Gay Polo League MAKES STRIDES TOWARDS INCLUSION During Annual Event

BY JENNIFER MARTINEZ • SHE | HER

GAY POLO TOURNAMENT presented by Douglas Elliman Real Estate, league founder Chip McKenney reflects on the early days that launched him into creating an event that welcomes players and spectators from around the world.

“It was many years of facing exclusion and isolation that drove me to do more to eliminate the feeling of having to keep quiet if you were gay and an athlete,” shared McKenney whose outlet for this change was polo. “I wanted to create a safe place. I never could’ve imagined the event would soon become a vehicle driving change.”

As a former show jumper, he saw polo as a way to bring the LGBTQ+ community together for sport and fun. He launched the Gay Polo League (GPL) in Los Angeles in 2006 by inviting gay athletes and allies to a monthly tournament at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club. In 2010 he brought the first International Gay Polo Tournament to Wellington, Florida. Beyond the joyful camaraderie of the matches, he saw the greater impact GPL was making as the first tournament concluded.

“We have the incredible opportunity to showcase athletes who are LGBTQ+ in a way that inspires younger people to participate in a team sport, authentically and openly,” McKenney added.

This year’s four-day tournament featured events across Palm Beach County that celebrated awareness, stimulated discussion and culminated in a colorful, fun-filled day with over 2,500 guests attending the match. Attendance has continued to grow annually with 35 percent of guests coming from outside of Florida and the U.S. and an astonishing 80 percent of them having never attended a polo tournament.

The players have also grown in both diversity and skill. In GPL’s early years most players were novices. While those players have honed their game, the league has attracted more experienced gay and allied players from all over the world.

GPL’s efforts to advance inclusivity have also grown. The tournament raises funds for an LGBTQ+ charity each year. The last two years GPL has chosen onePULSE Foundation, established in the aftermath of the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre to honor the legacies of the 49 people killed. The four pillars of the charity’s mission are to create and support a memorial, a museum, educational programs and scholarships for students who share the same ambitions as the victims. During this time GPL has raised over $200,000 for the fellow nonprofit.

GPL is not stopping there, however. McKenney has his sights set on continued growth by making the tournament a destination for LGBTQ+ tourism. “We’re well on our way, and we’re going to keep going,” he said. “We’re poised for continuous growth and with that, a growing impact, even as our world continues to change. We stand together and we stand tall. We know we are making the world a more inclusive place, one chukker at a time.” •