Featured events


7-9 September 2012
Brussels Games
Brussels

Brussels Gay Sports will offer a weekend of fun and fairplay in the capital of Europe, with volleyball, swimming, badminton, and tennis, as well as fitness and hiking.

Learn more HERE.
26-28 October 2012
QueergamesBern
Bern, Switzerland

The success of the first edition of the QueergamesBern proved the need for an LGBT multisport event in Switzerland. This year will be even bigger, with badminton, bowling, running, walking, floorball.

Learn more HERE.
17-20 January 2013
Sin City Shootout
Las Vegas
The 7th Sin City Shootout will feature softball, ice hockey, tennis, wrestling, basketball, dodgeball, bodybuilding and basketball.

Learn more HERE.

13-16 June 2013
IGLFA Euro Cup
Dublin
After this year's edition in Budapest at the EuroGames, the IGLFA Euro Cup heads to Dublin for 2013, hosted by the Dublin Devils and the Dublin Phoenix Tigers.

Learn more HERE.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Where at the Ls in LGBT sport?

Gareth Johnson writes in GayStarNews on the lack of lesbians in LGBT sports clubs:


If you look at the website of any LGBT community-based sports club, the goals, objectives and sentiment are generally pretty similar and very inclusive.

For example, Frontrunners proclaims that it’s mission is to ‘promote the sports of running, walking and related athletic activities for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders and their supporters’. But if you talk to most Frontrunners clubs around the world and their membership is dominated by middle-aged gay men.

This situation is consistent in LGBT sports clubs around the world:

  • The Capital Splats racquetball club in Washington was only established in 2010, but already its membership is skewed towards gay men - with lesbians making up only 15% of the club’s membership.
  • The Toronto Triggerfish , established in 2001 are Canada’s largest water polo club (and the world’s largest LGBT water polo club), but only 19% of their 80 members are women.
  • For Rainbow Squash in Amsterdam , established in 1997, lesbians make up only 20% of its membership.
  • And yet it’s undeniable that lesbians love sport and are actively participating in sport at all levels. So what is it about LGBT sports clubs that is a turn-off for women?


Keep reading HERE.

1 comment:

Kelly Stevens said...

The women in the photo won the silver medal in the 5k and 10k road races at Gay Games VIII, Cologne 2010. This was her first Gay Games. She volunteered for Seattle Frontrunners and worked hard to recruit women to running in the club. She is a high school teacher and my friend. She got up early every day for a week at Gay Games for private German lessons as part of her visit. I taught her how to pronounce her name Judith in German. Her Italian is much better than her German!