Birmingham Unicorns is only the world’s second openly LGBTQ+ cricket club, which was formed during lockdown by cricket-lover Lachlan Smith, who wanted to create a space for the LGBTQ+ community to connect again after the pandemic. Now, the competitive team has over 30 registered players.
In June 2021, the team made history in a seminal match at Weoley Hill Cricket Club, against Grace CC, in what is thought to be the first time that two openly LGBTQ+ cricket teams anywhere in the world have played against one another. Sadly, they lost the match, however Lachlan considered it a huge success, and an important stepping stone for the sport, hoping that further inclusive clubs will be created across the world, and even talking of a ‘gay ashes’ at some point in the future.
“I don’t think cricket is explicitly homophobic or transphobic,” Lachlan explained, “You do sometimes hear things but I don’t think cricket has an image problem the same way other sports like football have around LGBTQ+ inclusion.
“But I think cricket has struggled in the past to be particularly welcoming and teams have been slow to understand that there are people from the community who want to play but don’t feel like they are welcome.
“People can be a bit ignorant and not think about the environment they’re creating. We wanted to create an environment where everyone in the LGBTQ+ community felt safe and welcome playing cricket.”
“One day I hope there are a few more openly LGBTQ+ cricketers in the men’s game. In some of the countries which play cricket, homosexuality is still criminalised – so we know there is work to be done. I think we’re still a bit away from that, but I’m confident we’re heading in the right direction.”
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