Sports
Glowing year for D.C. amateur LGBT sports leagues
D.C. Gay Flag Football League, Federal Triangles among high achievers
With about 40 LGBT sports teams and clubs, Washington continues to impress with the cohesion of its sports community.
The noncompetitive sports clubs offered a full list of recreational activities and the competitive sports teams had another banner year on the national and world stage.
Charitable giving and community service are a staple throughout the sports community. As an example, Stonewall Kickball alone reports about 2,000 volunteer hours logged throughout the year and $150,000 in donations to local nonprofits.
Below are 2019 highlights from a select few of the LGBT sports teams:
The Washington Prodigy women’s full-tackle football team captured its third United States Women’s Football League championship in Tennessee. Their success is taking them to a more competitive league for 2020 — the Women’s National Football Conference.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League hosted its largest MAGIC Tournament this year with over 40 teams participating, including their largest ever women’s division.
Adventuring LGBTQ+ Outdoors Club celebrated its 40th anniversary by recreating their first outing from May of 1979. About 35 members from the past and present, including the leader of the inaugural hike, joined together for a weekend celebration.
District of Columbia Aquatics Club traveled to New York City for the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics Championships where members broke 17 IGLA world records and captured 137 medals. In July, they hosted the 28th annual Maryland Swim for Life open water event on the Eastern Shore.
D.C.-based Stonewall Sports has expanded to 19 cities across the country with its latest additions being Asheville, Kansas City and Detroit. Members hosted their Stonewall National Tournament in Raleigh and also traveled to the Sin City Classic in Las Vegas. Locally, they run kickball, dodgeball, bocce, climbing, billiards and yoga.
D.C. Gay Flag Football League maintained its two season league structure and sent multiple travel teams to tournaments around the country. In October, members sent four men’s teams and one women’s team to New York City where the Washington Generals were crowned Gay Bowl XVIII Division A champions and Delta Force won the Division C championship.
D.C. Strokes Rowing Club continued with multiple rowing programs and hosted its annual Stonewall Regatta bringing about 400 rowers to D.C. The Strokes raced sprints and head races throughout the year including the U.S. Masters Rowing Championships and Head of the Charles.
Athletes from TriOut triathlon club traveled extensively to compete in triathlons. In June, members hosted their annual training weekend in Lost River.
Federal Triangles Soccer Club hosted another successful season of the Summer of Freedom Soccer League along with competing in other District leagues and tournament play. Players continue to run three tournaments per year.
Locally hosted tournaments by the sports teams are run annually and draw athletes from all over the world. The teams also bid on hosting tournaments that travel and the Capital Area Rainbowlers were just selected to host the International Gay Bowling Midyear 2021 tournament in D.C.
A big welcome in 2019 to the LGBT players and allies competing in Gay Hockey D.C. After a long period without having hockey as an option locally, a group reemerged and are playing at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Also offered locally are rugby, tennis, golf, sailing, basketball, roller skating, cheerleading, cycling, dancesport, darts, orienteering, racquetball, cornhole, pickleball, road running, walking, rodeo, women’s baseball, curling, scuba diving, ultimate frisbee, snowboarding, skiing, volleyball, women’s roller derby, water polo and music ensemble.
Information on the sports teams and sports clubs can be found at teamdc.org.
More than a dozen LGBTQ athletes won medals at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics that ended on Sunday.
Cayla Barnes, Hilary Knight, and Alex Carpenter are LGBTQ members of the U.S. women’s hockey team that won a gold medal after they defeated Canada in overtime. Knight the day before the Feb. 19 match proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, who is gay, and his partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry won gold. American alpine skier Breezy Johnson, who is bisexual, won gold in the women’s downhill. Amber Glenn, who identifies as bisexual and pansexual, was part of the American figure skating team that won gold in the team event.
Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud, who is in a relationship with Vali Höll, an Austrian mountain biker, won gold in women’s freeski slopestyle.
Bruce Mouat, who is the captain of the British curling team that won a silver medal, is gay. Six members of the Canadian women’s hockey team — Emily Clark, Erin Ambrose, Emerance Maschmeyer, Brianne Jenner, Laura Stacey, and Marie-Philip Poulin — that won silver are LGBTQ.
Swedish freestyle skier Sandra Naeslund, who is a lesbian, won a bronze medal in ski cross.
Belgian speed skater Tineke den Dulk, who is bisexual, was part of her country’s mixed 2000-meter relay that won bronze. Canadian ice dancer Paul Poirier, who is gay, and his partner, Piper Gilles, won bronze.
Laura Zimmermann, who is queer, is a member of the Swiss women’s hockey team that won bronze when they defeated Sweden.
Outsports.com notes all of the LGBTQ Olympians who competed at the games and who medaled.
Sports
US wins Olympic gold medal in women’s hockey
Team captain Hilary Knight proposed to girlfriend on Wednesday
The U.S. women’s hockey team on Thursday won a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Team USA defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime. The game took place a day after Team USA captain Hilary Knight proposed to her girlfriend, Brittany Bowe, an Olympic speed skater.
Cayla Barnes and Alex Carpenter — Knight’s teammates — are also LGBTQ. They are among the more than 40 openly LGBTQ athletes who are competing in the games.
The Olympics will end on Sunday.
Sports
Attitude! French ice dancers nail ‘Vogue’ routine
Cizeron and Fournier Beaudry strike a pose in memorable Olympics performance
Madonna’s presence is being felt at the Olympic Games in Italy.
Guillaume Cizeron and his rhythm ice dancing partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry of France performed a flawless skate to Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Rescue Me” on Monday.
The duo scored an impressive 90.18 for their effort, the best score of the night.
“We’ve been working hard the whole season to get over 90, so it was nice to see the score on the screen,” Fournier Beaudry told Olympics.com. “But first of all, just coming out off the ice, we were very happy about what we delivered and the pleasure we had out there. With the energy of the crowd, it was really amazing.”
Watch the routine on YouTube here.
Md. Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs released updated student recommendations
Va. lawmakers consider partial restoration of Ryan White funds
Finding community through tragedy
Peter Thiel’s expanding power — and his overlap with Jeffrey Epstein
Why innovation matters for Black health
After layoffs at Advocate, parent company acquires ‘Them’ from Conde Nast
Capital Pride reveals 2026 theme
ACLU sues Kansas over law invalidating trans residents’ IDs
Calendar: February 27-March 5
