Sports
Gay rollerskating group meets monthly at Laurel Skating Rink
Reunion event inspired new series after original group ended a decade ago
After moving to the Seabrook Roller Wheel, the group disbanded when the rink came under new anti-LGBT ownership. The feeling of losing something special lingered for 10-plusĀ years among alumni of the group.
Last year, the alumni gathered together for a birthday party at Laurel Skating Center and the event prompted them to approach the rink manager and arrange an agreement to make it all happen again.
Monday Night Skating launched in March of 2016 and is led by Ward Morrison who originally began skating with the group in 1997.
āI set weird goals for myself and at one point I actually skated with them for 52 weeks in a row,ā Morrison says. āI am a joyful person and skating brings that solid pure joy to a whole new level.ā
The group meets on the last Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Laurel Skating Rink and has evolved well beyond the core alumni skaters. Themed nights have been created to reach out to all members of the LGBT community. Recent skates were tied to Black Pride, Trans Pride, the Latino community, a womenās night and a youth night.
āOur attendance has grown top to bottom and includes a really good mix of children, parents and all ages of the LGBTQ community,ā Morrison says. āThis is a place where people can be themselves and rediscover just having some no pressure fun.ā
Morrison grew up as one of four boys in Falls Church, Va., playing baseball and soccer which continued in high school after his family moved to Texas. He stayed with intramural soccer at Virginia Tech along with several years of playing with the LGBT-based Federal Triangles Soccer Club.
His work at REI as well as in photography and massage therapy points to what he considers the triangle that defines his life; health & wellness, the creative process and the outdoors.
These days, Morrison thrives on kayaking, paddle boarding, mountain biking, hiking, backpacking and camping. In 2014, he won a silver medal at the Cleveland Gay Games as part of the D.C. sailing team. He says the most aerobically intense thing in his life is coming from the roller skating.
People who arrive at Monday Night Skating can expect a mix of ’70s and ’80s music along with playful new songs, disco and classic skate music. The night includes couplesā skates, conga line, limbo, raffles and games.
āI want Monday Night Skating to continue in perpetuity because it is a playful and fun activity where people can let loose,ā Morrison says. āThese kinds of playing fields, such as sports and parades, are the things that bring us together as a community. It makes us strong.ā
Sports
Controversy grows over member of Calif. universityās womenās volleyball team
Coach suspended, NCAA sued, more rivals forfeit
San Jose State Universityās women volleyball team has collected yet another W by forfeit ā its seventh so far this season ā as controversy swirls around one player on its roster. Sheās one of the seniors, and she has been dragged in the media by her own co-captain, who outed her as transgender.
The Washington Blade is not naming this student athlete since neither she nor the school have confirmed or even commented on her gender identity.
SJSU visited San Diego last weekend for a match before the Aztecsā biggest home crowd of the season ā including protesters waving āSave Womenās Sportsā banners and booing one player on the Spartans team in particular: The woman who is reported to be trans.
Security was tight, with metal detectors and extra guards and police officers present. Video posted to YouTube by a right-wing sports media site ā which names the player ā shows an angry fan arguing with security about his First Amendment rights.
Video recorded during Nov. 9ās game shows a player for San Diego was injured following a spike by the player rumored to be trans, and had to be helped off the court. However, the video clearly shows that player was injured by landing poorly on one foot, not as a result of the spike.
The Aztecs defeated the Spartans 3-1, but San Jose has still punched its ticket to the conference finals, thanks to its record number of forfeits.
Wyoming was set to visit SJSU Thursday, but for the second time is joining other universities that have forfeited games against the Spartans, all without providing a reason. Boise State announced it will forfeit an upcoming match set for Nov. 21, its second forfeit against SJSU.
In September, the Spartansā co-captain, senior Brooke Slusser, outed her own teammate, the player at the center of this controversy, in joining a federal lawsuit against the NCAA spearheaded by anti-trans inclusion activist and former college athlete Riley Gaines.
Slusser said in the lawsuit and in subsequent interviews that the player in question shouldnāt be on her team. The suit claims the NCAAās policy on trans athletes violates Title IX by allowing āmenā to compete in women’s sports and use women’s locker rooms where they display āfull male genitalia.ā
The NCAA policy for trans athletes participating in womenās volleyball aligns with that of USA Volleyball, which requires trans female athletes to suppress their testosterone below 10 nmol/L for a period of one year before competition. That is also how the NCAA determines eligibility. SJSU has stated repeatedly that all its players are eligible.
The lawsuit also asks the NCAA to revoke any titles or records won by trans female athletes in women’s competitions, which seems to be specifically aimed at stripping out trans NCAA champions Lia Thomas and CeCĆ© Telfer of their titles in swimming and track and field, respectively.Ā
Prior to this season, the player rumored to be trans did not attract any attention other than being a successful starter, like Slusser. But now that she is in the media spotlight, Slusser has come forward to tell right wing media, including Megyn Kelly, why she feels another woman two inches taller than she is poses a danger.Ā
“I don’t feel safe,” Slusser said on “The Megyn Kelly Show” last month. “I’ve gone to my coaches and said I refuse to play against [her] ā¦ It’s not safe.”
In the video, both Kelly and Slusser refer to the player as āhimā and a āman,ā and name her.
Now comes another twist: San Jose State University suspended associate head coach Melissa Batie-Smoose with pay, indefinitely, after she filed a Title IX complaint against SJSU. She claims the player Slusser identified as trans conspired with an opponent to help the team lose a match and injure Slusser. Batie-Smoose named the player in question in her complaint and on Sept. 23, joined the same lawsuit that Slusser is now a part of.
“Safety is being taken away from women,” Batie-Smoose told Fox News. “Fair play is taken away from women. We need more and more people to do this and fight this fight because womenās sports, as we know it right now will be forever changed.”
Media reporting on the suspension, including Fox News, continue to name the athlete in question, with some also reporting what they say is the athleteās birth name.
San Jose State released a statement following the suspension of Batie-Smoose: “The associate head coach of the San Jose State University womenās volleyball team is not with the team at this time, and we will not provide further information on this matter,” the team said.
SJSU Coach Todd Kress told ESPN that reports saying that any member of the Spartans colluded with their opponent are ālittered with lies.ā
The Spartans are currently among the top six finishers in the Mountain West Conference that will qualify to compete in the conference tournament scheduled for Nov. 27-30.
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.
-
Rehoboth Beach1 day ago
Rehoboth Beachās iconic Purple Parrot is sold
-
Congress5 days ago
Protests against anti-trans bathroom policy lead to more than a dozen arrests
-
Opinions1 day ago
Navigating the holidays while estranged from ultra-religious, abusive parents
-
Books2 days ago
Mother wages fight for trans daughter in new book