By Jim Provenzano
Tough Enough: Women's Rugby Puts Sport First
For most players on women's Rugby Football Clubs (RFCs), being in or out as lesbians isn't a big deal. Women have played instrumental roles in the growth of rugby, even in gay men's clubs. The Portland Avalanche, Atlanta Bucks, San Diego Armada, and the Gotham Knights, for example, have all had female coaches within their ranks.
But women's clubs haven't been in the spotlight as much as men's. Part of this is due to the fame of Mark Bingham, founder of the San Francisco Fog RFC and former Cal Berkeley player, who died on Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. Bingham's death brought gay men in rugby to an international spotlight, and a rugby tournament was subsequently named after him.
The Bingham Cup is the biennial tournament of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB). Previous Cups were held in San Francisco in 2002 and in London in 2004. Hosted by the Gotham Knights RFC, this year's tournament will take place May 25-28 in New York City.
For the first time since its inception, women's RFCs have been invited to compete in their own part of the tournament. Among them is the Washington, D.C. Women's Furies RFC.
Candace Gingrich, a B-side starter, says she's happy that "the Furies will be part of something honoring Bingham's memory and his selfless act of courage. It is significant because Mark Bingham was and is inspirational to millions of Americans. But he is also an inspiration to gay athletes everywhere – especially gay male ruggers."
The half-sister of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and a political activist who has worked with the Human Rights Campaign for years, Gingrich has played rugby since 1987, when she started at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, she co-founded the Capital Area Women's Rugby Football Club in Harrisburg, Pa. The club lasted for almost four years. After moving to Washington, D.C., Gingrich joined the D.C. Furies, where she's played ever since.
The Furies participate in matches known as 7s and 15s (based on the players per team). Their annual spring tournament, the Capitol Women's Ruggerfest, welcomes between 22 and 28 teams annually. Rugby rules for women are the same as for men – and so are most injuries to knees, ankles, fingers, and shoulders. However, Gingrich says, "Rugby is no more dangerous than other sports – in fact, many of the laws of rugby are designed to make the sport safer for those who play."
In addition to considering physical safety issues, players must weigh their own comfort at being out. While no gay-identified men's teams prohibit straight players, they have built a community where out gay male athletes can compete in a friendly environment. Yet no women's rugby club is specifically lesbian-identified.
"The vast majority of women's rugby teams are lesbian-friendly," says Gingrich. "But that aspect of a women's team is somewhat less important, I believe, than it is on a men's team. While people know that lesbians play sports, there is a misperception that gay men don't play team sports, so forming teams that emphasize their welcomeness is more important."
Tiffany Brakefield has played rugby at Smith College, in Boston, and in Amsterdam. Finding the right team after moving to Chicago last year was important. Brakefield was told by other players that the Chicago Women's RFC, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, was more open and welcoming of lesbian players. She's played scrumhalf position since then.
"I've played on very open teams before, and was not about to choose a team where I didn't feel comfortable discussing my personal life," says Brakefield. "Our team tries to recruit talented players, whatever their sexual orientation might be." Her club holds fundraising and social events at bars in Boystown (the gay area of Chicago).
Ruggers often travel to other tournaments, like the Champaign Classic in San Diego, to be held March 11-12. This summer, Brakefield's team will merge with Chicago's North Shore team to compete in rugby tournaments at Chicago's Gay Games VII, to be held July 15-22. Individual players of all skill levels can use the event's "team finder" matching system to participate.
Brakefield will also compete in soccer and sprint triathlon events. She hopes the publicity of the Gay Games "will allow potential rugby players to see what we're all about, especially college players who are either from the Midwest or are relocating to this area after college."
Will such competition pave the way for more openness in women's rugby? "We've grown up in a society that still has strong misconceptions and stereotypes about lesbians and sports," says Gingrich. "Conversely, I actually have found women's rugby to be a welcome environment for women of all orientations. The bottom line is, do you love rugby?"
"I think I understand the rationale behind gay men's teams, but in the end, it really shouldn't be about that," says Chicago Women's RFC's Cynthia Galvan. "It's not about being gay, it's about playing rugby."
Galvan knew of two other lesbian rugby players when she was at Princeton University. She says a few more women have come out at her alma mater since she graduated five years ago. A medical student at University of Chicago, Galvan will continue playing rugby next year as she begins her residency in emergency medicine.
For Brakefield, playing rugby includes a certain presumption, which for her isn't a problem. "Rugby girls have the reputation of being either crazy party types or big lesbians – or both." Of her college teams, she says, "Gay women would sometimes join the team because they knew it was a very open team. By joining, you were sort of making a statement."
Along with the tough play comes a closeness that transcends sexual orientation. "You've got to be mentally and physically tough," says Brakefield. "It's a really intense game, and you really lay yourself on the line for each other on the pitch – literally. You go to battle with the other team, and it can be really emotional at times, and intense in every sense of the word."
