OutSport Toronto | Serving and Supporting LGBT Sport in the Greater Toronto Area

PRESS RELEASE - OutSport Toronto Supports Out New Zealand Olympian Blake Skjellerup In His Quest For Equality

Posted Tue, 16 Jul 2013, 8:00am

For Immediate Release

Toronto - OUTSPORT TORONTO is proud to support out New Zealand Olympian Blake Skjellerup as he risks arrest and deportation at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games in Russia, for wearing a rainbow pin and for being an out, proud gay man. Read more...

OutSport Toronto Attends Nike #BETRUE LGBT Sport Summit

Posted Sun, 14 Jul 2013, 3:00pm

OUTSPORT TORONTO was honoured to be invited to attend the second Nike LGBT Sport Summit in Portland Oregon in June of 2013. Asked to participate because of its recognised accomplishments as a city-based organisation, OUTSPORT TORONTO sent its Chair, Shawn Sheridan, to attend the summit.

"We were delighted to be invited," said Sheridan. "This was an excellent opportunity to connect with the broader LGBT sport and rec community in North America, showcase a bit of what OUTSPORT TORONTO and our member organisations have accomplished in Toronto that makes LGBT sport and rec here so vibrant, and help to contribute the the greater cause of all those gathered, which is to end anti-LGBT bias in sports by 2016. OUTSPORT TORONTO made some great new connections, and renewed some good friendships." Sheridan was one of roughly a hundred participants at the summit. Read more...

Third Annual General Meeting of Members a Success

Posted Sat, 13 Jul 2013, 1:03pm

OUTSPORT TORONTO held its third Annual General Meeting of Members on Thursday, 6 June 2013, at which it recapped the 2012 year, provided some guidance on 2013 and beyond, presented financial statements for 2012 from the 2012 Annual Report, made four amendments to the organisation's bylaws, and elected its board for the coming year. Read more...

OutSport Toronto Welcomes NOTSO Amazon Softball and Toronto Rainbowlers

Posted Mon, 27 May 2013, 5:02pm

NOTSO Amazon Logo OUTSPORT TORONTO is delighted to welcome the NOTSO Amazon Softball League (women's softball) and the Toronto Rainbowlers (lawn bowling) as new members. Both organisations were approved for membership at OUTSPORT TORONTO's 21 May 2013 board meeting.

Toronto Rainbowlers "We're thrilled to have both NOTSO and the Rainbowlers join OUTSPORT TORONTO," said James Scott, Director of Membership and Member Services. "NOTSO has been around for almost 20 years, creating safe and welcoming spaces for women and trans people to play softball. And it's fantastic that we can add lawn bowling through the Rainbowlers to the list of activities we can promote to encourage health and well-being."

"I'm looking forward to getting to know and working with both of our new member organisations, and helping to further connect them to our LGBT sport and recreation family," commented OUTSPORT TORONTO's Chair Shawn Sheridan. Read more...

PRESS RELEASE - Jason Collins

Posted Tue, 30 Apr 2013, 9:35pm

Jason Collins with the Atlanta Hawks in May 201229 April 2013 – For Immediate Distribution

OUTSPORT TORONTO proudly congratulates NBA centre Jason Collins on the leadership he has shown by coming out and becoming publicly recognised as the first openly gay male athlete playing in a major North American team sport.

All athletes, regardless of their sexual orientation, seek to play their game with authenticity and honesty, and all athletes deserve that chance. Coming out and being honest as Jason Collins has, and as Brittney Griner, the Women’s NBA #1 draft pick did on April 17, makes a difference towards the quality of game we see played, and all sports fans can support a choice to improve the game!

OUTSPORT TORONTO continues to applaud the athletes and allies who lead the charge to make sport an accepting and open environment, and to support LGBT athletes who are proving that no matter your sexual orientation, it’s the quality of your skills and teamwork that define your limits, not your sexuality. Read more...

Nominations Open for the OutSport Toronto Board of Directors for Election at the 6 June 2013 AGM

Posted Thu, 18 Apr 2013, 10:35pm

OUTSPORT TORONTO seeks applications from individuals interested in assisting its Board of Directors to achieve its Vision. Positions are available as of June 6, 2013. Please see below for a list of the various positions on the Board of Directors.

Who is Eligible?

A person is eligible to be a director of OUTSPORT TORONTO if Read more...

OutSport Toronto Featured in GayStarNews

Posted Tue, 16 Apr 2013, 5:34pm

In March of 2013, OUTSPORT TORONTO was featured in GayStarNews. The first part of the article is below:

OutSport Toronto: Helping LGBT sports come together

GSN meets one of Canada’s leading LGBT sports organizations
07 March 2013 | By Gareth Johnson

The growth in LGBT sports groups has been a major revolution in the gay scene in many parts of the world over the last decade or so.

But holding all these groups together and making sure they are supported takes a lot of work. One group, OutSport in Toronto, has taken on this task in their area. Read more...

OutSport Toronto Welcomes Darlene Homonko, Ken Meiklejohn Steps Down as Vice Chair

Posted Sun, 24 Mar 2013, 11:47pm

Darlene HomonkoOUTSPORT TORONTO is pleased to announce the appointment of Darlene Homonko as a director, and as its new Vice Chair, replacing Ken Meiklejohn in the role, who stepped down as Vice Chair earlier in March 2013. Darlene will also assume the leadership of OUTSPORT TORONTO's Partnerships and Advocacy Committee, with which she has been working for the past few months.

"Ken was an amazing asset to OUTSPORT TORONTO as our Vice Chair over the past two years. He was tireless in his work to advance the mission, vision, and values of OUTSPORT TORONTO, to building incredibly valuable partnerships and relationships, and in serving our member organisations. He is taking on some new and very interesting projects in his own life, and while I will miss his thoughtful and insightful presence as my Vice Chair, I am delighted that he will nonetheless stay on working with us as a key member of the Partnerships and Advocacy Committee," said OUTSPORT TORONTO's Chair Shawn Sheridan. "We're also thrilled to have such a powerhouse as Darlene join our team! She is a highly accomplished and talented individual, both in sport and in her career, and will add substantial value to OUTSPORT TORONTO and to our member organisations!" Read more...

Marlies Coach Dallas Eakins Overwhelmed with Admiration for Toronto Gay Hockey Association

Posted Thu, 28 Feb 2013, 12:59am

Marlies coach Dallas Eakins dressing-room chat with Toronto Gay Hockey AssociationOUTSPORT TORONTO member organisation the Toronto Gay Hockey Association (TGHA) has done fantastic work over the last couple of years building a relationship with the Toronto Marlies, and bringing visibility to LGBT sport and recreation beyond the LGBT community. See the excellent article found at http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2013/02/28/marlies_coach_dallas_eak... published in the Toronto Star 28 February 2013, and watch the full video of Eakins dressing-room talk with the TGHA.

"The Marlies have been great, and we're pleased to see them take very positive steps," noted TGHA nominee and OUTSPORT TORONTO director James Scott. Read more...

OutSport Toronto Wishes David Langan Well, Seeks New Director of Communications & PR

Posted Fri, 25 Jan 2013, 6:35pm

David LanganOUTSPORT TORONTO is sad to announce the resignation of David Langan as a board director, vacating the portfolio of Communications and Public Relations. Langan will be devoting his time to Out and Out as its president again this year.

"We're certainly sad to see David go," said OUTSPORT TORONTO Chair Shawn Sheridan. "David has been an amazing asset and tremendous supporter of OUTSPORT TORONTO, and we're grateful for his efforts to move us forward over this past couple of years. But I know he's keen to focus his full energy on Out and Out, and we're delighted that our largest member organisation is in such good hands."

With Langan's departure from the board, OUTSPORT TORONTO is looking to fill that vacant director's position with an individual who will enhance the communications and PR work that has been started. "This is a key role within our working board," said Sheridan. "We and our member organisations have a lot of great stories that we want to get out there, and we want to make sure that our member organisations and other stakeholders know about the great things that are happening in LGBT sport and recreation in Toronto."

More information on the role can be found by clicking here. If you are interested in applying for the volunteer board position of Director, Communications and Public Relations, please contact Shawn Sheridan, Chair of OUTSPORT TORONTO, at shawn.sheridan@OutSportToronto.org . Read more...

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