6 minute read
MAKING TOMORROW'S HISTORY TODAY WITH PRIDE
MAKING TOMORROW’S HISTORY TODAY ... WITH
Pride Bowl is always a special event in the NGFFL and Compete's annual calendars. After all, what could be more fun than gathering to play the sport you love, seeing old friends, making new ones and being part of the larger Pride celebration held each year in Chicago. We know from many of your survey responses that Chicago is one of your favorite places to celebrate Pride.
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BY CONNIE WARDMAN
But this year is extra special. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. Everyone is marking this special anniversary in a different way but there’s hardly a community in the U.S. that isn’t holding some sort of Gay Pride celebration. What started out as an uncompromising march for civil rights has morphed into a fun, holiday environment replete with rainbow everything.
It’s a celebration of freedom; it’s definitely the time to have fun, to play games and music, to hold a Pride Parade and to be “perhaps” just a bit outrageous. There are pool parties, house parties and street parties that linger long into the night … maybe for days on end. But what enabled us to do these things today in an open environment is thanks to the Stonewall Riots of 1969.
The Stonewall Riots lasted six days but it was more than just a series of riots – it was a true uprising in every sense of the word. The New York City Police were shoved back time-and-time-again, totally unprepared
for Drag Queens, prostitutes and street kids they were used to harassing, rising up against them. Like all true uprisings, it marked a time when an oppressed class of LGBTQ+ individuals feeling they had nothing to lose, faced the police power structure and discovered their own power. They changed history!
Interestingly, like the line from the movie, “Forrest Gump” about life being like a box of chocolates, the same can be said about an uprising – you never know just what you’ll get. You never can accurately predict in advance what will happen as a result of releasing that initial energy surge of rage and frustration. Not all riots, revolutions or rampages manage to bring about positive and lasting change.
However, while the Stonewall rioters certainly weren’t thinking about sports that night, one of the positive results of their struggle led to the earliest beginnings of the sports diversity movement. And when lesbian icon Patricia Nell Warren’s book, “The Front Runner” came out in 1974, it was a wakeup call to deeply closeted athletes that there were other athletes going through the same struggle between keeping their sexual identity hidden and their desire to continue playing sports, even if it meant doing it in a homophobic sports environment.
When lesbian icon Patricia Nell Warren’s book, “The Front Runner” came out in 1974, it was a wakeup call to deeply closeted athletes that there were other athletes going through the same struggle between keeping their sexual identity hidden and their desire to continue playing sports, even if it meant doing it in a homophobic sports environment.
Initially it was a growing number of predominantly gay men who wanted to continue playing sports of all kinds that created the start of larger gay sporting organizations. These gay athletes could finally play the sports they loved by coming out of the closet just far enough to enjoy the safe and welcoming environment those organizations offered.
We’ve come a long way over the past 50 years but there is still a global civil rights struggle going on for LGBTQ+ people in the form of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism and misogyny. So in the midst of all the fun, take some time to honor those initial LGBTQ+ heroes for their sacrifices this weekend, throughout Pride month and beyond.
It’s not just a few daring and deserving people who have helped to make positive LGBTQ+ sports history, however.
History isn’t some “moldyoldie” event made by a select few. History is created daily by ordinary people like you and me. It’s important to acknowledge and honor the fact that each of us is making tomorrow’s history today. Fifty years from now there will be people going through archives for Pride Bowl and being intensely moved and grateful for all you have done, both as a league, a team and as individual players! It’s important to understand that when you actively participate in a wonderful event like Pride Bowl or when you support other gay athletes’ courageous decisions to come out, you’re also helping to make LGBTQ+ sports history. And thanks to you, the professional sports world and corporate America are finally changing, too. They are opening their checkbooks to actively support your right to play as openly gay athletes.
Things really are getting better thanks to each one of you who come out to play, to officiate, to cheer openly for the sports and people you love. So play your hearts out this weekend, get together with your friends, drink some Tito’s Handmade Vodka and then maybe, just maybe thank Love, Tito’s for their additional financial contribution to Chicago non-profits and sign it, Love¸ Pride Bowl. Yes, you’re the history makers of today but you’re definitely the heroes of tomorrow’s LGBTQ+ individuals!
Tito’s Handmade Vodka Gives Back
Pride Bowl is excited to announce that Tito's Handmade Vodka is the official vodka of Pride Bowl XII. Tito's has a long history of sponsoring LGBTQ+ events throughout the country and we are thrilled they are partnering with this year's event.
Love, Tito’s is an interesting name for a vodka. It also has an interesting story behind the name. According to the company website, in the early days of Tito’s Handmade Vodka, as Tito began to donate it to some charities and the events business became larger, the company started to sign letters, “Love, Tito’s.” And the name, as well as the company philanthropy has stuck.
Love, Tito's is now a force for good, a group of individuals giving back to causes, efforts and organizations that move them. The company goal is simply to turn spirits into love and goodness; to make the world a better place and to offer their direct financial support to Pride Bowl and other worthy community efforts.
Tito's is amplifying a message of inclusion and celebration beyond the field of play through its handmade vodka, Love, Tito's. And that is certainly the case for Pride Bowl. Love, Tito's has committed $12,000 to be distributed to 501(c)(3) charities after Pride Bowl XII. One charity will be chosen by the winning team of each Pride Bowl division (Open A, Open B, Open C, and Open D) to receive a share of these funds.
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Softball World Series + ASANA Bowl + 5K Run
2019 ASANA Series | Long Beach, CA | August 24 - 31, 2019
Each year ASANA partners with a Host City to deliver the ASANA Series, one of the largest, annual female sporting events in the world. Over 1,500 athletes, coaches and fans from across North America travel to compete and celebrate equality one game at a time.
In 2019 ASANA will be celebrating its 12th year when the Series takes place in Long Beach, CA August 27 - 31st.
Activities will include our annual ASANA Softball World Series, our re-vamped flag football tournament, the ASANA Bowl, as well as our first 5K run to benefit our partner, Athlete Ally. Join us for a memorable week in beautiful California!
