Lesbians and gay men and sport
Lesbians and sport
The stereotype of the 'sporty lesbian' has some grounding in reality.
Contributors talk about the 'sporty' types, alongside butch and femme. Lesbians who were 'sporty' or seen as 'tomboys' found it easier to blend in to this environment.
Perhaps because of the lack of alternatives, many lesbians reported
that the sports field and locker rooms had been the places that they
had met other lesbians, made friends, found social networks, and got
into relationships, in earlier decades.
And of course some of
the few, and earliest lesbian and bisexual icons and role models were sportswomen - come back
Martina......
Sport and physical activity may also have provided a channel or distraction.
This interest in physical activity has continued to this day, and lesbians have continued to organise sporting and
outdoor activities in Birmingham, with Boot
Women (walking group) being the longest running lesbian group in
Birmingham.
Gay men and sport
The men
too, talk of sports, whether as an opportunity to ogle physically fit,
semi-naked male bodies, or as a leisure and social opportunity.
The
Gay Outdoor Club is one of Birmingham's longest standing community
groups and an offshoot, the Moseley Shoals (swimming group) also
remains popular.
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