Taxonomy term

This September marks another year that the UK officially honours East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) Heritage Month – a time to celebrate the rich cultural histories, achievements and resilience of our communities.

For me, though, it is more than a celebration – it’s a mirror, reminding me of where I started and why I continue to fight for change.

My journey began in the shadows of homelessness as a young person, feeling invisible and excluded from the very spaces where I longed to be.

At the same time I was training as a competitive bodybuilder and athlete, but I never saw anyone like me: a Southeast Asian LGBTQ athlete. Someone who shared my identity.

That absence cut deep and left me questioning whether sport had a place for me at all.

But that void became my spark, igniting the fire that drives me today as an athlete, an advocate, a keynote speaker and a global ambassador.

The power of heritage and representation

ESEA Heritage Month in the UK began in 2013 as a grassroots initiative led by passionate community advocates determined to give our stories space in the national conversation.

Today, it has grown into a powerful celebration of pride, resilience and belonging, because while sport has the power to unite and uplift, it can just as easily reinforce barriers and stereotypes.

Representation for East and Southeast Asian athletes in the UK remains scarce and with invisibility comes potential for damaging assumptions about who belongs in sport.

That is why this month is not only about honouring our culture but also about opening doors for others to step through.

Driving change with the Asian Sports Foundation

This is also why organisations like the Asian Sports Foundation (ASF) are so vital.

ASF works to tackle health inequalities and underrepresentation in sport, breaking down cultural, social and structural barriers that can hold Asian communities back.

Their approach is rooted in authenticity, education and respect, because we are not one homogenous group.

Instead we all acknowledge the rich diversity and recognise that no one story is the same.
 

Through campaigning, supporting grassroots delivery and strategic influence, ASF empowers communities to live healthier, more active and more connected lives.

From improving wellbeing to shaping sports programmes, ASF proves that sport is more than competition – it’s a catalyst for equity, resilience and social change.

My journey to advocacy

In 2024, I was deeply honoured to become a Southeast Asian athlete ambassador for ASF.

For me, this role is not about titles but about the responsibility it brings with it.

It is also about creating pathways where none existed before, amplifying voices that deserve to be heard and showing young athletes that representation is not symbolic, but transformational.

My journey has taken me from homelessness and the lonely days of training as a young bodybuilder – feeling invisible and excluded – to becoming one of the most recognised global LGBTQ sports advocates in the world.

Today, I am proud to be the only Asian LGBTQ athlete in history to hold ten international sports ambassador roles.

I have also been honoured by over 30 international organisations, served as the first Asian athlete ambassador for Pride House at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Athlete Ally and Stonewall. 

My global advocacy has been recognised by the State of Georgia for my community service and the non-profit LGBTQ advocacy organisation GLAAD, and I have had the privilege of advising governments, Fortune 500 companies, sports federations and even the White House on inclusion and diversity. 

And yet, at the heart of all these milestones, remains that young athlete who once looked in the mirror and felt unseen.

It is for them – and for all who still feel excluded – that I continue this work.

A call to action

Being an ally to East and Southeast Asian athletes begins with recognition.

It means listening to their voices, challenging stereotypes, amplifying our stories and supporting organisations like ASF.

But above all it means showing up not just in September, but every single day.

This Heritage Month, I ask you to celebrate and share stories with us and to go beyond!

Make a commitment to change and stand with us not just in words but in action through listening to our shared stories, learning histories and championing athletes to bring them out beyond the sidelines.

Imagine a sporting world where every child, including every Asian boy and girl, can step onto the field, the track or the pitch and see themselves not as outsiders, but as leaders, champions and changemakers.

That world is possible if we build it together.

Sport is more than competition. It is what unites us and what can build belonging, joy and community.

This ESEA Heritage Month, let’s commit to making sport a place where every athlete belongs.
 

Sport has the power to transform lives.

It can offer a unique space where you can step onto the court, shut off from the noise of the world and bring your true self to the game without fear of judgment. 

As the great Billie Jean King – a true tennis legend – once said, "Don't let anyone define you. You define yourself."

Tennis has long been a pioneer in gender and LGBTQ+ inclusion, with trailblazing icons like King and Martina Navratilova paving the way for more LGBTQ+ athletes to participate authentically, and while challenges remain, I’m optimistic that there's a promising future on the horizon.

The LTA's commitment to inclusion

Pride month, celebrated in June, honours the LGBTQ+ community and commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969, a pivotal event in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

Nowadays, we use this opportunity to recognise the struggles and achievements of LGBTQ+ individuals, promote inclusion and advocate for equality.

Having worked in tennis for 12 years in various equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) roles, I've recently taken up the position of the LTA’s EDI strategy manager. 

My role involves leading tactical projects to improve our culture and to engage with underrepresented groups across tennis in Britain, with a key focus of my work in engaging with LGBTQ+ communities.

In 2021, the LTA launched its first Inclusion Strategy, placing inclusion at the core of its vision of ‘Tennis Opened Up’ and building a culture of everyday inclusion.

We wanted to be bold and ambitious, showing that tennis can be relevant, accessible, welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring for all.

Listening to and learning from underrepresented communities

Our journey began by listening to and learning from our underrepresented communities. 

This led me to meet Ian Pearson-Brown – a player, coach, volunteer, and tennis enthusiast from the North East.

Ian was particularly interested in setting up a new LGBTQ+ tennis network, inspired by a similar initiative he had launched with Newcastle United Football Club.

With many connections and friendships within the LGBTQ+ tennis community, Ian felt the time was right – and so did we.

We hosted the launch of his new network, aptly named Pride in Tennis, at the National Tennis Centre during LGBT+ History Month in 2022. 

Partners such as Pride Sports, Sports Media LGBT+, Sky Sports, and Sport England supported the launch, engaging in meaningful conversations with our tennis community. 

The event was a roaring success and served as a launch pad for great things to come.

Building visibility and awareness

In summer 2022, our team and Pride in Tennis discussed key objectives and outcomes we wanted to achieve together. 

While other Grand Slam nations like Australia and the USA explored the possibility of hosting ‘Pride Days’ at their events, we approached the idea cautiously, ensuring our narrative was strong and genuine.

Once we solidified our position and plans to avoid ‘rainbow washing’, we launched a new LGBTQ+ awareness initiative called ‘Friday Pride Days’. 

These days, featured during the grass court season, act as triggers for deeper conversations while the world watches British tennis.

During these events, we continuously highlight powerful stories from the LGBTQ+ community, showcasing their achievements and challenges in society and tennis.

Expanding our reach

We enlisted the support of Leap Sport Scotland during the Davis Cup (men’s world cup) and Billie Jean King Cup (women’s world cup) finals to develop new LGBTQ+ tennis opportunities in Glasgow and neighbouring cities.

This collaboration led to additional workforce opportunities where a project team co-designed a new training module for Tennis County Associations, venues and workforce – ‘Rally Allies’.

In 2023, we piloted this programme with 50 individuals representing different stakeholders in tennis who received Rally Allies training.

Since that pilot, Pride in Tennis has received further investment from the LTA Tennis Foundation to scale up the training, reaching more workforce and venues to provide inclusive and LGBTQ+ specific tennis opportunities.

One of the many benefits of participants attending the training has been that those trainees now have strong ties with Pride in Tennis and our LTA EDI team who receive regular support and advice, with some even serving on the LTA’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) group.

Looking ahead: 2024 and beyond

Fast forward to 2024, and Pride in Tennis has a presence at each grass-court event, promoting their work and highlighting the success of our collaboration. 

If you attend our events this June, especially on a Friday, we would love for you to show your support by splashing the stands with rainbow colours and demonstrating your allyship. 

Why not even swing by the LTA Tennis Foundation and say hello to the team!?

Our commitment to building year-round engagement for LGBTQ+ communities with the tennis world ensures that tennis can be truly open to everyone, regardless of anyone’s sexuality or gender identity.

We will be continuing to strive for a culture of inclusion, showing that tennis is a sport where everyone can belong. You can find me on LinkedIn if you want to connect.

Every year, across the globe, LGBTQ+ communities and allies unite in June to mark Pride.

Whilst the celebration was created to commemorate the Stonewall riots in the early hours of 28 June 1969, Pride now spans June to September with cities, towns and whole countries celebrating their queer communities across the summer. 

Reflecting on Martha P. Johnston, who is widely remembered as the person who started the Pride movement, her wise words come to mind – “the more self-esteem you have, the more power you have” – and the profound impact sports and physical activity have had on my self esteem.

As a plus-sized, disabled, bisexual, non-binary, clumsy person growing up, I hated PE.

Existing as a self-conscious teenager was exhausting. Even writing that list of descriptors was exhausting!

I didn’t see myself in any sports role models and I wanted to hide. This went on until I was 22 years old.

I’d been diagnosed with a variety of health issues and felt that physical activity wasn’t something I deserved without a healthy dose of self-deprecation.

I was also intensely jealous of my friends, especially my brother and best friend as both of them played rugby – my favourite sport.

And then, my local team posted in a Facebook group about an open session to come and try rugby.
 

Reader, I did it!

I picked up my bright pink running trainers, slapped a big fake smile on and went down to the local rugby pitch on a cold Thursday night.

It was the best night ever.

On that pitch I found myself surrounded by powerful women. A lot of them queer, no two bodies the same and other non-binary players.

I was assigned female at birth and don’t take any hormones, so “women's” sport made the most sense as a space for me, a space in which I was also welcomed.

The many benefits of physical activity 

Rugby and other physical activities since have been fantastic for my wellbeing, physical and mental.

Being surrounded by people who want to play brought me back a sense of joy and fun.

I had a social circle, time outside and space to get out of my head and learn how to connect with my body in a new way.

Sport saved me from a negative cycle of hurt and inactivity and it’s no surprise this happened.

Research has repeatedly shown the positive impacts of physical activity on our wellbeing, both physical and mental.

Specific research on group activity for LGBTQ+ people was conducted a few years ago by the University of Glasgow and published in the British Journal of Nursing and the conclusions were overwhelming.

Exercising with peers represents a healthier way to meet people and has a transformative impact on all aspects of LGBTQ+ people’s health.

With mental health issues so prevalent amongst the LGBTQ+ community (half of LGBTIQ+ people had experienced depression and three in five had experienced anxiety), we must create as many opportunities as possible for LGBTQ+ to engage in physical activity.

Whatever that looks like for you, the benefits are obvious for everybody.

For me, just being able to exist in my body without judgement and meet other queer people, without it being because of our queerness, has been life-changing. And I’m not just saying that.

So, this Pride month, I invite you to reflect on what you will say the next time someone comes to you and says, “I’m here, I’m queer. Can I play?”
 

Day one was about ensuring teams ‘design the right thing’ through the proper research and framing of the challenge.

Teams conducted desktop research and interviews with their target audience and users were placed at the front and centre of the design process.

Specialists from partner organisations Disability Rights UK, Mermaids, Activity Alliance, Street Games, Sport England colleagues and individuals with lived experience provided support, guidance and feedback to the teams (either online or in person).

Teams also took to the streets of London to speak to members of the public: from faith leaders at local mosques, to parents waiting for the school pick-up or at the park.

Day two was all about ensuring teams designed ‘the thing right’, generating ideas and creating prototypes to put the stakeholders to test, learn and adapt.

One team spoke to two PE teachers who were so impressed with the concept, they asked for it to be pitched to their headteacher!

Theories of change, user journeys and pitches were created ready to wow the judging panel.

The ideas

The jam culminated in presentations from all six teams hoping to hit the criteria the judges were looking for: beauty, brains, heart, magic, mastery and bravery; plus Sport England’s values of being innovative, collaborative, inclusive and ambitious.

A whole range of tools including Lego, Canva documents and even pipe cleaners were used to bring ideas to life, always with the user in mind.

Reflections

It is hard to capture the energy, creativity and power of design-thinking that I witnessed over the two days, but my biggest takeaways are:

• Collaboration is key. It was brilliant to see the dynamics of the teams, with students working alongside professionals and service design experts, as well as individuals new to the subject, and all bringing a diverse range of lived experiences. It was this variety of backgrounds, working collaboratively on a shared brief, that created truly innovative magic.
• The power of partnerships. The insights that teams gathered from our partners, in person and online, made a huge difference to really grounding the concepts to build upon.
• The importance of freedom. From live user research, ideation, testing prototypes and forming presentations, it was truly remarkable what the teams achieved in just two days to tackle such complex system challenges when seeing barriers to innovation disappear.

What’s next?

These are truly exciting times!

We will be sharing more information and some of the brilliant ideas and concepts that came from the jam over the next few months, so keep an eye on our channels.

Thank you to all our partners and those who joined our efforts during the jam.

If you want to keep learning about innovation, we’d love to hear from you.

Across the world, the summer months see lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans, and non-binary people (and a whole host of others across the attraction and gender spectrums) observe that multi-faceted and incredible thing we call ‘Pride’.

‘Pride’ means something different to each of us.

The meaning can vary based on when and where we grew up, who (and how) we love, or how we might understand our gender.

Despite these variables, there’s usually some agreement that it’s a time to unashamedly acknowledge and celebrate our LGBTQ+ selves, regardless of whether you consider Pride to be a party or a protest.

Yet, being an LGBTQ+ person is becoming increasingly difficult.

In 2014, the United Kingdom was considered the number one place to be an LGBTQ+ person in Europe, out of some 49 countries included on the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)’s annual Rainbow Map.

But in less than 10 years, the UK has plummeted to 17th place, as Malta now takes the top spot, closely followed by Denmark and Spain. 

But what has Pride got to do with sport? 

You are probably reading this because you have more than a passing interest in sport. You may even follow or play a sport (or two, or three) yourself.  

You might even describe yourself as a ‘sport-lover’ or a ‘superfan’ but even if your interest is purely professional, you’ll likely have heard the phrase ‘the power of sport’ before today.  

Globally, our sector loves to profess the amazing potential of the ‘power of sport’ to change and improve so many things in our lives.  

If you enter the phrase into an online search engine you’ll be told, relatively quickly, that sport has the power to change the world for the better.   

If that potential can be even partially realised, we share a collective responsibility to ensure that none of our LGBTQ+ siblings are left behind.
 

That’s why we value the work of purposefully inclusive sports national governing bodies (NGBs) like Baseball Softball UK and why campaigns like This Girl Can shine a spotlight on non-binary people’s inclusion.

It’s also the reason that we’ve recently been sharing other grassroots examples of LGBTQ+ sport groups showcasing support within the community in cycling, allyship in football and diversity in rugby. All of these pieces, plus this one today, demonstrate the importance of inclusivity.  

LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport 

These are great and very welcome successes, but being included in sport isn’t just about the amount of time your wheels spent on the road or the total number of minutes you spent holding a bat.  

It’s about being included in the knowledge and insights that inform the sector, being fairly and rightly included within the policies that shape the sports we love, and it’s about having a seat in the boardrooms that define how our sports councils, NGBs and clubs operate. 

But if that is our working definition of LGBTQ+ inclusion, there is considerable room for improvement.

Yet being counted (and being seen to be counted) is an important step and it’s why I’m pleased that this year, for the first time, our Active Lives data includes lesbian, gay and bisexual people in it’s headline report.  

And it’s also why I’m excited to be collaborating with Sport England colleagues on making trans/non-binary people’s experiences more visible in our insight moving forwards. 

LGBTQ+ inclusion involves taking deliberate steps

Yet, having data that’s inclusive of LGBTQ+ people can only be an effective tool for advocacy if you choose to use it as such.

No doubt you’ll be aware that this week the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket published a damning report into the experience of people from various minority backgrounds across all levels of the game.

The results are stark - among others, 68% of women, 87% of South Asian people, 75% of black people, 70% of disabled people and 73% of LGBTQ+ people reported experiences of discrimination in cricket in the last five years.

As a result, the commission has rightly made several recommendations on how the sport might seek to redress the ingrained racism, misogyny and elitism that is so clearly commonplace.

However, the numerous recommendations (p.275) make no explicit mention of the need for cricket to proactively address its problems relating to homophobia, biphobia or transphobia - nor the ingrained ableism that disabled people reported - despite nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ+ people experiencing discrimination.

In a report that is over 300 pages in length, the word ‘homophobia’ appeared only four times, compared to 206 mentions of racism.

Moving forward together and with pride

This isn’t a blog professing that discrimination against LGBTQ+ people trumps other forms of oppression - unlike a number of areas in sport, this isn’t a competition.

It’s a recognition that a sport sector that is only inclusive of some groups, isn’t inclusive at all.

Every day, LGBTQ+ people take risks by being visibly themselves in a society that would rather we didn’t exist.

When people stand up to be counted, we owe it to them to acknowledge and include them in whatever comes next.

By doing so, we might stand a chance of harnessing the power of sport in a way could benefits us all, without exception.

Hope you’ve had a happy Pride and here’s to next year's.
 

I belong to a pioneeing rugby club that exists to break down barriers to LGBT+ participation and create a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Established in 1999, Manchester Village Spartans RUFC has evolved into a thriving community that welcomes all adults, regardless of gender identity, sexuality, rugby ability or experience. 

Having been a Spartan for over a decade myself, I’ve personally experienced the profound impact the club has on the lives of young LGBT+ players, many of whom had never even touched a rugby ball in their lives before joining.

Our mission has always been to provide a space where everyone can participate and enjoy learning and playing rugby, whatever background they may come from - breaking down stereotypes and embracing the core values of rugby union in a safe space with zero tolerance for hate. 
 

Creating an environment where everyone can play the game they love, free from discrimination and prejudice, shouldn’t feel like rocket science. 

It impacts positively on lives well beyond the field, influencing the players and the broader community for the better. 

Sports clubs have the remarkable ability to create safe spaces where individuals can truly be themselves - and when it comes to LGBT+ individuals, this safe space is often particularly important.

It really shouldn’t be hard for a club to want to, or be able to, develop a supportive environment where players can express their true identities without fear of judgment or exclusion.

We provide a path to a healthier lifestyle for individuals who may not have considered team sports before.

Through comprehensive training sessions and regular competitive matches - including within our local rugby union league - we promote physical wellbeing and mental resilience.

Players become united by a shared love for the game and improving at a sport many may have felt they shouldn’t play ‘because they’re gay’. 

Inclusive rugby challenges stereotypes and breaks them down.

We challenge preconceived notions about who can participate and excel in the game and through our actions, we aim to inspire others and reshape perceptions.

By raising awareness, sharing our stories, and engaging with the wider public, we can challenge discrimination.