.ā
Holihan says having rookie players helps keep the league in check because they come in looking to have fun with less focus on winning.
āThe league doesnāt want anyone to be overly aggressive,ā he says. āThe overall tone is inclusiveness and that everyone is involved in every aspect of the game.ā
He shares a story about one game where he lost his head because he thought the opposing team was playing unfairly. It was the thought of the example he was setting in front of the rookies that helped him pull it back in.
āI wouldnāt want any rookie player to think that winning is the only thing this league is about,ā Holihan says. āWinning is great, but having fun and meeting new friends is much better.ā
Sports
University of Nevada forfeits game rather than play possible trans athlete
Womenās volleyball team cites ānot enough players to competeā
For the fifth time, a womenās volleyball team has chosen to forfeit instead of play against San Jose State University, because of rumors that one of its players is a transgender woman.
The University of Nevada, Reno, officially announced on Friday that it would forfeit Saturdayās game against the SJSU Spartans. This followed an announcement by Wolf Pack players who said they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.
Originally, Nevada’s athletic department had said the program would not back out from the match, citing state equality laws, but also said that no players would be disciplined if they chose to not participate.
āThe vast majority of our team decided this is something we wanted to take a stand on,ā Nevada team captain Sia Liilii told Fox News. āWe didnāt want to play against a male player.”
āIn all of our team meetings it just kept coming back to the fact that men do not belong in womenās sports. If youāre born a biological male, you donāt belong in womenās sports. Itās not even about this individual athlete. Itās about fair competition and safety for everyone.ā
Outsports and several conservative and right-wing websites have identified the player who is rumored to be trans, but the Washington Blade has opted to not do so since she herself has not come forward to either acknowledge or deny she is trans.Ā
As ESPN reported, Nevada follows Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State in canceling games against the Spartans. Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State, and Nevada are all members of the Mountain West Conference, so those contests are considered forfeits and count as valuable wins in the league standings for San Jose State.
Riley Gaines, the anti-trans inclusion activist for the Independent Womenās Forum has joined the chorus in claiming the Spartansā roster includes a trans woman.
If you're wondering why teams are forfeiting against @SJSU, here's the reason.
Last night another woman was smashed in the face by a kill from a man posing as a woman.
It's unfair, unsafe, and regressive, yet our "leaders" remain silent. pic.twitter.com/OS15AFxQsp
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) October 18, 2024
Despite this, neither San Jose State nor any of the other forfeiting teams have said the universityās women’s volleyball team has a trans player. SJSU issued a statement defending its roster.
āOur athletes all comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and they are eligible to play under the rules of those organizations. We will continue to take measures to prioritize the health and safety of our students while they pursue their earned opportunities to compete,ā the statement read.
The governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming ā all of whom are members of the Republican Party ā have issued public statements supporting the cancellations, claiming itās in the interest of fairness in women’s sports. This week, Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee and former president, spoke at a Fox News televised town hall when asked about trans athletes in women’s sports.
āWeāre not going to let it happen,ā Trump said. āWe stop it, we stop it, we absolutely stop it. We canāt have it. You just ban it. The president bans it. You donāt let it happen. Itās not a big deal.ā
Sports
Homophobes threaten lives of WNBA star and wife
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay received anonymous emails
While the New York Liberty are focused on defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA finals, one of its stars has come under attack from anti-gay bigots who made death threats against that player and her wife, according to the Associated Press.
The homophobic death threats targeted forward Breanna Stewart and her wife, retired Phoenix Mercury guard Marta Xargay. Stewart said they arrived in Xargayās email inbox.
āThe fact it came to Martaās email is something she (had to) see. The level of closeness was a little bit different,ā she said. āMake sure that myself and Marta are okay, but that our kids are the safest.ā
Stewart, the two-time MVP known to teammates and on social media as āStewie,ā told reporters Tuesday she notified her team about the emails, The Liberty then escalated it to WNBA security.
āWeāre taking the proper precautions,ā Stewart said, noting that she felt the Libertyās winning streak was only encouraging more threats. New York is leading their opponents two games to one after Tuesday nightās 80-77 win in Minneapolis. āWe love that people are engaged in our sport, but not to the point where thereās threats or harassment or homophobic comments being made.ā
Xargay filed a complaint with the New York Police Department at the advice of the team and security, said Stewart.
āBeing in the finals and everything like that it makes sense to file something formal,ā she said.
The NYPD confirmed to the Associated Press that it received a report of aggravated harassment involving emails sent to āa 33-year-old victim,ā said a police spokesperson. The departmentās media relations team added that the NYPD hate crimes task force is investigating the threats.
Although Stewart told reporters she has an agency that reviews most of the messages she receives, she was stunned to learn from her wife about the hateful messages that wound up in Xargayās inbox. She said thatās why she decided to let fans know thereās no justification for hate.
āFor me to use this platform to let people know itās unacceptable to bring to our sport,ā she said.
Last month, WNBA players and their union representatives called out league commissioner Cathy Engelbert for failing to condemn a spike in racist attacks on players. Itās been a long-standing problem exacerbated by the rivalry between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Skyās Angel Reese. The league has never been more popular than it is now, and with that success, fans have escalated their criticism of players.
Since then, Engelbert has addressed the rise in player harassment on social media in an address prior to Game 1 of the WNBA finals one week ago.
āIt just is something where we have to continue to be a voice for this, a voice against it, condemning it, and making sure that we find every opportunity to support our players, who have been dealing with this for much longer than this year,ā Engelbert said.
In her address, Engelbert pledged the league will work with the playersā union to figure out what they can do together to combat it.
āWe continue to emphasize that there is absolutely no room for hateful or threatening comments made about players, teams or anyone affiliated with the WNBA,ā a league spokesperson said in response to questions about the death threats made against Stewart and Xargay. āWeāre aware of the most recent matter and are working with league and team security as well as law enforcement on appropriate security measures.ā
The Liberty play the Lynx again Friday night in Minneapolis.
Sports
JK Rowling condemns history-making transgender Paralympian
Valentina Petrillo will race again Friday after failing to qualify in 400m final
Valentina Petrillo ran her personal best Monday at the Paralympics in Paris, but it was not enough to qualify for Tuesdayās finals in the 400m T12 competition. Losing to two cisgender women was also not enough to quell a social media firestorm of transphobia and hate directed at the first out trans Paralympian runner.
Hajar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani of Iran was first across the finish line, followed by Venezuelaās Alejandra Perez. Petrillo, the Italian sprinter, finished third with 57.58.
āI tried until the end, I couldnāt do it,ā Petrillo, 51, told reporters after the race. āI missed that last straight. I pushed harder than this morning and I tried. They are stronger than me. There is nothing I can do. I had to do 56 to get into the final. Itās impossible, 57.58. I have to be happy even though Iām a little upset.ā
Petrillo also spoke indirectly about haters, but what concerned her most, she said, was the perspective of her son, 9-year-old Lorenzo, who calls her āDad.ā
āI hope my son is proud of me,ā Petrillo, said, amid tears. āThatās important to me because Iām a trans dad, itās not everyoneās dream dad. But I hope he will be proud of me. I hope he will always stand by me, I hope that he loves me even if I am like this. I canāt help it if Iām like this, Iām sorry. Donāt treat trans people badly. We suffer. Itās not fair. We donāt hurt anybody.ā
JK Rowling disagrees.
In a social media post on what was Twitter, the outspoken opponent of trans rights and inclusion denounced Petrillo as an āout and proud cheat.ā
Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility! Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model! I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back and move on. #Cheats #NoShame pic.twitter.com/bvqhs3DexI
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 2, 2024
Others condemned Petrillo as a āpervert,ā a ādisgraceā and of course, a man, and a ābiological maleā who ārobbed a young disabled womanā of her chance to compete.Ā
šØBREAKINGšØ
A biologically male runner has just qualified for the Women's 400m T12 semi-finals at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Valentina Petrillo, a father of two, previously won 11 national titles in the men's category before beginning to identify as a "woman." pic.twitter.com/7CqLuFD8dB
— REDUXX (@ReduxxMag) September 2, 2024
The 50-year-old Italian transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo robbed a young disabled woman from a spot in the semifinals of the Paris Paralympics today
Petrillo has previously said that those who don't want Petrillo to compete against females are "on the same level as Hitler." pic.twitter.com/DLU2hxWEVD
— VisegrĆ”d 24 (@visegrad24) September 2, 2024
Petrillo has one more chance to compete for a medal this Friday in the 200m T12 visual impairment competition. Sheāll compete against Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt of Germany.
āBasically, everyone should live how they like in everyday life,ā Mueller-Rottgardt told the German tabloid Bild. āBut I find it difficult in professional sports. She lived and trained for a long time as a man, so thereās a possibility that physical conditions are different than for someone who comes into the world as a woman. So, she could have advantages from it.ā
For her part, Petrillo is not letting detractors stop her from running as the woman she is and living as the woman she is.
āThere are lots of people dying only for being trans, people are killed because they are trans, people commit suicide because they are trans and lose their jobs, or are not included in sport,ā she said. āBut I made it. If I can make it, everyone can make it.ā
As for so-called āadvantages,” Petrillo cites a study funded by the IOC ā and published in April in the British Journal of Sports Medicine ā showing that trans women are actually at a physical disadvantage compared to cis women across several areas, including lung function and lower body strength.
āThis means rather that I have a disadvantage, because apart from anything else, going through hormonal treatment means I am going against my body so against the biology of my body and thatās certainly something thatās not good for it,ā Petrillo told the Associated Press in an interview in a suburb of Bologna, where she lives and works in the IT sector.
She was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition, at the age of 14, and can only see 1/50thĀ of what most people can. Petrillo cannot drive and uses public transportation to get around, and told me in aĀ 2020 podcast interview thatĀ the trauma of her disability has haunted her all her years.
āI tried to lead a normal life as much as possible,ā she said through a translator.Ā Ā
Although her condition forced her to give up running as a teen, she picked it up again in her 40s, telling me it felt empowering, āKnowing I have two good legs,ā she said. āRunning is life.ā
But it was not enough. Petrillo, who was raised as a boy, had been keeping a secret since she was a child, saying that even at age seven, she knew who she was. āI didnāt feel like myself.ā
āI decided to transition after years of fighting myself and not understanding what was the problem,ā Petrillo said. āIt was a very difficult decision.ā
Petrillo came out to her wife, Elena, in 2017, just one year after they wed. With Elenaās support, she transitioned in 2018 and started her medical transition the following January. They remained married, for a time, and have another child in addition to Lorenzo. āMy wife is very supportive,ā Petrillo told me in 2020. ā99 percent of the stories end up in divorce, but my wife is the most important love of my life.ā
Elena and Valentina have since divorced but remain friends. She and Lorenzo and Petrilloās brother, Francesco, were in Paris to cheer her on.
āFamily is everything,ā she said this week.Ā
Petrillo won 11 national competitions in the male T12 category between 2015 and 2018, then won gold in her first official race as the woman she is, in the 100m, 200m and 400m T12 events at the 2020 Italian Paralympics Championship. Last year, she won two bronzes at the World Para Athletics Championships.
In that competition, she narrowly beat Melani Berges of Spain, who placed fourth in the semifinal. That meant Berges didnāt qualify for the final and missed her chance to make it to the Paralympics.
Calling it an āinjustice,ā Berges told Spanish sports site Relevo that she āaccepts and respectsā trans people, but āwe are no longer talking about daily life, we are talking about sport, which requires strength, a physique.ā
The International Paralympic Committee says it āwelcomesā Petrillo, who is not the first out trans Paralympian. That honor belongs to Dutch discus thrower Ingrid van Kranen, who finished ninth in the 2016 Rio Games. The rules of the World Para Athletics organization state a person who is legally recognized as a woman is eligible to compete in female categories. She legally changed her name and gender in 2023.
Back in 2020, Petrillo told me the 200m race she will compete in this Friday is her favorite, because of the performance of her personal hero, 1980 Olympic champion Pietro Mennea, who holds Italyās world record in the event.Ā
āIām dreaming about this,ā she said, recalling the memory of seeing him compete when she was seven years old. āThe determination that Mennea showed was something he taught all of us. That is how I feel when I am running. That same determination and that same drive.ā And she said again, āRunning is life.ā
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