A lot of queer people don’t get the chance to play sports in their childhood because of issues like bullying, stigma, or strict gender roles and grow up thinking they can’t play sports,” points out Sunil Kumar, one of the organisers at Game Point. Born from this experience of being othered in sports, this group of queer Bengalureans and allies get together each weekend to play badminton together in a safe and inclusive environment, redefining their relationship with sports. Queer Badminton League, set to take place on July 5 and 6 at Game Theory, Indiranagar, is a crowning moment for a year of their efforts. As Kumar explains, “Some of us could have been sportspeople, but that reality will never be realised. We started the league to give people that experience of professional sports.”
Eight seven-member teams are set to compete across singles, doubles, and trump matches, in the league which is in its third edition. While professional leagues are cut-throat and priortise the best players, Kumar notes that this community league’s priority is to give every player a chance. “It’s not just the best players who get to play, and are winning every time – the idea is to form a team of seven or eight people from our pool with a mix of amateurs and really good players.”
This community spirit also comes through in the group’s open door policy for both members of the queer community and allies. “We call ourselves a queer badminton group but at the meeting itself, nobody is asked about their sexuality, because it can be a very fluid thing. People can have difficulty in explaining where they belong and labels can be quite confusing. Our motto is that everybody is allowed to participate – be it as volunteers, the audience, or sponsors,” asserts Kumar.
While it started out as a local event with players from different areas in Bengaluru, the league has grown to include players from different states, some travelling to take part. “We started locally with just people from Whitefield and Indiranagar playing together. But this year, we have people coming from seven cities – smaller cities around Karnataka, Chennai, Vijayawada, Pune, Mumbai, and one person from Indore,” notes Kumar.
With each team sponsored by a different queer-owned business or businesses who are allies to the community, and part of the proceeds going to two causes supporting individuals with HIV and the deaf community, the league aims to both build relationships within the community and also give back to it. Reflecting on the impact this space has had, Kumar says, “People who had just started
playing in the first or second season, have been regular in practising throughout the year. I know a lot of people who have been living in the city for years but have no friends. But once they start playing, they form teams, and affirm casual connections as well as close relationships. It’s an important aspect of community building.”