Sports
Breaking barriers for non-binary athletes
G Ryan finds success in the pool and the classroom
G Ryan identifies as non-binary or genderqueer and swims on the womenās team at the University of Michigan. (Photo courtesy G Ryan)
When G Ryan started competitive swimming at age 12 in Kutztown, Pa., they found it entertaining, fun and a way to meet people. They never considered that it might be a path to being an NCAA athlete.
That all changed when they won the 800m freestyle at the USA Swimming National Championships at age 15 and followed that up with gold and bronze medals at the Pan Am Games.
Their coach, Erik Posegay, took a coaching position at North Baltimore Aquatics Club and Ryan left home to train with the team that produced Michael Phelps. They would finish high school in a cyber program offered through their public high school in Kutztown.
āI am the youngest child and it was really challenging for me to leave home,ā Ryan says. āKutztown and Baltimore are very different places and a lot changed in a short period. It was the right decision though because my club results led to the University of Michigan.ā
Ryan wrapped up their junior year at Michigan this past spring with their most successful year yet in the pool. Two-time NCAA All-American, three-time Big Ten champion, NCAA Championships finalist ā the list goes on and includes academic achievements.
When they start to discuss what it means to be a part of an NCAA Division 1 swimming program at a powerhouse Big 10 school, their tone fills with enthusiasm.
āWe have talked through what we want to accomplish with the first-year swimmers coming in this fall and how we want to guide and shape what the team looks like this year,ā Ryan says. āThere will be shared responsibility and I am very excited to step into that role and share my experiences.ā
G Ryan not only has swimming experiences, but also life experiences that include coming to understand where they are on the gender spectrum. Ryan identifies as non-binary or genderqueer and swims on the womenās team at the University of Michigan.
āWhen I arrived at Michigan, I didnāt have an extensive education about identity and I didnāt have the vocabulary to express how I felt,ā Ryan says. āI hung out with my brother growing up but I never identified as one of the guys. I occupied that role as a tomboy and I held on to that feeling.ā
Ryan began using the LGBT resources at the Spectrum Center on campus and started the education process along with building a strong network of people for support.
āThe first time I was asked āwhat is your pronounā my whole world opened up,ā Ryan says. āI thought that even the trans community had binary roles.ā
The LGBT resource center has given Ryan the opportunity to interact with people who have similar identities. In the binary world of athletics, they realize that for now, they need to be able to embrace both sides.
āExplaining my identity, especially in athletics, is difficult and there are days when I am exhausted by trying to move through the world as a binary person,ā Ryan says. āI am just taking it one step at a time and accepting that it is OK that there are days when I donāt want to leave the house.ā
Ryan understands that the system and structure for sports is in place, but also believes that changes towards more inclusion are always worthwhile.
Putting gender-inclusive bathrooms at natatoriums, bringing awareness to the fact that trans athletes are competing and including non-binary athletes in discussions are all topics being discussed for recommended practices for USA Swimming.
Support has come from the University of Michigan athletics department in the form of pronoun usage in team emails and the language they use, along with acceptance from teammates and their coach, Mike Bottom.
āSwimming has granted me many things and I wouldnāt be at the University of Michigan without it. Despite the challenges, I am totally committed to my team and finally connected to the community I am a part of,ā Ryan says. āEveryoneās identity is valid and it is possible to have team athletics along with your own individual identity.ā
Photos
Washington Spirit host largest halftime drag performance in NWSL history
The Washington Spirit celebrated the LGBTQ+ community with the teamās annual Pride Night at Audi Field this past Saturday. Highlighting that eveningās Pride-themed festivities was a
halftime drag performance, featuring over a dozen drag performers from around the
DMV. It was the largest halftime drag performance in NWSL history.
Performers included: Shiqueeta Lee, KCByonce, Citrine the Queen, Elektra Gee, Kabuki Bukkake, Delila B. Lee, Capri Bloomingdale, Tara Ashleigh Austin, Gigi Couture, Dorsell Phinn, Tula, Twix the Drag Queen, Bootsy Omega, Princeza.
Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers apologize, reverse decision on disinviting drag group
Pride Night to take place June 16
In a tweet Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise reversed last Wednesday’s decision to disinvite the LA Chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from a scheduled āCommunity Hero Awardā presentation for the team’s annual Pride Night on June 16.
ā Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath announced on Twitter Monday afternoon after the Dodgers apology, and its accompanying public acceptance by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, that she had been pleased to have assisted in facilitating a meeting between the team, the Sisters and stakeholders in the LGBTQ community’s leadership both non-profit and political to come to an understanding.
Thanks to the @LADragnuns for your work to serve & uplift the LGBTQ+ community. You model the best of my faith.
ā Lindsey P. Horvath (@LindseyPHorvath) May 23, 2023
@Dodgers, it is rare for an organization like yours to publicly recognize mistakes & commit to doing better – thank you šš¼
In a Monday afternoon phone call with the Los Angeles Blade, Horvath explained that important dialogue between the Dodgers and other parties had commenced. She said that earlier on Monday, in a meeting at Dodger Stadium, the stakeholders met to work out a solution.
“I was honestly moved and grateful by the commitment in the room by all the parties, especially Dodgers president and part-owner Stan Kasten,” Horvath said.
In addition to the representatives from the Sisters drag group, the meeting was also attended by Los Angeles LGBT Center Chief Executive Officer Joe Hollendoner, LA Pride President Gerald GarthBoard, West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne, state Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, and state Sen. Caroline Menjivar. Zbur and Menjivar attending on behalf of the California Legislative LGBTQ caucus.
Horvath indicated that she felt it was a critically important meeting with all stakeholders as they worked through the anger, sense of betrayal, and misgivings over the Dodgers actions. She pointed out that she was convinced that the Dodgers president was genuinely remorseful and apologetic.
In an email Monday night, Zbur told the Blade: “It was clear that todayās meeting followed meaningful internal dialogue among Dodgers management, with whom I had numerous frank conversations during the week and weekend. Iām pleased that the Dodgers came to understand the genuine hurt and injury caused by the decision to exclude the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ā one that did not reflect our Los Angeles or California values.
As the only LGBTQ members of the Legislature representing Los Angeles, Senator Menjivar and I participated in the meeting at the request of the California LGBTQ Legislative Caucus to express the serious and uniform concern of Democratic members of the California Legislature.
After hearing the perspectives of the Sisters, L.A. Pride and the LGBTQ+ leaders in the room, the Dodger management apologized unequivocally for their mistake, re-invited the Sisters to participate in the event, and engaged in a discussion about the steps that they could take to reconcile with LGBTQ+ community.
I was proud of the Sisters, who demonstrated resilience, strength and a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community during the discussion, and I was impressed with the sincerity of the apology by the Dodger management.”
The Los Angeles LGBT Center had called on the team to cancel Pride Night altogether. After the Dodgers had made their public apology, Hollendoner issued the following statement:
āTodayās decision by the Dodgers to publicly apologize to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and roll back their exclusion from next monthās Pride Night is a step in the right direction, and we support the Sistersā vote to accept their much-deserved Community Hero Award.
Last weekās debacle underscores the dangerous impact of political tactics by those who seek to stoke the flames of anti-LGBTQ bias at a time when our rights are under attack. We must continue to stand together as a community in defense of the rights and recognition of LGBTQ+ people in Los Angeles and beyond.
The Center is filled with gratitude to our Los Angeles community, who mobilized to support the Sisters, all of which compelled the Dodgers to ultimately do right by LGBTQ+ people everywhere. We are proud to stand with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and will join them at Pride Night to honor their many important contributions to our movement.
The Dodgersā course correction and the conversations we have had with the organizationās leadership since last week demonstrates the version of allyship we have come to expect from the team over the years. The Center will always strive to hold our corporate partners accountable ā which means so much more than waving a rainbow flag.ā
The team announced last week it would drop the drag group from its celebration of LGBTQ+
fans, the day after a letter-writing campaign was launched by the anti-LGBTQ Catholic League. Catholic League President Bill Donohue accused the team of “rewarding anti-Catholicism” by honoring the group.
“The Catholic League has been the leading critic of this bigoted organization for many decades,” Donohue wrote on the organization’s website. “… These homosexual bigots are known for simulating sodomy while dressed as nuns.”
He added, “Just last month, they held an event mocking our Blessed Mother and Jesus on Easter Sunday.”
One of those writing, was U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) who also sent a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, stating that he was questioning whether the League is āinclusive and welcomingā to Christians.
At the time, the Dodgers said they removed the group from their Pride Night celebration āgiven the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the Sistersā inclusion in our evening, and in an effort not to distract from the great benefits ā¦ of Pride Night.ā
On Saturday, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken invited the drag group to Angels Pride Night in a tweet, as reported by the Blade: āIām inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join me for @Angels Pride Night at Anaheim Stadium on June 7. Pride should be inclusive and like many, I was disappointed in the Dodgersā decision,ā tweeted the Mayor .
Neither the Angels nor the mayorās office confirmed that invitation as of press time, and also did not comment on the Dodgersā reversal.
However, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange took aim at Aitken for extending the invitation to the drag group:
āThe decision to openly embrace a group whose demeaning behavior is anti-Catholic and anti-Christian is misguided and disrespectful to the sisters of the Catholic Church who minister in Orange County and selflessly dedicate their lives to Godās underserved people,ā said Jarryd Gonzales, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange on Monday.
āWe cannot condone any actions that have historically shown such high levels of disregard for the sincerely held beliefs of the faithful,ā he added.
“Our June 7th Pride Night is part of Major League Baseball’s league-wide effort to raise awareness and promote acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. As in the past, OC Pride has assisted our Organization in the planning of this event as well as outreach to all fans throughout Southern California,” an Angels spokesperson said on the mayor’s invitation.
The Sisters have not indicated publicly if they plan to attend the Angels Pride Night as of yet.
Sources tell the Blade out gay Dodgers Vice President Erik Braverman was being advised on this crisis by Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler. When contacted by the Blade, Zeigler declined to comment.
A spokesperson for the Dodgers did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Sports
Vice president meets Brittney Griner before first game back
Russia released WNBA star from penal colony late last year
Vice President Kamala Harris accompanied by her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, greeted WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury star center Brittney Griner and her wife Cherelle Friday night before Griner’s first professional basketball game back since being released from a Russian penal camp last December.
According to the White House Press Pool reporter traveling with Harris, she and Emhoff arrived at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles and met with the Griners prior to the game between the LA Sparks and Phoenix Mercury.
After conversations between the four, the vice president met with the rest of the Mercury in their dressing rooms before meeting with host team the LA Sparks in theirs.
According to the Advocate’s reporter Christopher Wiggins, in her meeting with the Mercury, the vice president said:
āI came here to talk to the team to congratulate you on exhibiting excellence in every way. You are some of the finest athletes in the world, and to do what you do every day shows that it is right to have ambition,ā she said.
āIt is right to have aspirations. It is right to work hard. It is right to compete when you know you have put everything into it; when you have trained, when you have discipline, when you have intelligence and when you have brilliance.ā
She added, āIt makes me so proud as vice president of the United States to go around the world talking to folks about a variety of issues, and one of the subjects that does come up is the WNBA. [The world] is watching what you guys are doing, lifting up the excellence of the finest athletes in the world.ā
After meeting both teams Harris then showed up at center court to cheers from about 10,000 people and received an honorary jersey from the Sparks.
Great time at the game tonight cheering on the @LASparks and @PhoenixMercury as we celebrated @BrittneyGriner‘s return to the court.
ā Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) May 20, 2023
Her grace, courage, and determination are an inspiration to all. pic.twitter.com/0fTx952IWj
The Sparks beat the Mercury 94-71, although the Advocate pointed out: “Grinerās return to the floor and doing what she loves was more important than the result. Six rebounds, four blocks, and 18 points rounded out her performance.”
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