Another pride month has come and gone, but the fight for global equality for 2SLGBTQIA+ people persists.
Every day.
Every hour.
Every minute
Every second.
2SLGBTQIA+ Equality in sports has been a hot-button topic leading into Pride Month 2023 and will continue in the days and months to follow. As we wind the 53rd annual Pride Month – the first taking place in 1970 – York Varsity Athletics would like to highlight the many issues facing the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through a Q&A format.
Below, you will hear from administration, coaches and a student-athlete about the importance of Pride, how York is promoting inclusive and accepting spaces and how sports play a key role in fostering those environments.
Alex Dominato (he/him/his)– Director, Athletics
Q: What does Pride Month mean to you, personally, and why is it important to you to recognize Pride Month in the context of an athletic department? As athletic director, what initiatives are you planning on spearheading in the coming years
A: Pride Month is a celebration of how far we have come as a society and an important reminder of why we need to continuously work to progress issues that affect members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as they are under constant attack. York Varsity Athletics strives to create the most inclusive space for its student-athletes to thrive and succeed. Coming out of covid with an entirely new leadership team at all levels we are re-establishing an overall culture that strongly features inclusion.
Q: The 'T' portion of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community has been increasingly under attack in recent months. As athletic director, how do you plan to support trans, non-binary and gender-fluid student-athletes here at York?
A: Our goal is to create an inclusive space for all to participate in sport at whatever level they perform at within the framework of U SPORTS. We will continue to be leaders in this space as other governing bodies take a more restrictive stance. We will always advocate that sport is for all.
Q: While Pride Month is important, it is important to ensure that 2SLGBTQIA+ feel safe, valued and accepted the other 11 months of the year. Within the scope of York's team environments, as well as the other components of their on-campus lives, what can and are you and fellow University leadership doing to ensure this is the case?
A: It is absolutely important that we sustain our culture and values for all 12 months to support inclusion. First and foremost it's vital to start this work by ensuring that our student-athletes see us, know us, feel our support and be listened to build an inclusive environment.
Q: What message do you have for York's future 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes and any who are thinking of attending York?
A: York University is a microcosm of the true Canadian experience where everyone is welcomed and supported to be themselves so they can achieve amazing feats in their lives. York Varsity Athletics leads the way in welcoming all in a positive environment that we strive to maintain and grow every day.
Jen Neilson (she/her/hers) – Head Coach, Women's Volleyball
Q: What role do you believe coaches play in fostering acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes within their team environments?
A: I believe the whole sporting environment and community are incredibly crucial for the support and success of 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes. Every human has the right to self expression, identity, belonging, & acceptance and it's critical for coaches and team cultures to create open & inclusive spaces that allow everyone to feel valued for their authenticity
Q: As a sport that has historically been inclusive of 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes, how can the sport of volleyball advance the conversation surrounding inclusivity of 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes on campus in volleyball and other sports?
A: I think there is part of this question that needs to be given space for the student-athlete to share how they need to be supported and cared for. Each person is unique and a one size all approach isn't the answer. I truly believe it starts with the environment; if someone feels seen, valued and appreciated that's a great start. Creating opportunities to learn from each other's experiences, a welcoming space for each member of a team and community to be accepted where they are is important. Our goal is to strive to hold space for these conversations of what support looks like & make every member of our community feel seen, valued, and appreciated.
Ekaterina (Katia) Tverdovskaia (she/her/hers) – Women's Tennis
Q: As one of five Lions to march in PRIDE Toronto, why was it important for you to partake in as a member of York Varsity Athletics, and what was your experience like? How does an event like this help promote inclusivity within the entire department?
A: I am part of LGBTQ+ community. I am from Russia and moved here 6 years ago with my family. I have been struggling with being myself because of society norms and not being the woman that society paints for all of us. It was important to me because representing varsity athletics and promoting inclusivity just feels right. I can't describe my experience with words but it was unforgettable. This event shows that we support everyone no matter what gender or sexuality you are. That shows to the world that LGBTQ+ people exist in sports and it deserves recognition because we (are judged for) being "different" and not "normal" like others. So taking part (in Pride) with the OUA and Canadian Olympic Committee at the was an incredible opportunity to promote and celebrate the inclusivity within and outside (our Lions community).
Russ Herrington (he/him/his) – Head Coach, Men's Hockey
Q: What role do you believe coaches play in fostering acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ student-athletes within their team environments?
A: I believe that one of the key roles that we play as coaches is to create an environment within our teams that fosters the acceptance of people for who they authentically are and not what society has traditionally suggested they need to be in order to participate in that particular sport. I find that the current generation of student-athletes are more in-tune with the concept of inclusivity than at any point in the past, and are more willing to use their platform to address these issues. It is important therefore to engage our student-athletes in these types of discussions and in particular lead the way in having the attitude that great student-athletes come in many different forms. In my experience, the best coaches are the ones who welcome and accept you for who you are and that quickly fosters its way through the dressing room as a result.
Q: Obviously there has been a lot of talk surrounding the culture of men's hockey with regard to 2SLGBTQIA+ issues; how are you going about ensuring that York men's hockey is a space where all feel welcome and included, and what message do you have for the hockey community at large?
A: We feel the responsibility to try and change the narrative around what it means to be involved in hockey from many angles including inclusivity. For us that means being proactive in educating ourselves on the experiences that we would not have faced growing up in the game and society at large and in addition on educating ourselves on how we can best provide allyship. We have been fortunate to facilitate some incredibly powerful conversations around inclusivity – from both a race and 2SLGBTQIA+ lens – that has no doubt left an impact on our program.
We are working to foster an environment and culture within our program where we make evaluations based on the character of the person and not to simply judge a book by its cover. We understand that we cannot change the world but we can change our world within the York men's hockey family and we operate with the belief that if we do so, we have a chance to spread that outward.
Hockey, unfortunately, continues to be a disappointing space in many regards (evidenced by numerous players and organizations at the highest levels refusing to take part in Pride Night events in the most recent season). It breaks my heart to see a sport that has the power to unite people in such a strong way - think of how our Olympic teams in the past have galvanized our country - continue to have such a closed-minded approach on so many issues. We need to be more open, more inclusive, more forward thinking than that. Regardless if you want to play or coach or officiate or simply be a fan, we should be welcoming you with open arms; that is not the case right now and I emphatically hope that one day soon that narrative will be completely different.
