Sports

A first for UK soccer: Transgender men vs. cisgender men

Match took place in London on Friday

Published

3 years ago

April 3, 2023

(Photo courtesy of the TRUK United Football Club UK/Twitter)

The final score was lopsided, 8 to 1, but what the Dulwich Hamlet FC Supporters Team did in playing TRUK United FC on Friday was historic: This was the first time in Europe that an all-cisgender men’s soccer team competed against a team of transgender men and trans-masculine players.

And as Pink News reported, it happened on the International Transgender Day of Visibility in London.

“Many of the team had never met before. Some of them hadn’t played football since school, others were semi-pro,” said Harry Nicholas, author of “A Trans Man Walks into a Gay Bar“, who played center back in Friday’s match.

Another player was a famous face in U.K. television: Ash Palmisciano — the first ever transgender actor to appear on the show “Emmerdale” — drove down from Leeds to play. Others drove to London all the way from Scotland, according to Nicholas.

“There was such a range of talent, experiences and nationalities on the pitch, but the one thing that united us all was that we thought there was no place for us in football as trans men, and this event changed that,” he said, and explained why the match was so vital for trans representation in sports:

“I hope that trans kids see this and know there is a place for them in sport. That it is possible,” said Nicholas.

A crowd of more than 500 fans was in attendance at Champions Field, and when TRUK United scored a goal, there was a huge eruption of cheers, a moment Nicholas tweeted was “possibly the most emotional moment of my life.”

“We ran towards each other and hugged. Our manager Lucy and the whole squad joined us on the pitch. I’ve never felt a sense of community and joy quite like it before — we were playing a sport we love and owning it,” he told Pink News.

LGBTQ advocate and journalist Nick Heath called that goal “the greatest free kick goal I’ve ever seen live.”

A real privilege to watch this match tonight, including the greatest free kick goal I’ve ever seen live. Such a great atmosphere. #TransDayOfVisibility https://t.co/3NxQWbmlv3
— Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 31, 2023

“The crowd seemed to get a lot out of it, too,” said Nicholas. “For many of the people in attendance — football crowds are a challenge. There can be a lot of homophobia and transphobia. For many it was their first time watching a match. There were amazing chants and it was such a high-spirited event. It was a mix of LGBTQ+ people, and allies, coming together to celebrate this historic evening, and show that everyone has a place in sport.”

The match was played on the same day that UK Athletics confirmed its ban on trans women in women’s sports, and Nicholas said that made the match especially vital.

“The score didn’t matter at the beginning and it didn’t matter at the end. This was not about winning or proving ourselves against a cis team. The real win was always that we walked out onto the pitch, played, we’re visible and we’ve reclaimed our place in football.”

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Egypt

Iran, Egypt play in World Cup ‘Pride Match’

FIFA allowed Pride flags inside Seattle stadium

Published

2 weeks ago

June 28, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

(Screen capture via KOMO News/YouTube)

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.

Out & About

Orioles take on Nats for Pride Night

First 15,000 fans to receive exclusive jersey

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

The Baltimore Orioles take on the Nats for Pride night on Friday. (Photo courtesy the Orioles)

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

Published

3 weeks ago

June 19, 2026

Baltimore Banner

The Orioles handed out Pride-themed jerseys for the first 15,000 fans who arrived to Camden Yards as the Baltimore Orioles played the Texas Rangers at Orioles Park in Baltimore during Pride Night on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (Liana Handler of the Baltimore Banner)

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.