Rainbow Laces Summit and more
canada goose clearance “Unless relationships like ours are talked about openly, we’ll never get over it being taboo for some people.” Kate Richardson Walsh is alongside her wife Helen, sitting comfortably, chatting about two subjects sexuality and gender that she knows some still find uncomfortable. canada goose clearance
Outdated social customs tend to get burned up by trailblazers like the Olympic gold medal winning Richardson Walshs. Though they acknowledge a taboo persists, particularly in sport, their status as same sex partners has made conversations about lesbian and gay athletes largely unavoidable when Kate and Helen are interviewed together. They were wed four years ago and feel anyone who finds that remotely eyebrow raising had better catch up quick “we’re conscious of balance, but really it’s just normal”, says Kate.
buy canada goose jacket cheap Great Britain’s hockey heroines from Rio 2016 are discussing LGBT inclusion in sport as matter of fact and certain on the topic as their marriage certificate ahead of appearances at the Rainbow Laces Summit in Manchester. Few events promote participation better than the Olympic Games, and the knock on effect of the Richardson Walshs’ status as ‘golden girls’ was a strong message to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people that they can play and are welcome. Along with other sportspeople, industry leaders and activists, Kate and Helen will debate how far that message has travelled when the Summit takes place at Old Trafford on May 15. buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose coats on sale Helen and Kate celebrate their Rio victory last August with team mates Georgie Twigg, Susannah Townsend and Sam Quek canada goose coats on sale
Canada Goose Outlet Their love story was a plot thread in arguably the most dramatic of all Britain’s 27 tales cheap canada goose uk of triumph in Brazil last summer; as individuals, they helped write the whole script. Helen contributed four goals from midfield leading up to the final against the Netherlands, while her assured penalty shot gave Team GB advantage over the Dutch in a nerve shredding shootout after a 3 3 draw. Captain Kate was part of a defence that conceded just five goals in seven straight victories in the group and knockout stages, and her leadership helped her team mates focus when it mattered most. Goalkeeper Maddie Hinch kept a clean sheet in the shootout, and fellow defender Hollie Webb netted the title clinching penalty, but this was very much an ensemble piece. Canada Goose Outlet
canada goose For the Richardson Walshs, the gruelling hard work that had gone into getting to Rio made for the sweetest success. Just two years earlier, Helen had missed out on World Cup selection despite battling back from two rounds of back surgery. Her perseverance was contagious Kate had seriously considered hanging up her hockey stick in 2014, but forged on to one last Olympics. In their mid 30s, they are now enjoying the twilight of their playing days at HC Bloemendaal in hockey mad Haarlem, west Amsterdam, their achievements an example to the next generation of what talent and dedication can deliver. canada goose
The Richardson Walshs were visited by Sky’s Sportswomen programme in September to find out more about their hockey club in Holland
Both also want to address that aforementioned “balance” on talking about being LGBT in sport, mindful of the need to encourage participation canada goose uk shop and inclusion. Research conducted by the National LGB Partnership with support from Public Health England shows 52 per cent of those identifying as LGBT do not meet government recommendations for physical activity, while 63 per cent of those surveyed by ICM for Stonewall in September said more needs to be done to make LGBT people feel accepted in sport. At the Summit at Old Trafford, those old taboos will be on the table and tackled, and any elephant in the room confronted head on.
canada goose store Olympians getting married would have always piqued the interest of a Canada Goose Online sports mad UK public, but Kate and Helen’s union was unquestionably headline news. “Our relationship and being open had such an impact, not only on the LGBT community but also the media,” acknowledges Helen to Sky Sports, who are part of the TeamPride coalition of organisations supporting Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign. “It’s something that hadn’t been a topic of conversation before; there hadn’t been anything to speak about. canada goose clearance So bringing it to the fore is great the more it can be spoken about in just the usual way, like how you’d talk about the Kennys, for example the better.” Cycling’s Jason and Laura claimed five gold medals between them in Rio, and celebrated their wedding day the following month. canada goose store
canada goose deals At the Summit, the Richardson Walshs will be part of a panel Canada Goose http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org sale discussion on ‘The Importance of Allies’, sharing their experiences in GB women’s hockey and the environment that fostered a team of winners. “Sexuality came under the huge bracket of diversity and difference in our squad,” says Kate. “It was more about accepting and understanding everybody for who they are, whether that’s to do with their sexuality, background, ethnicity, or beliefs. To be aware of each Canada Goose Coats On Sale other in that close knit environment is so important when you play and train together as a team.” canada goose deals
This is why the Summit is really good there will be lots of CEOs joining us, those people that actually run the sports and can make a difference. Helen on Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Summit event
When sloppy language or slurs combine with secrets, the atmosphere is divisive. “Throwaway, banter type, locker room comments have an immediate, strong and lasting effect on people hiding parts of themselves and parts of their lives,” explains Kate. “I think it Canada Goose Jackets goes across lots of topics, but particularly LGBT stuff. Mental health is becoming more talked about, but I feel this is going to be the last taboo.
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buy canada goose canada goose outlet jacket It wasn’t always thus in hockey. In the inquest uk canada goose that followed the British women’s cheap Canada Goose disappointing first round exit at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, concerns were publicly raised over the sexuality canadian goose jacket of key personnel. “We were in that team, we were around those conversations,” recalls Kate. “But my first hockey club, Didsbury Greys, had all sorts of women playing in it of different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexualities. I was immersed in that world from a young age, so for me it was absolutely normal whether somebody had a relationship with a man, or a woman, or a man one time and then a woman the next. It was not even an issue for me. buy canada goose jacket
Kate in action for Great Britain during the FIH Women’s Champions Trophy clash against Argentina last June
“So I found those kind of comments really confusing, and a bit old school even then. Those views were still held in society as well at that time, but society has come on a huge way, and in hockey too obviously.”
Helen is proud that her sport now sets an example. “Our experience back then shows the importance of Canada Goose online those people in charge of the sport, and the coaches,” she says. “This is why the Summit is really good there will be lots of CEOs joining us, those people that actually run the sports and can make a difference. If they don’t jump on board with this, it won’t change.”
canada goose coats Helen nets from the penalty spot during Great Britain’s 3 0 semi final win over New Zealand at Rio 2016 canada goose coats
canadian goose jacket Then and now, the team environment in women’s hockey provided the sanctuary on such matters. Helen notes strong personalities who command respect have always set the tone. “We’ve been playing for 17 years and when we first Canada Goose Parka got into the team, we were just whipper snappers and didn’t have much of a say,” she adds. “But there were people in there who held the dressing room. Towards the end of our career, we were those people the experienced ones.” The abiding message was that every player should be able to be themselves without judgement. Other sports can learn from that, she says, particularly when it comes to sexuality. “You’ve always got a handful of players in the team whether they’re wearing the armband or not who control the dressing room. The power that they have is just incredible. If those people were to do something and change the script, support these campaigns, that would have a massive effect. That’s how they can change it and it would change in a second.” canadian goose jacket
Canada Goose sale That applies to every team, in every sport, at every level, insists Kate. Insensitive locker room banter is part of the problem. “If one of those natural leaders in a squad hears someone say ‘that’s so gay, you’re so gay’. if someone immediately stamps on that and says ‘it’s not okay for you to say that’ and shuts it down, then that’s a really strong message. It can seem like such a small thing, but really it’s understanding how those small behaviours every day add up to a big meaning and a purpose.” Canada Goose sale
canada goose clearance sale Watch Wales hockey player Beth Fisher and others share their experiences as LGBT sportspeople in Wales. Short film courtesy of LGB Sport Cymru canada goose clearance sale
As a campaign, Rainbow canada goose store Laces continues to expand last November’s weekend of action brought significantly increased visibility. Sporting LGBT role models like the Richardson Walshs remain rare, however, and for anyone struggling with their sexuality in a heteronormative world, standing on the sidelines can seem safer than joining in. “For me, it’s about showing an array of LGBT role models,” says Kate. “So for every LGBT person out there, they can look to someone and say ‘I can relate to that person because of x, y and z they’ve chased their dreams and I won’t be held back because I’m LGBT’. We need to break down stereotypes, and show everybody.” She knows her own sport is not exempt from that situation either. “When we talk about hockey, we’re only talking about women’s hockey, not men’s. There is no openly gay male hockey player in the national squad and I don’t think there ever has been. I think that’s because they’ve not canada goose uk black friday had anybody there willing to talk about they’ve not had to face it, think about canada goose factory sale it and understand it.”
Canada Goose Jackets As the UK’s most popular sport, football often finds itself open to similar criticism, some of which Kate believes is warranted. “Some people say ‘we don’t need a footballer to come out’ but unless we are talking about it and someone is brave enough to be themselves and be open, people will ignore it.” Both her and Helen are fans, of Manchester United and Tottenham respectively. “I’m a patron of the Proud Lilywhites canada goose uk outlet (Spurs’ LGBT supporters group),” says Helen; it’s a role which her wife envies, as United are yet to establish an equivalent of their own. “Some of the things you hear shouted by fans on the terraces is awful. As a gay person, if I was in that environment playing, I think it would be incredibly difficult to come out.” They are interested to hear from football leaders at the Summit about how they are taking action. “It’s the biggest spectacle in the world, particularly the Premier League, and also massive business,” says Kate. “It’s a great way of combining massive corporations with huge sporting teams and organisations, plus athletes and players too. If we can get all those people talking and representing the LGBT community in a positive way, we’ll be making great strides forward. And if you’ve got the opportunity to have a say, you should be taking it.” Canada Goose Jackets
People don’t talk about it, and then you end up just not doing anything which is just the worst thing. Kate on the need for education on homophobia
One benefit and potentially on a global scale of football’s increased involvement will be education to combat homophobia, and only with the help of allies (people that aren’t LGBT supporting those who are) can that education reach those in need of it. With their hero status, players are in the perfect position to make a difference as allies and stand up to homophobic abuse, particularly on social media. So why don’t they? “It’s really difficult for footballers these days they’re so high profile and any little wrong thing that they might say can just get blown up,” concedes Helen. “It would be amazing if they were to do that but I understand why they don’t. If there was a wider network that could support them within that, then that could really help. Education is key for everyone.” Kate would also like to see more guidance for players. “I would imagine they’re unsure of what to say. It’s a bit the same in disability hockey, where we got involved you’re really anxious at first, you don’t know the terminology, you don’t want to say the wrong thing, you’re not sure how to address somebody. People don’t talk about it, and then you end up just not doing anything which is just the canada goose coats worst thing. Understanding what’s best to say, how best to address it give the players the tools to do that.”
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Canada Goose Parka Dear anonymous hate mailer. Thanks for your letter full of hatred judgement. If indeed I am sent to hell, I see you there loveislove Canada Goose Parka
cheap Canada Goose “Compared to a footballer, it’s minuscule amounts. But it has come as a shock,” she admitted. “Everything we’d had had been positive, particularly in the hockey community. This stepped outside of that and went into a wider public viewing point so you attract different perspectives. It’s important to say it’s Canada Goose Outlet not okay, because some people will be getting it every day young people at school being called things to their faces. that’s a lot worse than receiving a few letters in the mail, or tweets from a dodgy account. Social media channels can do more to protect people. Initially, when I made a few complaints, Twitter took down accounts. Now I’ve sent four or five reports on various accounts and they’ve come back and said they can’t find anything wrong with the tweets. Now bearing in mind they’re accusing me of paedophilia, grooming and all kinds of horrendous things, that they don’t feel that’s abusive is, I think, outrageous. Social media channels can do a lot more than they’re currently doing.” Hundreds of fans and followers tweeted Kate to show support cheap Canada Goose.
