Wednesday, November 27, 2024

‘As a trans man, I didn’t know where to go or which team to play for’ – Ireland’s first LGBTQ+ basketball team is trying to make sports a safe space

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Shamrock Sióga was set up to create an inclusive environment where people of all gender identities and backgrounds can play ball

Shamrock Sióga, Ireland’s first LGBTQ+ basketball team training at Trinity College. Photo: Steve Humphreys

Alice (24) played basketball through all of secondary school. For most of her childhood in Co Kildare, she remembers the court being her safe space, but after she came out in her early 20s, she put her relationship with the game on pause.

“I came out as a trans woman in college in my 20s,” she says. “I wanted to play basketball again and I tried to join a team but the problem was that I didn’t want to play with the guys, but do I play with the girls’ team? Even if it’s a sport that you enjoy, when you hit 18 and leave school, you suddenly have to pick which team you’re on.”

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