LGBTQ2S+ sports leagues score big

BY BRADLEY TURCOTTE

When Mechanicsville resident Corey Pinder moved to Ottawa during the pandemic, he was looking for a way to meet new people in the era of social distancing.

Having played with LGBTQ2S+ softball and curling leagues in Vancouver, Pinder signed up for an Ottawa Queer Softball League (OQSL) drop-in game during the summer of 2021.

“You could see how excited everyone was to be back playing ball,” Pinder said. “It was a great and welcoming atmosphere. I ended up playing most Fridays that summer.”

For members of Ottawa’s LGBTQ2S+ community looking to get active and form new connections, there is a healthy roster of leagues in the city, no matter your skill level or which season it may be.

The history of Ottawa’s queer sports leagues traces its origins to 1986 with Club Moustache. Beginning as a “gay men’s sporting club” that did everything from badminton to self-defence classes, the name of the organization was changed to Time Out as “women were not too keen on joining” due to the group’s macho name.

Kevin Nixon remembers Club Moustache, as he is a founding member of Gay Ottawa Volleyball (GOV), Rainbow Rockers (RR) curling, and OQSL.

The softball league unofficially started in 2000 when Nixon and his friends, Donald Walker and Marshall Rowat, teamed up to play in a Montreal tournament. OQSL, originally named Ottawa Q Ball, officially rented fields as a league in 2008.

When Nixon moved to Ottawa in 1992, “we didn’t have Grindr and swipe left or swipe right,” he said. “You either went to bars or became a joiner. In this age of being online, it can be quite lonely. This is a real connection with people.”

There aren’t many “originals” playing this year, Nixon laughed, adding he is happy to see how far OQSL has progressed. There are 13 teams this year with names like ‘Basic Pitches’ and ‘Saaasy Slaaayers’ that keep the spirit of “everyone can play.”

When OQSL commissioner and Smack That captain Chantalle Northwood joined the league in 2009, there were four females on the field. This year 40 per cent of players identify as female.

Dang notes that OQSL started out as a gay men’s league but has “evolved and is inclusive.”

“It is the most welcoming league. We have players who can play in any other league and players who can’t throw a sock across the bedroom,” Northwood said. “Part of our league is that everybody hasn't had a chance to play organized sports. You are part of the community. Everybody hasn’t had the opportunity to have that.”

A former pitcher on his elementary school baseball team, Tristan Dang throws strikes for Dingbats this year. It is Dang’s eighth season with OQSL.

“I don't believe everyone that's part of the OQSL community knows that I'm trans,” Dang said. “When I first started with the league, I was at the beginning of my journey with discovering myself as Tristan. Finding OQSL has been a gift that has enriched my life. Not only have I made friends, but I've also come across my chosen family.”

Gay Ottawa Volleyball has “explosively taken off” since Nixon played “informal” volleyball in 1992, he said, adding the level of play in the A division is now “varsity” — attracting players of all identities.

At a recent retreat, GOV went over a new five year plan, focusing on “diversity and inclusion.”

While there are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC), women, trans, and non-binary GOV players, as well as those younger and older, Muddiman said the not-for-profit is examining how to increase representation.

“These are specific communities with specific needs. We want to be thinking about how we can be more mindful to include those groups that often have less representation in the volleyball community” and the LGBTQ2S+ community, Muddiman said.

Offering indoor matches and summer beach volleyball, GOV operates year round with league and drop in nights.

“We want to make sure we create an environment that is welcoming of everyone who wants to come and play,” said GOV president David Muddiman. "Especially those people who are new to the sport.”

Many LGBTQ2S+ adults who play recreational sports were discouraged from participating as kids due to bullying and heteronormativity, Muddiman said.

“They have come to GOV as an adult to give sports another try. That they have been able to access sport really hits close to home,” he said. “Sport can be such a life affirming, community affirming experience.”

The teams of Ottawa Pride Hockey (OPH) may occasionally lack power, but co-founder Kat Ferguson shoots that away.

“We don’t care. We are having a good time,” Ferguson laughed.

With two teams playing against primarily men in the Carleton Adult Hockey League, OPH is mostly players who were assigned female at birth, but the league also welcomes gay men and straight allies, Ferguson said.

Inspired by a trip to Boston to play with Team Trans, Ferguson noticed “the atmosphere and the feeling of safeness in the change room.”

Ferguson and the team started with pickup games in 2020. OPH continues to offer drop-in pickup games year round and provides equipment for new players.

“A lot of people that are playing with us quit hockey when they decided to transition or a lot of them felt like hockey was not a safe space. They never played and they're coming to this as an adult,” said Ferguson.

If traditional sports aren’t your speed, the original gay activity group Time Out welcomes you to frolic through the forest. The group primarily sticks to Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, but has gone as far as Frontenac Park, Calabogie, and Pontiac.

“With many sports, people may be reluctant to join because they've never played before or they're not very good at it. But hiking, you're just walking,” said Time Out Hiking coordinator Glenn Bugg.