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Journalism of Courage
Last month, when news circulated about the International Cricket Council (ICC) banning transgender player Danielle McGahey from the Canadian Women’s team, in response, the Pune Queer Collective (PQC) has initiated a series of sports events for the Queer-Transgender community in the city.
PQC, a vocal group working for the rights of queer and trans individuals, organised sports events starting with a cricket match at Pune University on Sunday. The initiative aims to celebrate inclusivity in the queer and transgender community in sports and affords them a place when some previously had none.
Smriti, a literature student, who played football for the Indian under-19 women’s team said that he observed a diverse group of players hailing from various backgrounds. Discussing inclusivity, Smriti expressed satisfaction with his experience on his football team.
“I felt more at ease with the women’s team because there was no binary between femininity and masculinity and it was a queer-friendly space. During my time with the team, I played as a woman, as I was not aware of the alternative terms and labels for gender and LGBTQ and was not as educated on the topic.”
Smriti recalled an incident where he made a post on sports and gender on social media about the event but encountered hateful comments calling for a ban on all transgender individuals from participating in sports among other hateful comments.
In a sport filled with men, members of PQC set up their arrangements, kicked off a chill practice, and started the game once all the members were present. After the first game, they exchanged jokes and playful banter with the opposing team, but concluded the match without announcing a ‘Man’ of the Match.
According to Bhavya, a researcher focused on gender issues, other sports at least offer small spaces for queer and trans individuals. She stressed that cricket, on the other hand, appears to display evident gender bias, influenced by its close ties to nationalism and cultural connections.
She said, “The nationalism in cricket has restricted the inclusivity as cricket enthusiasts depict cricket as an integral part of their culture. According to them, queer and transgender individuals are not considered part of their cultural identity.”
The collective has decided to continue the sports events, scheduling them every few days with additional games. They discussed the strategy for managing social media as well as conducting offline outreach for their campaign.
Priyansh, another member of the collective who hails from Kolkata and works in the advertising field while talking about the importance of social media value,said iit plays a crucial role in bringing awareness to people about sports and gender. He said, “The whole point of this event is to let queer people play what they were once not allowed in their childhood when they wanted to.” “I couldn’t play cricket because I was asked to play with the girls,” said Priyansh.
