OutSport Toronto | Serving and Supporting LGBT Sport in the Greater Toronto Area

A Year of Advocacy and Partnerships

Posted Wed, 19 Dec 2012, 4:09pm

This was a busy year for OUTSPORT TORONTO in terms of partnerships and advocacy work. Building on solid work done in 2011, OUTSPORT TORONTO hit the ground running. Following is a retrospective of 2012 Partnership and Advocacy work. Read more...

Angela James to be Keynote Speaker at Scrum 2012

Posted Fri, 5 Oct 2012, 4:53pm

Angela James, Hockey Hall of FamerOUTSPORT TORONTO is pleased to announce Angela James as our keynote speaker for Scrum 2012.

James is a Canadian former ice hockey forward, who played in the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League (now the National Women's Hockey League), and represented Team Canada internationally. Considered the first superstar of modern women's hockey, James scored 34 points in 20 games over four women's world championships, including 11 goals in five games in the inaugural IIHF World Women's Championships, held in Ottawa in 1990.

In 2005, Hockey Canada honoured James with the female breakthrough award, given for making significant contributions to the promotion and/or development of female hockey in Canada. She was acknowledged for her efforts to promote and develop the game for females, and for her great skill within the game. Along with highlighting her excellence, Hockey Canada also noted that she has played at every position, including goaltender, where she recorded a shutout. James has coached the North York Aeros, and she has officiated in the Ontario Women's Hockey Association.

In 2008, she, along with Cammi Granato (USA) and Geraldine Heaney (CAN), became the first women to be inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2008, the Angela James Bowl was created in her honour. The trophy is awarded to the Canadian Women's Hockey League's top scorer. On 22 June 2010 James was included in the 2010 Hockey Hall of Fame class; she and Cammi Granato became the first women inducted. James was formally inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on 8 November 2010. Read more...

Boxer Orlando Cruz Announces He Is Gay

Posted Thu, 4 Oct 2012, 5:27pm

Orlando CruzBreaking news! Finally a pro athlete comes out. These are exciting times! WBO No. 4 featherweight boxer and former Olympian Orlando Cruz announced today he is "a proud gay man". We're proud of you, too!

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The Associated Press

Posted: Oct 4, 2012 1:34 PM ET
Last Updated: Oct 4, 2012 3:30 PM ET

Describing himself as "a proud gay man," Puerto Rican featherweight Orlando Cruz on Thursday became what is believed to be the first pro boxer to come out as openly homosexual while still competing.

Cruz told The Associated Press in an interview that he is relieved about his decision but had initial reservations.

"I developed physically and mentally to take such a big step in my life and in my profession, which is boxing, knowing that it would have pros and cons, highs and lows in this sport that is so macho," he said. "I kept this hidden for many, many years." Read more...

Press Release - Yunel Escobar, Toronto Blue Jays

Posted Tue, 18 Sep 2012, 6:18pm

Yunel EscobarFor Immediate Distribution

This past Saturday, Toronto Blue Jay player Yunel Escobar chose to display offensive and vulgar language on his eye black during a Major League Baseball game in Toronto. Subsequently, the Toronto Blue Jays suspended Mr. Escobar for three games, and will donate his lost pay to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the You Can Play Project (YCP).

OUTSPORT TORONTO is deeply disappointed and saddened by the behaviour of Mr. Escobar, and the negative messages that his conduct delivers. Because of his actions, athletes everywhere – amateur and professional – will continue to remain in the closet, will continue to avoid sports, and will continue to have their sense of self demeaned. Read more...

Changes on the Board

Posted Wed, 29 Aug 2012, 10:27pm

OUTSPORT TORONTO is sad to announce the resignation of Mac Gunter as a director. Mac was involved from the beginning in the creation of OUTSPORT TORONTO, working on the Governance Committee that drafted the first set of bylaws for the then association, and acting as OUTSPORT TORONTO’s first Secretary Treasurer. He continued his contributions through heavy involvement in both the 2011 and 2012 Pride and SportZone activities, both Scrums, and was the driving force behind OUTSPORT TORONTO’s successful Trillium Grant application.

“Mac’s contribution to OUTSPORT TORONTO was huge!” noted OUTSPORT TORONTO’s chair Shawn Sheridan. “He has been incredibly dedicated to OUTSPORT TORONTO’s mission, vision, and values. He was a fantastic team player, and I will personally miss him on our board.”

David CarterOUTSPORT TORONTO is pleased to announce the appointment of David Carter as Secretary Treasurer. In addition to a BSc. from the University of Waterloo, David is also a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant in Canada, and a Certified Public Accountant in the US. An avid swimmer, cyclist, runner, and inline-skater, David has been a long-time contributor to the LGBT community, volunteering for organisations such as Fife House.

“I was really attracted to OUTSPORT TORONTO’s mission, vision, and values. I felt that this was a good time for me to re-engage in some volunteer work, and that OUTSPORT TORONTO was the right place to do that,” stated David Carter.

“We’re delighted that David has joined our team,” said OUTSPORT TORONTO’s chair Shawn Sheridan. “His background and experience will bring us to a new level, and will be highly beneficial to both OUTSPORT TORONTO and our member LGBT Sport and Rec organisations.”

David’s bio can be found here. Read more...

OutSport Toronto Receives Trillium Funding

Posted Fri, 10 Aug 2012, 11:49am

OUTSPORT TORONTO is pleased to announce its receipt of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. The Ontario Trillium Foundation will provide OUTSPORT TORONTO with $58,600 over the next four years to support operating expenses and outreach activities, and to increase the capacity of OUTSPORT TORONTO and its member organisations.

"Until now, we've really been operating on a shoe-string budget," said Shawn Sheridan, Chair of OUTSPORT TORONTO. "With this funding, we'll be able to do more for our member organisations and better fulfill our mission. It's providing us with some base funding upon which to continue to build our sustainability. And we're delighted that the Foundation supports what we're trying to do." Read more...

LGBT Sport and Recreation Showcased at Pride 2012

Posted Fri, 6 Jul 2012, 2:14pm

Sand Sharks Beach Volleyball at SportZone 2012: Demoing a bit of beach volleyball with a beach ball.Toronto’s LGBT Athletic Community was out in full force during Pride 2012 with the second annual OUTSPORT TORONTO SportZone.

Sixteen of OUTSPORT TORONTO's member associations participated in what was the largest gathering of the LGBT athletic and recreation community that has ever been seen at Toronto Pride. "It was an outstanding success," said Julian DiBattista, OUTSPORT TORONTO's Director for Community Outreach, and this year's SportZone committee chair. "There is no way we could have done it without the help of every organisation that participated." Read more...

OutSport Toronto Welcomes Catherine Meade to its Board

Posted Mon, 25 Jun 2012, 4:30pm

Catherine MeadeOUTSPORT TORONTO is delighted to announce the appointment of Catherine Meade to its board as a director without portfolio.

"We're really pleased that Catherine will be part of our team," said OUTSPORT TORONTO chair Shawn Sheridan. "Catherine brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion to our board, and will enrich our perspectives as we continue to serve and support our member organisations."

Catherine Meade is the Director, Multi-Sport Games for the City of Toronto. In this role, she leads the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division’s 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Branch and has ultimate oversight over the 2012 Ontario Summer Games. She earned a B.P.E. degree from McMaster University; an M.A. degree focused on sport administration and management from the University of Alberta; and an LL.B. degree, cum laude, from the University of Ottawa. She has been involved in amateur sport and recreation for many years, both LGBT and mainstream, and has a broad background of involvement in the broader LGBT community. Her full bio can be found here. Read more...

Pride SportZone 2012

Posted Sat, 23 Jun 2012, 12:00pm

Frontrunners Toronto volunteers talking to passers-by about getting involved at the 2011 SportZoneOUTSPORT TORONTO is excited to present the 2012 Pride SportZone. The SportZone is an integral part of the community street fair during the Pride Weekend, and will showcase many of our member organisations and opportunities to get involved in LGBT-friendly athletics and recreation. This year, OUTSPORT TORONTO and its member leagues are delighted to have a new booth dedicated to opportunities for LGBT women to get involved in athletics and recreation, and our member organisations.

Several of OUTSPORT TORONTO's member organizations will be on-site to provide information, discuss opportunities for involvement in LGBT Sport and Recreation, and showcase their activities through exciting demonstrations.

This year's SportZone will include: Read more...

OutSport Toronto Presents at TDSB Futures 2012 Conference

Posted Tue, 22 May 2012, 12:13am

On a sunny afternoon in Toronto, Friday, 4 May 2012, after months of preparation, a team of seven from OUTSPORT TORONTO convened on the AllStream Centre at Exhibition Place for OUTSPORT TORONTO's workshop for the Toronto District School Board's FUTURES 2012 conference.

"I remember getting the eMail in the wake of our November 2011 Scrum from the conference organising committee inviting us to submit a proposal to present a workshop, and thinking, 'Wow... we got noticed!' ", said OUTSPORT TORONTO's chair Shawn Sheridan. "After a unanimous vote of our board to do the workshop, we struck a committee, reached out to our member organisations, friends, and supporters, and started the process of creating that workshop. I'm so proud of the team's effort and the result! Everyone was so committed and cared so much about this! And I get that. We were all in school. We all remember." Read more...