Gay and Lbian Tennis Alliance – Team Sydney Sports

Contents:

• GAY AND LBIAN TENNIS ALLIANCE
• TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?
• DRAMATIC GRDR ENUNTER AT A PARK ADDS CHAPTER TO SYDNEY’S GAY HISTORY
• GAY SYDNEY: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, BARET AND CULTURE
• THERE WILL BE NO OUT GAY MALE TENNIS PLAYERS AT THE U.S. OPEN, YET AGA
• GAY SNAS SYDNEY

GAY AND LBIAN TENNIS ALLIANCE

Tennis Sydney has no tolerance for ableism, sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia or any form of discrimatn. Up to the 1980s, gay athlet were a hidn and margalised muny wh the LGBTQ+ muny. However, a group of brave Sunday social players began to anise gay tennis activi Sydney.

In 1982, an advertisement was placed the Sydney Star Observer recg gay tennis players to jo the group. The Gay & Lbian Tennis Associatn (GLTA) tournament format was adopted 1988 and the Mardi Gras tournament was born (today known as AGLO, the Atralian Gay & Lbian Open).

TENNIS' LAST TABOO: WHY NO OPENLY GAY MALE PLAYERS?

In 1996, Tennis Sydney entered s first Mardi Gras Para and was the first ever sportg body to “e out” promotg a healthy and petive environment for the gay muny.

DRAMATIC GRDR ENUNTER AT A PARK ADDS CHAPTER TO SYDNEY’S GAY HISTORY

In November 2002, the Gay Gam VI was held Sydney, the first Gay Gam the Southern Hemisphere which drew 11, 000 participants for 31 sports and 11 cultural events om 80 untri. Tennis Sydney hosts seven tournaments each year, cludg two Gay Lbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA) sanctned tournaments and five club tournaments. The Glam Slam is an ternatnal tennis event sanctned by the Gay Lbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA) and held Melbourne durg the Atralian Open.

GAY SYDNEY: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, BARET AND CULTURE

Tennis Sydney and Amazon Tennis is Atralasia’s largt LGBT tennis club that aims to promote and facilate gay and lbian tennis Sydney. Our progam of events clu social tennis; mid-week night petns; Club doubl days; and two major Gay & Lbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA) tournaments each year. Fair Day marks the begng of the Sydney Gay & Lbian Mardi Gras, providg a fantastic place for muny groups to nnect wh the LGBTQIA+ muny.

The Pri Sport Inx (PSI) is the first and only benchmarkg stment specifilly signed to asss the cln of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer (LGBTQ) people wh Atralian sport and sportg anisatns. Tennis NSW promot zero tolerance on attus regardg homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia wh our sport. Players will pete unr the global Gay and Lbian Tennis Alliance l at Albert Park’s Tennis World, before the fals take place at the Open’s 5000-seat Kia Arena on Atralian Open Pri Day on January 27 (the same day as the men’s semi-fals), thanks to support om Tennis Atralia’s diversy and cln team.

”Adam Watson, 40, will also be grabbg his racquet after fdg gay and lbian associatn VicTennis after movg to Victoria om Bra on the eve of the COVID-19 lockdowns. As Jamie Murray puts : "We have players om all over the world, all different cultur, many walks of life" yet spe of the multiculturalism, there is still one great anomaly at the heart of the men's game: the absence of any openly gay players.

THERE WILL BE NO OUT GAY MALE TENNIS PLAYERS AT THE U.S. OPEN, YET AGA

In almost 150 years of beg an anised sport, only two openly gay men have ever played at ele level, both of whom peted primarily before World War II - multiple grand-slam champn Gottied von Cramm who was arrted for homosexualy Nazi Germany, and the Amerin 10-time major wner Bill Tiln. A third gay player, Ameri's former world No.

Vahaly revealed last Augt that a handful of profsnal players, and about 30 at junr and llege level, had told him privately that they were gay, but had opted agast gog Vahaly actn at the Atralian Open Viki LasrisVahaly is sure there are many more, and wants to create as welg an environment as possible to help them e out, should they want to.

They are, he believ, "sred" of revealg their te the absence of LGBT trailblazers such as Billie Jean Kg and Marta Navratilova the women's game - and more recent openly gay players, such as Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck - Vahaly looks to have his work cut out. Bee the qutn is not whether there are more gay male players, but why there is still a taboo around realy is that homosexualy men's tennis will be most discsed this year relatn to Margaret Court, the 24-time grand-slam, a Pentestal mister, regularly nounc homosexuals, but the send-biggt arena at the Atralian Open still bears her name, spe pleas om Kg and others to rebrand tennis player and current Pentestal mister Margaret Court, who has been volly AAPAcrdg to the players themselv, men's tennis has never been more welg. Neher would a gay player have to fear beg mercially ostracised, which was a nsiratn for Vahaly.

GAY SNAS SYDNEY

And yet, spe of this supposedly hospable climate, tennis' wa for a first openly gay active male player sce the 1940s ntu. "The locker room uldn't be a more homophobic place, " he said.

"We're not gay-bashg. "Vahaly endors that view - he says he heard homophobic ments "all the time" this perd - and while there is ltle doubt that locker room attus have sce bee more progrsive, there are isolated cints that give pse for thought.

"I don't thk 's gog to be easy bee there is so much homophobia, " he is also a more subtle lack of unrstandg om some players that helps to expla why a player might feel unfortable g out. While Herbert and I spoke, his doubl partner Nilas Mahut twice ma jok about the pair beg a gay uple. Other doubl players, such as Colombia's Robert Farah, ma siar jok that were not necsarily homophobic tent but seemed to e more om a place of was also cur to hear how many players said they would wele a gay player, but only if they showed "rpect".