This Saturday Liverpool will be home to the South Shore’s first ever Pride Spiel.
The curling event is meant to be a fun, inclusive space for members of the LGBTQ community to take part in sport and be themselves.
“They can come, have fun, relax, be themselves and not worry about being judged,” says Jennifer Chase, vice-president of the Liverpool Curling Club.
She says they’ve been considering holding the event for a while but didn’t have time to organize one last year.
But after a Pride float joined the Privateer Days parade, Chase says they knew they had to do something this year.
“We definitely need to do this, this year, to highlight how diverse curling is,” she says. “It’s a sport that’s welcoming to anybody.”
Several drag queens walked in last year’s Privateer Days parade along with a Pride themed float.
In fact, many floats had Pride elements to support the business that put forward the float after they received some harassment.
Some of the drag queens from last year’s parade are coming to curl as well as perform for the Pride Spiel.
Chase says so far the community support has been overwhelming and the tournament is full.
Pride Spiels are common across Canada and Chase says if the event catches on, they could make it an annual event.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
Email: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca