Timeline of UK LGBT Sport
In many ways 2011 was a watershed for LGBT sports in the UK. LGBT History Month 2012 is once again focused on sports and with the London Olympics just around the corner it now seems a very appropriate time to look back at the progress of gay sport in this country. LGBT History Month is running right through the month of February and there are many exciting events happening around the country to celebrate the history of LGBT sports in the UK.
You can learn more about LGBT sports history from LGBT History Month online: http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk and http://www.LGBThistoryUK.org
If your UK LGBT Sports club is not featured on the graphic, enter the information below.
1970s
1976 Gay Outdoor Club GOC formed.
1976 Goslings Swimming Club formed. Now the club includes badminton.
1977 CAGS Tennis Group formed in Croydon.
1980s
1982 British athletes attend the first ever Gay Games in San Francisco. UK athletes and sports groups have attended every Gay Games, Out Games and Euro Games since. Multi-sport events have been the catalyst for the growth of the gay sports movement worldwide throughout the last 30 years.
1983 Long Yang Club forms, a tennis and badminton club for Asian and Western members in London
1989 Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) forms
1990s
1990 London Raiders Softball Club starts in Hyde Park on Sunday afternoons (originally called Rainbow Raiders)
1990 Out to Swim is the first gay swimming club formed by athletes returning from Gay Games
1991 Stonewall Football Club is the first gay football club to form
1992 Carl Hestor represents the Team GB Equestrian and attends the Barcelona Olympics.
1992 Dynamo Dykes Volleyball Club forms
1994 British Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation forms to unite gay sports clubs
1994 John Curry, 1974 Olympic ice Skating Gold medallist passes away
1995 London Front Runners formed
1995 Kings Cross Steelers first Gay Rugby Club formed
1995 Streatham Storm womens ice hockey is formed
1995 London Spikers Volleyball Club formed
1996 Village Manchester Football Club is formed – Manchester's first LGBT sports club
1996 Ishigaki jujitsu club is formed
1996 Leicester Wildecats is formed
1996 Grace's Cricket Club is formed
1996 CycleOut formed
1996 Nottingham Ball Bois FC is formed
1996 The Team Manchester NHS project began researching LGBT Sports as a means to tackle heart disease
1997 Brighton Lesbian & Gay Sports Society forms to unite Brighton Sports groups
1997 Irons Golf formed
1998 Nine new LGBT sports groups, including Northern Wave Swim Club are launched under the Team Manchester banner
1998 Village Spartans FC formed
1998 Bowling Bears formed
1998 Justin Fashanu, Britain's first Bi-sexual footballer, commits suicide after nearly a decade of hounding by the UK press. His story a effected a whole generation of gay athletes and there has still not been another leading footballer to come out in this country since.
1999 Out for Sport London is formed and they hold first multi-sports day at Crystal Palace
1999 Sue Emerson becomes first European Female Copresident of the Federation of Gay Games
1999 Left Footers Football Club founded
1999 Northern Ace Tennis Club founded
2000s
2000 The first UK Gay Sports Festival was held in Waltham Forest. The opening ceremony was graced by the Beverley Sisters and the cultural festival was headlined by Bucks Fizz. The festival was organised by Waltham Forest Local Authority and a consortium of gay sports groups, who were led by FGG Copresident Sue Emerson. The highlight of the weekend was the dance sport competition, which was completely sold out with a capacity of 250 people.
2000 Lee Pearson, Team GB Equestrian Paralympian wins 1st Paralympic Gold
2000 Northern Flight Badminton Club forms
2000 Orion Rowing Club forms
2001 Trina Gulliver wins the first of a total of nine World Darts Championship titles
2001 London LGB Gymnastics & Diving forms
2002 Michael Hill, motorcyclist launches Taboo Motor Racing
2003 Northern Wave organises the north's first international multi-sport festival at EuroPride Manchester
2004 Chris Morgan, Great Britain and England Powerlifter qualifies for first world final and is appointed Gay Games Ambassador
2004 Rob Newton Team GB, 110 metre Hurdler makes British Olympic Team for the Athens Olympics
2005 Out for Sport London hosts 'The Building Bridges Conference' that was intended to heal rifts between the Federation of Gay Games and Gay & Lesbian International Sports Association. The event was hosted by Ivan Bussens who helped the two major gay sports governing bodies come together to overcome their differences and discuss the future of gay sports.
2005 Northern Wave and Team Manchester launch the first ever 'Pride Games', which took place in Manchester and was attended by 750 participants. There has since been Pride Sports events held every year, hosting thousands of athletes from all over the world. Founder of Pride Games Trevor Burchick was awarded an MBE in the new year's honours list the same year for services to the community of Greater Manchester.
2005 London Titans FC formed
2005 Sir Elton John appointed Gay Games Ambassador
2005 Bristol Bisons form
2006 Bristol Cycle Out form
2006 BBC Sports presenter Clare Balding comes out by marrying partner in civil partnership ceremony
2006 Trevor Burchick and Lou Engelfield form Pride Sports, to deliver future Pride Games and develop LGBT sports in Manchester
2007 Sion O'Conner becomes male copresident of Federation of Gay Games
2007 John Amaechi, British NBA Basketball Star Comes Out, appointed Gay Games Ambassador, awarded MBE in 2011
2007 Ivan Bussens, founder of Out for Sport London passes away
2007 Nigel Owens, International Rugby Referee Comes Out
2007 The World's first LGBT Youth Games is held at Pride Games Manchester
2007 The English Football Association for the first time forms a Working Group to tackle Homophobia in Soccer. They decided to launch new ground regulations, which ban homophobic abuse on the terraces and give powers to stewards to remove offenders. The following year the Gay community are invited to watch England v Czech Republic football match by The FA.
2008 The Justin Campaign against homophobia in sport is launched in his memory 10 years after his death.
2008 The first annual LGBT Sports Summit is held in Manchester, launching the UK LGBT Sports Network
2009 Pride sports host the European Lesbian and Gay Sports Federation (EGLSF) annual assembly and Lou Engelfield becomes female copresident of European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation
2009 Gay Games and GLISA announce their commitment to working towards 1 Quadrennial Event (1QE) for 2018 at the Manchester EGLSF general assembly
2009 Professional rugby player Gareth Thomas comes out whilst still playing at international level for Wales. He became Wales's most capped player in 2007 and captained the British Lions during their 2005 tour of South Africa. Gareth's coming out once again raised the issue of team sports and in particular, raised the questions when would the first UK footballer come out of the closet?
2010s
2010 Sheffield Eagles become first semi professional rugby league team to wear an anti-homophobia message in a televised match
2010 London announces bid for Gay Games/OutGames 2018
2010 Stonewall FC wins gold at Cologne Gay Games, Raider women win bronze in Softball. Over 850 UK athletes attend and come home with a hoard of medals.
2011 Graham Obree, Team Great Britain and Commonwealth Games cyclist comes out
2011 Aisle Pitter, The founder of Stonewall Football Club is awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours List
2011 Ben Cohen, Rugby World Cup Winner with England back in 2003 'comes out' as a straight ally to the gay community and launches the Stand up Foundation against homophobic bullying . Ben was recently honoured with a major humanitarian award in the US by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.
2011 Claire Harvey, patron of London 2018, is selected for Great Britain Sitting Volleyball Team
2011 Stonewall FC wins gold at Cologne Gay Games, Raiders Women win bronze.
2011 Steven Davies, England Cricketer Comes Out whilst still playing international cricket. Steven made his debut for England in March 2009 in twenty /twenty cricket and then went on to make his full test debut in October of the same year. He is the first international cricketer to come out as gay.
2011 LGBT athletes are invited to Downing Street to launch the government charter against homophobia and transphobia in sport. Billy Jean King, Gareth Thomas and Ben Cohen attended the event, with the Rugby Football League, Rugby Football Union, Lawn Tennis Association, English Cricket Board and the English Football Association all sign up to the charter.
2012 LGBT History Month for both 2011 and 2012 are for the first time focused on Gay Sports. The launch event for 2011 takes place at Twickenham and is attended by Gareth Thomas and John Amaechi. The launch event for 2012 then takes place at the oval Cricket ground and is attended by equalities minister Lynne Featherstone.
2012 For the first time at a summer games the London Olympics will host a 'London Pride House' for LGBTA athletes, officials and spectators to meet and socialise during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Pride House is expected to be one of the largest cultural pavilions for more than 250,000 visitors over seventeen days.
About the Author
Chris Morgan is the author of the UK LGBT History Month Sports Timeline (1976-2012)
He is a four time world champion, six time British champion and six time Gay Games gold medallist in Powerlifting and one of the Global Ambassador's to the Federation of Gay Games. http://www.chunkymuscle.com and http://www.gaygames.com
Chris would like to thank both Trevor Burchick and Lou Engelfield of Pride Sports for their help and input to this project. You can learn more about Pride Sports online at http://www.pridesports.org. Further research by Jonathan Harbourne.
Infographic by Jonathan Harbourne. You may use the graphic in whole, without editing and including the author credits. The infographic is ideal as a pull-up banner to help promote LGBT sport.
