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VARSITY GAY LEAGUE A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN
by joel martens Varsity Gay League (VGL) is pretty much exactly
what the name indicates it is... A varsity sports league for the LGBTQ community. The brainchild of Will Hackner, who as he said, “Started it because I saw something lacking in my social life... pure, silly fun.” His life in the Los Angeles queer community was bars, parties and events and it was one continuous hangover leading to another “must do” party, which is something many of us can relate to for sure. Hackner went on to explain
the impetus for starting VGL, “I’ve always found joy in outdoor games and activities that were fun for everyone and didn’t require intense, technical skills. So, in the early Summer of 2007, a friend and I organized a game of capture the flag with 50 players. Eleven years later, we’ve had 15,000 plus registered players and have leagues in 14 cities around the country. It’s amazing what a little silliness, a little competition, and a whole lot of open LGBTQIA+ straight allies can accomplish.” The organization offers what is generally referred
tournaments take place as well, one in San Diego this year featuring kickball and dodgeball and an annual Kickball Tournament in Las Vegas, hosting 850 to 1000 kickball players from across America. According to Hackner, the number one guiding
BEING QUEER COMES WITH
AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNEC- TIONS, BUT IT ALSO COMES
I WANT EVERYONE IN OUR ORGANIZATION TO KNOW
WITH ALL THE BAGGAGE AND INTERNALIZED HOMOPHOBIA WE STRUGGLE WITH.
THEY ARE WELCOME, REGARD- LESS OF THEIR SEX, GENDER, SKILL, AGE, SIZE, SHAPE, SPEED, OR STATUS.”
principle is inclusion. “I was a small, nerdy, bullied child who never felt welcomed to much of anything. When I came out I felt even more different than my peers, though I should have felt connected. Being queer comes with amazing opportunities for relationships and connections, but it also comes with all the baggage and internalized homophobia we struggle with. I want everyone in our organization to know they are welcome, regardless of their sex, gender, skill, age, size, shape, speed, or status,” he offered. “The second guiding principle is ‘fun.’ Every time our players show
up, I want them to know they can let loose, feel free to be themselves: be silly, compete, drink, whatever and do it with absolute freedom.” Membership fees apply and as Hackner says, “We
to as “social sports or playground sports.” Kickball and dodgeball are the primary activities, but as they’ve grown, tennis, bowling, soccer, flag football, indoor/ outdoor volleyball and ultimate frisbee have become a part of their portfolio. They also run one-off events like trivia, trampoline dodgeball, beer Olympics, drag competitions, scavenger hunts, game nights, paintball and capture the flag. Two national
10 RAGE monthly | AUGUST 2018 RAGE monthly
can’t run our organization for free, but we pride ourselves on having the lowest prices in the market and work to give back to the players.” He explained further, “We have a rotating staff of 40 part time people who dedicate their time to improving quality of game play and bringing fun and joy into each other’s lives.” For many in the LGBTQ community, sports activities have lingering, negative memories. We wondered
what the skill level requirements for participation are. Hackner emphatically said, “We have many players that have never played or are intimidated by the idea of adult sports. Our staff is focused to help you improve, if you just ask. We have different divisions and opportunities for everyone to play.” Fundraising is a big part of VGL, Hackner talked
about how it works. “We are a for-profit organization, but a principle of life that is very important to me is giving back whenever possible. We are very lucky to have a strong, broad community who like to help when able. We organize one or two fundraisers per year in each city. This year alone, we have already raised $50K for a variety of charities across the country, usually LBGTQIA+ focused.” Their next big California event is the San Diego
Sports Festival, Hackner explained what attendees can expect. “This is the first time we’ve attempted to bring multiple sports together, with players from VGL and other sister organizations across the country. We are excited to make our first foray in San Diego, which was our first expansion city,” he shared. “We partnered with Malibu Rum and Coors Light to bring reduced drinks, prizes and gifts and special events for all our participants. We also partnered with the Lafayette Hotel which is a premier queer destination hotel. In general, we hope to bring our VGL community together to celebrate a fun weekend with games, hugs, drinks, parties, pools and a great way to usher in the Fall.”
Varsity Gay Leaguehas many chapters throughout the United States. For more information on them or more about theSan Diego Sports Festivalon Friday, August 31 through Monday, September 3 and other events, go to
varsitygayleague.com.
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