Queer Soccer San Diego organizes pick-up games for adults of all skill levels. (Photo courtesy Queer Soccer San Diego)

Historically, contemporary sport teams have existed solely in binary terms. With only cisgender female or cisgender male athletic teams primarily offered, those existing outside the gender binary — such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer persons for example — can feel excluded from participating.

Despite many recreational and professional teams around the country still existing in a binary framework, San Diego is home to numerous LGBTQ+ sports leagues that focus on queer visibility and inclusion in athletic spaces, as well as community building, according to San Diego Pride.

These teams range in sport greatly — from cheerleading, softball, swim, surfing, and climbing, to rollerblading, skiing, dodgeball, and basketball.

Multicultural dragon boat racing team “Lezbhonest Dragon Boat Team” was created in 2015 said Founder and Captain Dina Somsamouth. Dragon boats, which are large canoe-like vessels, sit crews up to 16. The boats are carved with ornate dragon heads and tails. While sitting in pairs, the team members paddle to compete in races. Each boat additionally includes a drummer who maintains a beat to keep paddlers in time and unison.

“This team was created to break the barriers between the Asian community and the LGBTQ,” Somsamouth explained. “Being an openly queer team [creates] a sense of belonging that we can be a part of something. It provides an empowering space for women from diverse backgrounds to come together, celebrate their cultures, and showcase their strength and resilience. This representation is vital in promoting gender and cultural equality in sports.”

This year the team will march in San Diego’s Pride Festival, said Somsamouth. They will additionally hold a fundraiser on July 14 from 3-6 p.m. at Gossip Grill, located at 1220 University Ave.

San Diego’s oldest LGBTQ+ recreational group, Front Runners & Walkers, hosts the Pride 5k, an important fundraising event that occurs before the Pride Parade since 2002. This year’s 5k will be on Saturday, July 20 at 8 a.m. The team has met beneath the tree on 6th Avenue and Laurel Street since 1981.

Also on the city’s LGBTQ+ sports roster is SAGA San Diego, an LGBT Snowsports club. Established in 1979, the team offers three annual ski trips that coincide with gay ski week events for “greater opportunities for experiences with the broader gay community,” said their website.

And while many teams meet on the snow and water such as the historic Different Strokes swim team founded in 1985, others like Queer Soccer San Diego stick to the turf. Their goal is to “foster community by creating a gender-diverse queer social space for players and spectators.”

San Diego’s most popular LGBTQ+ sport is softball. With nearly 40 teams and 600 players, it is also San Diego’s largest softball league.

Online community health and well-being platform Community Commons explained that inclusive spaces are pivotal to the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals — which often promote empowerment and advocacy. The platform relatedly stated that visibility in queer spaces helps challenge stereotypes and broaden LGBTQ+ acceptance.

A complete list of San Diego’s LGBTQ+ sports teams can be found at sdpride.org/sports/.

Flashback

Different Strokes demonstrated their swimming form on the pavement in the 1988 Pride Parade. (Photo courtesy Lambda Archives)