Consider the ways in which endurance sport communities demonstrate support for LGBTQ+ individuals during Pride Month—a rainbow t-shirt in the front window at a running store, a limited addition shoe, or a neighborhood Pride 5K where, hopefully, all proceeds go to a related organization. Some actions are more performative than others, and sometimes it’s hard to tell. Of course, there are many companies and organizations doing legitimate, important work to support the LGBTQ+ community. Nonetheless, it can be easy for an ally to buy the thing, run the race, or donate to a cause during Pride Month, without engaging fully with the history of LGBTQ+ rights, or the struggles that queer athletes still face today.
In this month’s newsletter, I want to center the work of LGBTQ+ individuals, the history of LGBTQ+ activism in the U.S., and how it relates to endurance sport communities. These resources are mostly compiled for allies, or anyone who wants to engage with the history of LGBTQ+ rights and organizations doing important inclusion work.
*Disclaimer: I identify as an ally. These are resources that I have found helpful in educating myself, supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and pushing for a more inclusive world. I hope this newsletter is helpful to other allies, but it is far from comprehensive. What is more important than reading this newsletter? Listening and learning from members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Some past Social Sport Podcast guests doing important work for the LGBTQ+ endurance sport community are: CC Tellez, Theresa Goh, Therese Haiss, Adam “Salty” Dalton, Addie Bracy, Latoya Shauntay Snell, and Mary Lytle. Look into their work!
More on LGBTQ+ history, resources, and organizations later in this newsletter!
Podcast Episodes of the Past Month
Sabrina L. De La Cruz on Angel City Elite and inspiring the next generation of BIPOC athletes
“𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲; 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲. 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. 𝗜 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹.” -Sabrina L. De La Cruz
Liz “Snorkel” Thomas,the “thru-hiking legend” on expanding outdoor access through writing and urban hiking
“𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘂-𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘂-𝗵𝗶𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻… 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱.” -Liz “Snorkel”
Thomas.
Cut to the Chase with Emma and Kamilah: Transgender Athletes’ Rights and Support from the Running Community featuring Vic Thasiah, Executive Director, Runners for Public Land
“𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄.” -Vic Thasiah
Lucy Bartholomew on sustainability, body image, and being a positive role model for young athletes
“𝗜 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗔𝗡𝗬𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚—𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁-𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲—𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝘆, ‘𝗼𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝘄, 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁.’” -Lucy Bartholomew
Some general LGBTQ+ rights history
If you’re looking for a relatively comprehensive timeline of LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S, I really like this one from LGBTQ History. I consider the events of the late 60s and early 70s as critical to gaining momentum for LGBTQ+ activism. Below are some crucial events from the 60s and 70s:
June 27-29, 1969: Stonewall Riots, New York City. On June 27th, there was an unprovoked police raid of the the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in NYC’s Greenwich Village. In response, over 400 people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people, protested and pushed the police away from the area. Some level of rioting continued over the next six nights, closing the Stonewall Inn, and representing a defining moment for LGBTQ+ rights.
This Them article by Chrysanthemum Tran goes into the importance of acknowledging and learning from those who were present at Stonewall, many of whom were LGBTQ+ women of color.
1969: The Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activist Alliance, two organizations focused on sexual liberation and political action, respectively, formed in NYC. These two groups launched as a reaction to the Stonewall Riots.
1970: the first Pride marches were held on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
June 25th, 1978: the rainbow flag is first flown during the Gay Freedom Parade in San Francisco—a flag which will develop into a long-lasting symbol of LGBTQ+ pride.
Learn about additional events by checking out this timeline. It includes events from as early back as the 1600s (people were fighting for LGBTQ+ rights long before the Stonewall Riots)!
Some LGBTQ+ athlete history
I struggled to find a comprehensive, up-to-date timeline of LGBTQ+ athletes’ rights. This one, by Campus Pride, only goes up to 2012. We all know there has been so much that has happened since. If anyone knows of a more up-to-date timeline, let me know! If anyone wants to collaborate to create a more up-to-date timeline, also let me know (ideally through collaboration with multiple LGBTQ+ athletes).
This Insider article, “22 Professional Athletes Who Identify as LGBTQ,” looks at professional athletes throughout history who have stood up for who they are and made large impacts on the LGBTQ+ community.
Carl Nassib is not an endurance athlete, but I would be remiss not to mention the fact that, on June 21st, he became the first active NFL player to publicly declare that he is gay.
LGBTQ+ organizations and actions to support
Athlete Ally: on a mission to “end the rampant homophobia and transphobia in sport and to activate the athletic community to exercise their leadership to champion LGBTQI+ equality.” Ambassador, Theresa Goh has been on the Social Sport Podcast.
Transathlete.com: I cannot reference transathlete.com enough. For real, I think I’ve referenced it in every newsletter so far. Chris Mosier, the first transgender athlete to represent the United States in international competition, and the first transgender athlete to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the gender they identify, created this website. It is a comprehensive resource on policies and action items regarding transgender athletes at various levels of play. The “take action” tab is the best place to go to fight bills that would harm trans kids.
Nikki Hiltz and their annual Pride 5k supports the Trevor Project, which provides resources to LGBTQ+ youth.
Outsports.com features athletes’ coming out stories.
OUTrun is an organization with a mission to “empower and connect LGBTQ+ individuals within the running community and to create an environment that is encouraging, supportive, and inclusive to all.” Co-founder Addie Bracy and ambassador Therese Haiss have been on the Social Sport Podcast.
In September, 2021, the Philadelphia Distance Run (PDR) will be the first U.S. road race with a nonbinary division, all the way up to the elite level, with equal prize money awarded to athletes in the male, female, and nonbinary divisions. I recently covered the PDR’s nonbinary division for Runner’s World.
My favorite LGBTQ+ writers, literature, etc.
Everything by Carmen Maria Machado—honestly, she might be my favorite writer. Period. I recommend both In the Dreamhouse and Her Body and Other Parties.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evariisto is beautiful and gets at the intersections of sexuality, race, gender, and age.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters—I’ll be honest, I have not yet read this one yet— it is in my stack of “to-read” books on my desk. But it has gotten tons of great press recently.
It’s not necessarily literature, but I really appreciated this recent Call Your Girlfriend Podcast episode on being queer and questioning/how to handle the fear of “taking up space” in LGBTQ+ circles as a questioning person, or as a person who passes as heterosexual.
What I’m writing
“The Philadelphia Distance Run is Establishing a Nonbinary Division. Here’s Why that Matters,” for Runner’s World.
“Meet the Woman Making Space for Black Trail Runners in the UK,” part of the Trail Access Series for Trail Runner.
“Grounded by Legacy,” a profile of Dinée Dorame, is out in print for Trail Runner.
I also had a couple of pieces published in literary journals this month, so these are not at all sport-related, but if you’re into words n’ such:
“Traveling While Female” in Away Journal (I wrote part of this 2.5 years ago while traveling around the U.S).
I enjoyed doing this Author Q&A with Canyon Voices Literary Magazine for a recent piece I had there.
What I’m obsessed with
All of YOU! Thanks for reading :)
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Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for Monday’s episode of the Social Sport Podcast!
Stay sporty & keep resisting,
Emma