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IN THIS ISSUE JULY / AUGUST • 2022 FEATURES NAGAAA CELEBRATES 45 YEARS Catching Up With NAGAAA President, John Deffee KICKIN’ IT IN BUFFALO Buffalo’s Varsity Gay League Takes Off VGL HAS COME A LONG WAY HONORING NUMBER 42 The Jackie Robinson Museum Opening in New York City KICK GrandstandingOFF • Survey JonahONE-ON-ONEBarry • 2022 ASANA World Series Rookie of the Year FROM THE COMPETENETWORK.COM BLOG It’s ALWAYS a Good Time to Play Baseball (and to Come Out) LEFT FIELD What the BEEP? It’s Beep Baseball! MILLENNIAL ON SPORTS FROM THE CATBIRD SEAT HIGH FIVE MVP • Amy Torres GYM EVENTSBAG 32302618EVERYDEPARTMENTSISSUE 241436341612683840 30 34 3226 16 38
Who would’ve thought you could change the world through softball? Or change lives simply through cheerleading and performing for the crowd? Or even inspire an entire generation through the simple act of playing a game? It’s not only wonderful, it’s also really humbling to know that I am able to be part of a community of the most courageous, passionate, daring and confident people I have ever met in my life. So thank you for all that you do and for inspiring me to push myself further … every day. •
6 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 MILLENNIAL ON SPORTS A LETTER FROM DIRK SMITH
Season!
Most notably, I have conducted interviews with some amazing sports diversity leaders who are really showing us the power of the LGBTQ+ sports community in enacting social change toward equality, acceptance, and diversity. That includes my interviews with Schuyler Bailer, Amazin LeThi, Jesus Godinez, the Pride Cheerleading Association and in this issue specifically, with John Deffee. These leaders, and so many more that I work with, write about and connect with continue to inspire me by how motivated and passionate they are about the work they’re doing. In turn, this helps to push me further, reminding me that the work we are all doing truly matters.
David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL • HE | HIM Happy Softball
I don’t know about ya’ll, but I am having such a fantastic year! Ever since the Sin City Classic in January, I’ve been on a forward roll as a sports diversity leader, sport psychologist and sport scientist. One of my favorite things has been seeing LGBTQ+ sports returning to full play as it continues coming out of this pandemic color from Sin City Classic in January to IGLA, IGLFA, EuroGames and now to the Gay Softball World Series and the ASANA World Championships! LGBTQ+ sports has always been a great passion of mine because of my own personal story. Like many of you, as a young gay man I left sports due to discrimination and safety issues. Yet half a decade later I found a sense of purpose, hope and confidence through sports when I joined my first LGBTQ+ sports team. This had such a profound impact on my life that it has shaped my personal and professional development to this day. I lost sight of that just before the pandemic. But over the last year, especially the last six-toseven months I have been reminded of the power of community and my purpose as an openly gay person in sports.
The Freedom, Safety and Sheer Joy From Playing the Game You Love
Take time to play the sport you love and enjoy the freedom, safety and absolute joy that comes from letting loose and having fun!
NAGAAA, the softball association that covers North America, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. It was founded at a time when it offered a safe place for gay men to come together, to enjoy just being themselves and playing softball; and a women’s division was officially added in 1991. The league has continued to grow its advocacy support for the transgender community and take on other important issues over the years. Gay Varsity League was founded in 2007 with a game of capture the flag. But in 2010 it launched its signature sport, kickball, later adding other sports under the VGL umbrella. Now it’s in 23 cities with each city deciding what sports it wants to play. Even though it’s 2022, its members still talk about VGL being a safe space to gather, to be themselves, to play the games they love and just have fun. But it’s not all about the LGBTQ+ and ally athlete community. The Beep Baseball story is about average people who are visually impaired. Until beep baseball came along, they weren’t able to play baseball. To hit a ball, to run bases, to feel the freedom to do something they’d once been unable to do brings them a sense of joy and passion many of us have probably never before considered when we’ve talked about equity and inclusion. Then there’s the story of Maybelle Blair, the irrepressible 95-year-old lesbian who just came out as she was helping promote the new Amazon television series, “A League of Their Own,” an in-depth story of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League of the 1940s. Maybelle’s story of thinking there was something wrong with her, of being the only person who felt “this way” may resonate with some of you!
Reviewing the pages of this issue, I was struck yet again by the sheer joy the subjects of these stories expressed when they talked about playing ball; whether baseball, softball or beep baseball, it didn’t matter – it was about the passion they felt for the sport they loved. And when they talked or wrote about it, that passion was palpable.
This issue is an interesting cultural reminder that every human being needs a certain level of personal freedom and safety; then if lucky enough to play sports in a supportive environment, happiness, fun, even passion ensues.
Connie Wardman, M.A., SDLT • SHE | HER
8 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 FROM THE CATBIRD SEAT A LETTER FROM CONNIE WARDMAN
10 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 EricPUBLISHER/CEOCarlyle • eric@competenetwork.com ConnieEDITOR-IN-CHIEFWardman • connie@competenetwork.com MANAGING EDITOR David “Dirk” Smith • dirk@competenetwork.com ART DaraDIRECTORFowler • dara@competenetwork.com CONTRIBUTORS Harry Andrew, Matt Boyles, Lisa Chastain, Ryan O’Connor, Miriam Latto, Joshua Magallanes, Brian Patrick, Maria-Belle Zuniga PROJECT COORDINATOR Ariel Stevens • ariel@competenetwork.com ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Bethany Harvat • beth@competenetwork.com To partner with Compete Sports Diversity, please contact our Sales & Partnerships Team SALES & PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR Trayer Martinez • trayer@competenetwork.com SALES & PARTNESHIP SPECIALIST Pavel Antonov • pavel.antonov@competenetwork.com COMPETE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Eric Carlyle, SDLT Connor Shane, SDLT Angela Smith, SDLT John Deffee, SDLT Joel Horton, SDL All Mail: PO BOX 2756, Scottsdale, AZ 85252 Corporate Office: 6991 E Camelback Rd., D-300, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (800) 489-1274 Copyright ©2022 Media Out Loud, LLC All Rights Reserved. Compete Sports Diversity, Sports Diversity Leadership Council, Sports Diversity Leader and SDL are all trademarks of Media Out Loud, LLC. OUR VISION: Compete Unites the World Through Sports Lucky Skivvies is a gender neutral boxer briefs and loungewear brand created for all bodies. Shop online at www.LuckySkivvies.com for free US shipping. Follow us on all socials @LuckySkivvies. Boxer Briefs Not Confined By Gender Congratlations to on their 45th Anniversary!
12 OFFKICK GRANDSTANDING
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SURVEY What are your favorite Baseball/ Softball Game Eats? • BEER 40% • HOT DOGS 25% • POPCORN 25% • PEANUTS COMPETENETWORK.COM10% Check out the latest in sports diversity at
Representing (May-June 2022) I loved your Pride Issue. Jesus Godinez truly represents a modern day Renaissance Man and I am so glad he was featured in your magazine. Seeing organizations such as the Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Rising support our community is refreshing. Thank you for representing! Dolly Harper Indianapolis, Indiana
Absolutely Swimming (May-June 2022) It was incredible to see the diversity in Compete’s recent I absolutely loved all of it, especially the The intersection between LGBTQ+ and the Asian community is often overlooked. Tanner Sno Denver, Colorado
issue.
• Jessica Campbell has been hired by the Coachella Valley Firebirds as an assistant coach, making her the first woman behind a bench as a full-time coach in the AHL.
THOSE COMING OUT
… for becoming the first WNBA player to score 30 or more points at the age of 40 or older. She joins Michael Jordan and Dirk Nowitzki as only the third athlete to complete the feat in WNBA or NBA history.
|
14 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 FIVEHIGH
MATTEL | GLOBAL TOYMAKER
THOSE MOVING UP
WORDS OF WISDOM from recently deceased NBA Hall of Famer, Bill Russell, the man Celtics coach Red Auerbach described as “the single most devastating force in the history of the game.”
• Mike Grier is the NHL’s first-ever Black GM for the San Jose Sharks.
… for releasing its first transgender Barbie, that of Laverne Cox, the four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy-winning producer and first transgender woman of color to have a leading role on a scripted TV show.
• Peter Caruth, Irish Olympic field hockey player comes out as gay, saying it’s the best thing he’s ever done and hopes to inspire other closeted LGBTQ+ people to come out.
Deserving athletes, teams, leagues, organizations, and corporations as well as high profile celebrities receive High Fives for their contributions to promoting diversity, inclusion, equality-equity and acceptance for all.
• Igor Benevenuto has become the first FIFA soccer referee in Brazil to declare he’s homosexual and ready to inspire others in soccer to live an authentic personal life.
“Commitment in my mind is the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live their lives regretting the opportunities they have squandered.”
SLAVA MEDVEDENKO
DIANA TAURASI
MERCURYPHOENIXPLAYER
• Dan Jervis, the 26-year-old Welsh Olympic Swimming Champ now has found happiness in himself and looks forward to being a role model for others.
• Nick McCarthy, Irish pro rugby player has come out of the closet at 27, citing out Australian soccer star Josh Cavallo and an openly bisexual teammate as inspirations for his decision.
• Alba Palacios is Spain’s first transgender football [soccer] player and can’t contain her joy at finally being her true self.
… for auctioning off all his championship rings, t-shirts, jerseys and sneakers from his time with the team and using the proceeds to rebuild Ukrainian gyms bombed by Russian troops through his Fly High Foundation, making sure kids in his native country have access to high-quality facilities.
FORMER NBA LAKERS FORWARD
ICONIC
• Morgan Cato has been hired as assistant GM, VP basketball operations by the Phoenix Suns
• Sandra Douglass Morgan is the new president of the Las Vegas Raiders, making her the highest-ranking Black woman in the NFL.
• Emily Engel-Natzke joins the Washington Capitals as NHL’s first woman video coach.
• Ryan Resch, Phoenix Suns vice president of strategy and evaluation becomes the first openly gay executive on the basketball operations side of an NBA organization.
| HER
Meet the 2022 ASANA World Series Rookie of the Year: Jonah Barry
ONEONEON
16 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022
As the women of ASANA are unpacking their gear and starting to catch up with old friends, they also reach out to all this year’s new faces, the rookies who are at the ASANA World Series for the first time. Following the popularity of last year’s Rookie of the Year piece, this anticipated annual feature will provide veteran attendees an opportunity to read about a first timer and learn more about the fabulous people who are the newest athletes choosing to join ASANA!
This year’s Rookie of the Year is Jonah Barry (he/ him) who plays for Divas On Dirt, part of Atlanta’s Hotlanta Softball League (HSL), and his journey to becoming an ASANA World Series rookie is truly a remarkable one! While Jonah has always been an athlete, he didn’t grow up playing either softball or baseball. Instead, he played tennis and basketball, playing the latter well enough to earn a college scholarship based on his performance. His first experience playing softball, however, didn’t occur until 2012 when he spent two years in Kansas City and joined softball team, Girls Who Love Bacon. He then moved to Denver for two years before moving to the south of Spain for six years. When the World Health Organization announced the start of the pandemic in 2020, however, Jonah returned to the Atlanta area where his softball playing continued and his learning of the basics and intricacies of softball began. But he’s done much more in his life than just play sports. His backstory? Jonah’s an honorably discharged U.S. veteran, turned firefighter/paramedic, turned international contractor doing emergency medical work
BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT • SHE
Based on his experience working with NGOs (nongovernmental organizations), international peace organizations and the CDC in Nigeria during the Ebola outbreak, Jonah’s Set Safe Group is a comprehensive business that writes both health and safety protocols as well as emergency/disaster action plans and provides medical oversight to organizations.
Jonah’s company has a high volume of clients within major motion picture studios, events and productions on a global basis, but it also works within the Federal Contracting space to provide these same services to the Department of Defense.
CompeteNetwork com | COMPETE • 17 in remote and austere environments. With his deep belief in being of service to others, upon returning stateside, he started his own company – the Set Safe Group.
Just your average, everyday business – NOT!
“They’re an incredible group of women. Strong, smart, talented and fierce athletes,” he says. “Such a diverse group, with many different world views. How we come together on the softball field and treat each other with respect, as a family, touches my heart in a way I cannot describe.”
Back to softball, however. Is it an important part of Jonah’s life? Absolutely! He says he plays lots of softball; given any opportunity to play, he will. Having returned home during a pandemic, he had struggled to meet people and find a sense of community until he joined ASANA. He’s particularly touched by how wonderfully kind and supportive his team has been.
Jonah transitioned as male in 2015 and is very open to answer people’s questions. “Being open to talking about my transition,” he says “opens the door to knowing me as a person. It helps eliminate potential preconceived ideas others may have about the trans community or me as a trans person.” In continuing his work to overcome the stigma associated with transgender individuals and ensure equality for all, he’s also working with ASANA Executive Director Angela Smith on the organization’s committee for Diversity and Inclusion. As I think back, I realize that I’ve often mentioned how very impressed I am by the ASANA athletes I’ve met, and I now must add Jonah to that number. So I hope you have an opportunity to meet him in person and welcome him to the Compete Sports Diversity Family. I think he’s an absolute keeper! • “Being open to talking about my transition, opens the door to knowing me as a person”
He believes for every type of straight person there is in the world, there’s also one in the LGBTQ+ world. And individually as well as collectively, we have to find a way to walk comfortably through this world, without fear, shame or judgement for who we are. To do that, Jonah believes we need to develop that solid sense of community, of family, that’s found best on teams that consistently bring that same sense of light, love and commitment to one another in the world as they do during a game.
AND WE CATCH UP WITH THE
DIRK SMITH: I know summer is always a busy time for NAGAAA (North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance) with the Gay Softball World Series but I hear there’s exciting new news to share, John. JOHN DEFFEE: Yes – NAGAAA, the largest LGBTQ+ sports organization in the world, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, something we’re really excited about! We have 48 member city associations representing us throughout North America – that’s over 19,000 players. And we’re excited to welcome four new member associations at the 2022 Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) being held August 29th through September 4th in Dallas, who will present for membership: Huntsville, Alabama; Raleigh, North Carolina; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. And there are more cities expressing interest in becoming member associations: Mexico City, London and Puerto Rico. The most exciting one we’ve had recently is Hawaii. It reached out and has already started its first season this year. They’re looking to apply for membership by the end of next year for 2024 GSWS eligibility. We also have a lot of expansion going on from the NAGAAA executive board which is built with local elected individuals: committee chairs, the local host group and many other roles, all of which are run entirely by volunteers. NAGAAA is ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY
Celebrating
ORGANIZATION’S PRESIDENT, JOHN DEFFEE DAVID “DIRK” SMITH, M.SC., SDL • HE | HIM
JD: These are the coaches and board members in our communities, whether they’re allies or part of the LGBTQ+ community, who give up vacation time to spend countless hours raising money or searching for partnerships to help fund the travel. I think the biggest reason why all of us do this is that NAGAAA is more than just softball. While softball maybe piqued people’s interest initially, it’s become so much more. In 1977 NAGAAA’s founders also saw it as a safe haven during a time when equal rights didn’t exist for the LGBTQ+ community. Now, with everything that’s going on in our world from politics to COVID, NAGAAA has continued to be a safe haven. That’s just as important now as it was in 1977, maybe moreSoso.from a member association standpoint, the summer is crazy due to geographical locations where teams have finished their qualifying season and tend to refer to it as their spring or summer session. Typically they finish league finals earlier on the West Coast and then the Midwest and East Coast are just about done wrapping up their seasons and are finalizing their rosters. By this point they’re solidifying their teams and determining who will be attending the NAGAAA GSWS. The GSWS involves a lot of work gathering team rosters, putting together the entry fees that the teams provide and hotel deposits, and assembling player ratings that they’re required to include on the player rosters. From a team standpoint, they’re starting to plan their travel throughout the summer, making sure to confirm who is/isn’t going, etc. There’s quite a bit going on that we’re in the middle of, so it’s an exciting time to celebrate our community, our diversity and to recognize our similarities and differences. That’s pretty much what’s happening from a player standpoint.
DS: That goes to show just how much you all believe in NAGAAA’s mission – how passionate you all are about it. This work demands lots of time and effort outside your normal lives.
DS: Are there any special celebrations or events planned to honor NAGAAA’s 45th anniversary?
20 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022
JD: We have a logo and promotions specific to the 45th anniversary that will be revealed at the GSWS. There also are some exciting things during the series. One thing we’ll focus on is better understanding the transgender community’s continuing struggle with acceptance, especially due to anti-transgender legislation. It’s been the focal point of many U.S. states and some countries passing anti-trans legislation to restrict their visibility and/or remove their right to participate WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON IN OUR WORLD FROM POLITICS TO COVID, NAGAAA HAS continued to be a safe haven... THAT’S JUST AS IMPORTANT NOW AS IT WAS IN 1977, MAYBE MORE SO.
22 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 in sports based on their chosen gender or their right to choose how they want to live on a daily basis in our Whilesociety.we’re here to play softball, we also have an opportunity to use our platform to connect with our community and confront these issues. We can’t forget about those in our community who continue to struggle because those who oppose our community and our rights make them a constant target. We’re trying to bring greater awareness to this dire problem while holding a massive softball tournament and making sure that softball competition is still the primary focus. DS: That shows the continuing power of sports to provide safe spaces for collective community members to have a space to live openly and exist freely in today’s world. I really applaud you for addressing this important initiative. JD: I also want to give a shout out to our fellow LGBTQ+ sports diversity leaders. We’ve found that many of our members play multiple sports. People who play in ASANA (Amateur Sports Alliance of North America) and NAGAAA also play dodgeball, kickball, and basketball. In the past we tended to categorize ourselves by an individual sports community; we spent lots of time and effort focused on trying to develop and maintain our individual sport. But we now want to make sure that no players ever feel they must pick and choose what their love is; they can take part in multiple sports. As commissioner, over the last few years I’ve been attending different conferences and diversity summits and gotten to know fellow sports leaders. They’re leaders I already knew in passing but I now know on a more professional level, leaders like Angela Smith, ASANA’s [women’s gay softball] executive director. We’ve become great friends as well as a resource for each other. We’re not sharing deep details about our association, directions or initiatives. Instead, we want to celebrate everybody’s successes and coexist. And it continues with other sports leaders. We’re making it a point to show our membership that there doesn’t have to be division among sports.
22 •
DS: It’s amazing that you keep the competition for the sports field and don’t feel the need to compete with other organizations. Everybody’s got the same mission: supporting each other and lifting each other up. That’s REAL community! Thanks for sharing this with me. WE’RE MAKING IT A POINT TO SHOW OUR MEMBERSHIP THAT THERE DOESN’T HAVE TO BE DIVISION AMONG SPORTS. successes and coexist...WE WANT TO CELEBRATE EVERYBODY’S Content edited for clarity and length.
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Austin, Texas WHY YOU LOVE SPORTS: I grew up in the gym around a team environment. My father was a coach and his passion for sports was something I picked up. We can nerd out for hours about any sport.
SPORT(S) PLAYED: I’ve played them all (basketball, volleyball, soccer, flag football, wiffle ball, bowling and ping pong) but retired from a few due to the mileage on my poor knees. I had a second knee surgery last year but timed my surgery and rehab so as not to miss the ASANA World Series last year. Recreational softball has been a constant for the last 20+ years. I also developed a bit of a golf addiction over the pandemic and I’m eager to try pickleball.
MVP REPLAY AMY TORRES • SHE | HER AGE 29
I enjoy every series getting to spend with my team competing, meeting people who love softball from around the country while getting to see a new part of the U.S. each year. It’s just a blast and a wonderful reminder that sports are a great way to share experiences and strengthen a community. Is there anything you hope to teach the younger generation that may be looking up to you? It’s easy to get caught up in being competitive. I encourage everyone to step back and remember we are playing a recreational sport. Regardless of your record, we will all be going home and getting back to the real world. Make the most of your time at series and be gracious whatever the outcome. Is there anything in particular that you’ve learned from another person involved in sports, either LGBTQ+ or ally, that has impacted how you think about the LGBTQ+ community and its inclusion in sports diversity? If so, what is it? I cannot thank T enough for the years that we played together. She absolutely was the nudge I needed to get motivated. She has always been a great reminder that it’s not that serious. We are loved. We are alive. We are playing. We are going to come back and do this again.
CompeteNetwork com | COMPETE • 25
I also want to thank the two Softball Austin Commissioners, Richard Benavidez and Jeff Butler. Their support and leadership early on really allowed us to establish our league’s women’s division and our place with ASANA. They both not only provided friendship and guidance, they also definitely taught me a lot aboutLastly,leadership.Iespecially want to thank my team (current and over the years). It’s funny how “the team” really comes together for each other. On the field we try to back each other up, build each other up and make each other relax and play well. But there’s also an energy you feel “in the hive” when someone is needing something or dealing with something in their life. It sometimes goes unsaid but that vibe, that comradery, that safe place to relax and just enjoy softball … that is us. • It sometimes goes unsaid but that vibe, that comradery, that safe place to relax and just enjoy softball … that is us.
Kudos to my friend Betsy Schultz, a multi-series MVP who has won two World Series (with team Ultra). She is the GOAT. She reminds me that I can still play, I can still push and that sometimes, I just need to get out of my head.
Please tell us something about you, and especially about your interactions with the sports community, the LGBTQ+ community, etc.: I never knew there were LGBTQ+ sports leagues. Playing recreational softball, I heard about the “new ‘gay’ league that plays on Sundays.” At that time I was playing every night except Sunday so I was just eager to add another day of playing. Little did I know that the people and community I met would be such a big part of my life. I got picked up on a team with people I had never met who were interested in softball and were part of the LGBTQ+ community. I met a few guys that were so fun and welcoming. We played softball but they actually gave me a broader view of what “community” meant. Our team was pretty good and actually won a bid to the series but didn’t attend because we didn’t know what it was. Our NAGAAA co-ed rec team, Los Tigres, was formed in 2005 and we’ve been playing in our Softball Austin open league ever since. In 2007 an open division team invited me to play with them at the NAGAAA World Series in Phoenix. At that tournament our all-women’s team kept getting asked, “Why are ya’ll not playing in the women’s division?” WHAT? There’s a women’s division? We immediately sought out this mystery division. A friend named “T” was also a pickup who I’d met on the trip; she got us down to the fields where we spent the day watching games and meeting ASANA players and teams. We were the biggest fans of the entire tournament. Nobody cheered louder for every game than us. The night before we left, I remember T saying, “we need to be at the next ASANA World Series.” That was my mission. I got back, worked with our board, got all our ducks in a row, started the Softball Austin women’s division and we sent our team, the Austin Angels, to our first ASANA World Series in Seattle in 2008. ASANA had no idea what to make of us. Nobody knew who we were. We ironed our numbers onto our jerseys at the hotel the night before (there was an upside-down logo and an iron burn hole mishap but we had jerseys). They thought we needed to be in B division; we laughed; we compromised and went in as C division. But we came to Seattle, had an absolute blast and I think we won one bracket game. That was it—I was hooked! We were hooked –the team was in! We’ve been to the ASANA World Series every year since 2008.
IN BUFFALOIN BUFFALO
Kickin’Kickin’it
After Katie Jurkas, a Michigan-native, landed in Buffalo due to a work transfer, she fell in love with the sports-loving Buffalo Bills community of Western New York. When another work transfer led her to Long Beach, California, she began playing kickball in its Varsity Gay League and discovered something she would eventually launch to a surprise success: Buffalo Varsity Gay League.
In the four years since Jurkas returned to Buffalo, the league she started in 2018 with four kickball teams and 60 players quintupled in membership. Now there are more than 300 gay league players on 20 kickball teams, like Pink Taco, Scrambled Legs, Mixed Signals and Funky Monkey.
This September 17 and 18, there will be even more players in town: the Buffalo league will host its first Queen City Cup Kickball Tournament, a new championship for all skills, genders and sexualities. So far, nine teams with about 100 members will visit from leagues in Rochester, New York, New York City and Los Angeles.
“This is going to be awesome for Buffalo, to bring that kind of diversity from other places into the Buffalo area and show them what we’ve got here,” said Jurkas, Buffalo Varsity Gay League general manager.
BY MICHELLE KEARNS • SHE | HER • PHOTOS BY DEANNA BEDNARZ BUFFALO’S VARSITY GAY LEAGUE TAKES OFF
The Varsity Gay League in Buffalo, N.Y. has really taken off with kickball: 20 teams, 300 players and now, in September, a national tournament!
To her, the Varsity Gay League [varsitygayleague.com] is a convivial athletic alternative to the bar scene. The host organization, founded in 2007, is the first national sports league for LGBTQIA+ athletes and allies. There are 22 chapters from San Francisco and Austin to Memphis and Phoenix. League teams play games of all kinds, including dodgeball, tennis, soccer, volleyball, bowling, beer olympics and video games.
Left: Teresa Trevino, of the Big Ang and the Cohorts, heads for the pitch
Above: A jump shot with the Buffalo Varsity Gay League kickball team Assume the Position
The list of other Buffalo league sports includes softball, dodgeball, bowling, darts and cornhole. Soon, Jurkas expects to add volleyball. “Part of what I love is bringing people together,” she said. “When I see people becoming friends and I see these new people join a league and meeting people, it’s just very gratifying. That is why I do this.”
For a mid-sized region, the Buffalo-area has a surprisingly strong crew, said Jurkas. “The LGBT community in Buffalo is larger than one might think,” she said.
“It goes back to why we are the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ …
“They’ll be coming here for their tournament, but they’ll also be experiencing our community and the restaurants, the nightlife, our cultural attractions, our waterfront,” he said.
Local teams are excited to welcome their counterparts from across the country to Buffalo. They get to showcase why they love Buffalo and why they choose Buffalo to live, work and Buffalo’splay.” passion for sports is one of the reasons Jurkas, a health insurance investigator, moved back to the city.
September’s debut Queen City kickball tournament connects with a local tourism campaign designed to highlight the Buffalo-area to LGBTQ travelers. Visit Buffalo Niagara President and CEO Patrick Kaler looks forward to watching a few games and sharing Buffalo with new visitors.
TOURNAMENT GAMES WILL BE PLAYED at Sheridan Park on Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda, a northern Buffalo suburb. For details check the listings at varsitygayleague.com/buffalo
Above left: Members of the Pink Tacos, a kickball team with the Buffalo Varsity Gay League. Above right: Buffalo Varsity Gay League players gather on a Buffalo Party Barge, one of the paddle boats in Buffalo Cycleboat’s fleet.
The Buffalo Varsity Gay League has also amassed devoted fans. Families and friends come to watch and celebrate the kickball teams at Sheridan Park in Tonawanda, a northern Buffalo suburb. “The other day,” said Jurkas, “one of our team friends had a birthday and we did a cake at the field and her family all came.”
“I also fell in love with the Buffalo Bills ... Bills fans are something special. They’ve always got the back of the team, win or Thelose.”Buffalo Varsity Gay League’s swift rise has been a thrill. “It’s almost like a disbelief thing that it has grown the way it is,” Jurkas said. “I couldn’t be more proud of what has happened in Buffalo.” •
The Elmwood Village will be the heart of tournament gatherings (including a party at the Thin Man Brewery), so while you’re in the neighborhood, check out the Burchfield Penney Art Center — featuring art by artists with local connections. Across the street from the Burchfield is Buffalo’s famous modern art museum — which is being expanded and updated. And don’t miss the city’s waterfront: The districts developing around the old Erie Canal include Canalside with a walking path to a lookout tower and eateries. Look south toward the grain silos and find Riverworks’ beer garden and zipline. Then take a Buffalo Tiki Tour through the city’s inner harbor and sip an ice-cold beer while sightseeing from a floating grass-hut bar.
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“Buffalo has that sense of home feeling for me,” she said.
“There are so many things to do here. Buffalo is one of these hidden cities that no one really knows about until they come here and fall in love with it.”
Originally, the term gay in VGL was interpreted to include everyone in a respectful manner but, as the community grew the use of LGBTQIA+ seemed more appropriate. And now, by adopting the term queer (once a horrible slur), VGL has embraced the constantly evolving culture. Within that community, VGL has increased its focus to recognize those in the BIPOC and two-spirit communities as well as those who identify as non-binary or gender fluid and more. VGL sees itself as an umbrella to unite the queer and allied communities for the love of sports.
BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT • SHE | HER
Founded in 2007 by Will Hackner, VGL launched with a simple game of capture the flag. In 2010 it launched its signature sport, kickball for the gay sports community. The organization now represents over 44,000 members of the queer and allied athletic community across the United States. VGL offers numerous sports in multiple cities for queer+ athletes, allies and so much more. Now grown to 23 cities, Will is very sensitive to evolving with current trends to meet the needs of individuals who may feel a need to change how they self-identify.
At the same time he’s also been deeply involved in bettering the queer community in a wide variety of projects and elected roles. He’s a “guy on the go!”
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Over the years Will has tirelessly worked to grow VGL by adding new sports to its signature kickball leagues and to add new multi-sport tournaments.
These 23 VGL locations across the nation really are safe communities for queer and ally athletes.
Members can choose to play in their community’s sports offerings and local fun activities, all under the umbrella of VGL. The reason that these disparate individuals can come together for a fun afternoon or for a tournament weekend and just have fun is in large part, thanks to ... oh, wait – have you noticed that “fun” seems to be used a lot here? It’s because everyone is welcome, from the pro and college athletes; to the gamers; to the wallflowers – it’s about social sports –you just need to be willing to play.
Always working to grow VGL, Will’s goal for next year is to increase more multi-sport tournaments in new locations while elevating current events in Seattle, Buffalo, Las Vegas, and Orlando, in an effort to bring the best and lowest priced multi-sport tournaments to areas across the nation.
And in a “Stay Tuned: News at 11” moment, Will says to watch for some exciting announcements coming up. What is it? Big Changes! It will definitely involve VGL, the Queer+ community, social sports, acceptance, and of course, FUN! •
Each league essentially develops its own local culture, and Andrew is the man in charge of the process. He makes sure that each of the 23 leagues not only follow the VGL rules but also are able to maintain the unique culture of each community. And as VGL continues to grow, Tommy Otterbine (formerly of Stonewall Sports) has been hired to work alongside Andrew in this all important mission.
The organization now represents over 44,000 members of the queer and allied athletic community across the United States.
The reason these VGL communities work so well is thanks to Will’s long time director of operations, Andrew Gusz Miller. Rather than utilizing volunteers to lead their cities, each VGL group is run by a paid general manager who sets and maintains a welcoming environment for a diverse group of members and runs the activities for that particular city.
HONORINGNUMBER The Jackie Robinson Museum Opening in New York City September 5 BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT • SHE | HER 42
Saying that the items from his dad’s work for racial justice took up more room, David noted that social activism was more important to his father than his sports career. And the museum reflects that balance of artifacts.
To mark the 57th anniversary of Robinson’s historic debut, on April 15, 2004, the league introduced a new annual tradition. Known as Jackie Robinson’s Day, every player, including coaches, umpires, sometimes even fans now wear the jersey number 42 – to honor Robinson, to honor the man whose quiet but determined courage changed not only baseball but the world of sport.
• Photos clockwise from top left: Inside the new Jackie Robinson Museum (Jackie Robinson Foundation); Jackie Robinson swinging a bat in Dodgers uniform, 1954 (by Bob Sandberg via Wikimedia Commons); cover of “Jackie Robinson” comic book, issue #5 (Fawcett Publications); Robinson at Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. with his son, 1963 (U.S. Information Agency. Press and Publications Service, Public Domain); Jackie Robinson Museum entrance (by Jim Henderson via Wikimedia Commons); Jackie Robinson, Mary Dee, Dolly Banks, MLK, 1962 (Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons); Robinson as abc sports announcer 1965 (ABC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons).
Major League Baseball has continued to honor Jackie Robinson’s colossal feat in ending segregation in baseball as it’s continued to work toward eliminating the homophobia still prevalent in its ranks. In 1997 MLB retired his uniform number 42 across all major league teams to reflect the impact he made on the game.
column on April 28, 1959, he wrote: “I’ve always thought it more important to take an intelligent and forthright stand on worthwhile questions than to worry about what some people might think.”
In a July 24 New York Times interview by David Waldstein, David Robinson shared fond memories of his dad’s den in their Connecticut home that contained both the elder Robinson’s baseball and civil rights memorabilia.
And thanks to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the non-profit his wife Rachel founded that built the museum, that same quiet but determined courageous man will also be shown as an early leading icon of the social justice movement. But Rachel doesn’t want the museum to be “a shrine to Jack,” saying “I want it to be a place that brings people together and continues the dialogue around the most difficult issue of our society, then and now, which is race relations.”
When it comes to the history of breaking the color barrier in baseball, there’s only one person it can be – number 42 – Jackie Robinson! But he is about so much more than baseball. And if you attend the opening of the new Jackie Robinson Museum on September 5 in New York City, you’ll be able to learn about the incredible civil rights leader he was.
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Some may know about the basics of his life, especially if they’ve watched the 2013 movie “42.” In an accurate accounting of Robinson’s post-WWII life, it was in 1946 that Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey basically thumbed his nose at baseball’s hard and fast racial color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson, a Black man, to play on what was a lily white team in a league that had been lily white for over 50 years. The blowback both men received was incredible and it came from all sides. But Robinson managed to honor Rickey’s no fighting rule; he held his own as a Dodger with quiet courage, never responding to the anger and vitriol hurled at him. Instead, he somehow kept his composure and let his incredible playing do all his talking. After his two years of play with the Dodgers was up and Robinson was no longer constrained by Rickey’s no fighting rule, however, he returned to speaking up for racial equality. Located in lower Manhattan, the museum is filled with all his baseball paraphernalia you’d expect to find – his trophies, uniforms, bats, balls, pictures, plaques – there’s even a miniature three-dimensional Ebbets Field: 4,500 artifacts and 40,000 historical images in all that are displayed in over 8,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space. The museum also includes an additional 3,500 square feet for classroom space and a gallery. The surprise for many visitors will be that the museum is really a civil rights museum. You’ll also find all the memorabilia of his work as an important civil rights leader, an effort that was more important to him than all he had done in Frombaseball.thetime he was a youngster he had spoken out against racial injustice, and after leaving baseball he wound up with a regular column in the New York Post. In his first
In addition to writing a regular column, Robinson became vice president of personnel for Chock Full O Nuts Coffee and also began working alongside many of the well know Black activists of the 1960s and ‘70s, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Whitney Young.
“I WANT IT TO BE A PLACE THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER AND CONTINUES THE DIALOGUE AROUND THE MOST DIFFICULT ISSUE OF OUR SOCIETY, THEN AND NOW, WHICH IS RACE RELATIONS.”
The AAGPBL was a direct result of the World War II draft emptying baseball fields and stadiums of eligible men, concerning many that America’s pastime would die out. So in 1943 the girls’ league was formed and Blair was one of over 600 women who left insular small towns, farms and ranches to play baseball in an all-girls league that lasted until 1954. Blair played in the 1948 AAGPBL season before moving to the National Women’s Softball League in Chicago where she played during the 1950s.
As part of the inspiration for the 1992 Penny Marshall film, “A League of Their Own,” Blair was a panelist at the recent Tribeca Film Festival promoting Amazon’s series of the same name that’s based on the movie and being released this month. Surprising everyone with her announcement, including herself, she said, “I hid for 75, 85 years and this is actually, basically the first time I’ve ever come out.”
34 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 FROM THE COMPETENETWORK.COM
As a consultant to Amazon on the sports comedy project, Blair has provided authentic background information on both the sexual and racial issues that weren’t an integrated part of the movie but are more fully developed in this new series.
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However, Blair’s first team in Chicago was the Peoria Redwings and she revealed that when she got to Chicago, “I’ll tell ya’ it was the most amazing time of my life because they asked me to go out to a bar. Well, it turned out to be a gay bar,” she said, “and I was never so happy in my life.”
Talking about the isolation she felt growing up as a lesbian, Blair thought she was the only queer in the world. When she had a crush on another girl in high school and “finally, we sort of had a little thing you know how you do,” she thought, “Oh my god Maybelle, what’s wrong with you?”
Blair’s happiness has morphed into a lifetime of telling the story of the AAGPBL, of promoting girls and women’s baseball, of encouraging queer girls to live an authentic life and lastly, to building the International Women’s Baseball Center in Rockford, Illinois, home of the famous AAGPBL team, the Rockford Peaches. “... they asked me to go out to a bar. Well, it turned out to be a gay bar, and I was never so happy in my life.”
BLOG BY MIRIAM THEIR
COURTESY OF THE HISTORY MUSEUM
She may be 95 and walk with a cane that’s a modified baseball bat, but Maybelle Blair still has baseball fever running through her veins and she’s devoted to encouraging young girls not only to play the game she loves but also to not be afraid to come out as queer.
It’s ALWAYS a Good Time to Play Baseball (and to Come Out) When is the appropriate age for one to come out, to announce to the world at large that you’re gay? If you’re Maybelle Blair, legendary baseball player for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, age 95 seemed to finally release the years of fear that had kept her secret safe – she’s gay.
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All the equipment produces audio cues for the players.
• Each game has six innings and games typically last 90 minutes.
• The defensive team is allowed two spotters, or sighted volunteers, who call out the zone numbers and assist the team.
It was Colorado telephone company engineer Charles Fairbanks who designed the first beep baseball back in 1964 but it took about 10 years and a better ball for the concept to catch on. And by 1976 the National Beep Baseball Association was founded, creating the rules still used today.
The enthusiasm of Joe Quintanilla, a Boston Renegades team member since 2001, is typical of other players:
36 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 LEFT FIELD BY MIRIAM LATTO • THEY | THEIR What the BEEP?
• The catcher and pitcher are on the batter’s team; they both have some functional vision.
“I love to compete, and that is why I play beep baseball,” says Joe. “You get to move full speed without worrying about what is around you. It offers competition and an opportunity to improve on various skills. You also make great friendships. In its own way, playing makes us ambassadors for the blind community.”
Here are the rules and equipment, according to the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired:
If you’ve never heard of Beep Baseball before, it’s one of America’s best loved sports that’s been adapted for those who are blind or visually impaired, enabling them to have the same fun playing baseball as their sighted counterparts.
• There are six fielders in a team, and all of them are blind or visually impaired.
Above: Indy Thunder’s Corion White. Right: BCS Outlaw’s Abigail Junek. Photos courtesy of National Beep Baseball Association (nbba.org)
It’s Beep Baseball!
• Batters, basemen and outfielders wear sleep shades or blindfolds so as to not give any advantage to players with some remaining vision.
• There are only two bases: first and third. The bases, which emit a buzzing sound, are about four feet tall and are made of foam. Players run toward the buzzing base after the ball is hit.
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40 • COMPETE | JULY / AUGUST 2022 EVENTS 2016 IAAF WORLD U20 CHAMPIONSHIPS VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS WORLD GAMES Birmingham, Alabama July STONEWALL7-17 SPORTS NATIONAL MULTI-SPORT TOURNAMENT Cleveland, Ohio July 8-10 SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHT: COMPETE SPORTS DIVERSITY SUMMIT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ARIZONA CARDINALS Phoenix, Arizona | September 15-17 IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Eugene, Oregon July SUMMER15-24X GAMES California July RICHMOND20-24 FALL RACE Richmond, Virginia August 14 ASANA SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES Washington, D.C. August 16-20 AER LINGUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL CLASSIC Northwestern vs Nebraska Dublin, Ireland August NAGAAA27GAY SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES Dallas, Texas August 29-September 4 US OPEN TENNIS USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing, New York August 29 – September 11ASANA SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES
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