The world’s only LGBTQ polo league is returning to Wellington, Florida ushering in stallions, world class professional polo players and an inimitable atmosphere of riotous color, vibrant celebration and inclusion for all individuals regardless of race, sex, gender, or sexual identity or orientation. The Lexus International Gay Polo Tournament (GPL) will be held between April 4-6 at the Patagones Polo Club in Wellington, Florida and organizers are predicting a substantial turnout.   View this post on Instagram   A ..read more

By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL (He/Him) The second edition of the World Gay Boxing Championships is taking place this summer in Chicago, Illinois, hosted by the Strong Hands Gym. Following a successful first World Gay Boxing Championships in 2023 held in Sydney, Australia, founder and CEO, Martin Stark seeks to help build the LGBTQ+ boxing community by creating an international championships that will be accessible and inclusive for all. “I set up WGBC to show that LGBTQIA+ people and our allies belong in the ring and can be Olympic Champions and World Boxing Champions,” Starks says. “We d ..read more

Following up with my previous article, Gay Games 11, co-hosted by Hong Kong, China and Guadalajara, Mexico, kicked off to a resounding success despite years of uncertainties, instabilities, and just about everything working against them from happening as possible. It was quite a long journey, extended an extra year than what is typical for the quadrennial Gay Games cycle and with the smallest number of participants since Gay Games II in 1986. Yet, the resounding feedback from participants on all ends of the globe show that both Hong Kong and Guadalajara each put on a memorable event that has h ..read more

By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc, SDL (He/Him) It is well established that the fitness industry is obsessed with weight loss and aesthetics when it comes to marketing fitness and exercise for people. The pervasiveness of fitness and diet culture has become an obsession in our modern society where a person’s physical appearance is often subject to criticism and judgement. More so, the whole notion of exercise and fitness being centered around this level of aesthetic, with every gym, book, diet supplement, MLM scheme and everything else marketing itself based on how much weight it promises you will l ..read more

By John Alexander I became active in the LGBTQ+ softball community in 2004 where I was playing in the upper C competitive division. I was a part of several awesome teams through the years, even creating a new D division team while learning to coach. While the C division was a lot of fun and challenging, they were a bit too competitive for my interests and I was looking for more of a recreational vibe. After playing two seasons in the new C2 (c Rec) I knew I was more at home , so I started my own team. The timing was perfect as the San Francisco Eagle, which had closed for a long while, was sla ..read more

By Dirk Smith, M.Sc, SDL (He/Him) Our managing editor of sports, David “Dirk” Smith recently caught up with the founder of United Sports Seattle, Brian Hawker, to learn more about his work in promoting cross connection and intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ sports community, developing sport programs for LGBTQ+ youth and the 2023 Gay Bowl. Dirk Smith (DS): Jumping right into things, United Sports Seattle and Gay Bowl Seattle had tagged Compete Sports Diversity in a number of posts related to an online auction. Tell me more about that! Brian Hawker (BH): Yeah, it’s one of our primary fundraise ..read more

By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL (He/Him) Our own Managing Editor of Sports, David “Dirk” catches up with current president of the Rain City Soccer Club, Salem Lemmon to learn more about how Salem is shaping the club in building a more inclusive environment within LGBTQ+ sports specifically for trans/nonbinary/intersex athletes. Dirk Smith (DS): Tell me about your work with the soccer club, how did you get involved and all that? Salem Lemmon (SL): Rain City Soccer as a club has been around since the late 1990s and was officially founded from a grassroots program in 2000. Ever since it’s been ..read more

By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL (He/Him) Our managing editor of sports, David “Dirk” Smith recently caught up with the founder and organizer of the World Gay Boxing Championships, Martin Stark. Check out our conversation! Dirk Smith (DS): Welcome, Martin. Thanks for joining me! Let’s catch up! You just hosted the first World Gay Boxing Championships back in February during World Pride Sydney, how did that go? Martin Stark (MS): It was absolutely fantastic. We had a two-day amateur boxing competition on the 17th and 18th of February. Some highlights include having a trans man fight against a ..read more

Following on from the success of the inaugural World Gay Boxing Championships held last February during Sydney WorldPride, a survey snapshot highlights the geographic and social diversity of the LGBTQIA+ boxing community but homophobia and transphobia are alive and well. Boxers, trainers and allies from 15 countries (including Japan, Singapore, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cuba and Brazil) completed the Diversity Atlas survey for the Australian not-for-profit World Gay Boxing Championships Limited (WGBC) to better understand the identities, perspectives and experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and ..read more

By David “Dirk” Smith, M.Sc., SDL (He/Him) When I first moved to Germany in late 2018, one of the first things I did was to seek out the local LGBTQ+ swim team, SC Janus. This was important for me upon settling down in a new city and country to join different social communities in which I identify with, in this case, being a gay swimmer. Less than 6 months later, I participated in my first competition as a member of this team, the 2019 Düssel-Cup. The Düssel-Cup was my first real introduction into the LGBTQ+ sports community here in Europe, and definitely an improvement upon the last European ..read more