Unmatched Athlete provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth to try sports

Olanrele Oni watched from afar as the Black Trans Lives Matter movement swept the nation in 2020. He spoke to his husband, Justin Fair, about wanting to do something, anything, to counter the lack of empathy in the world.

Sports seemed like the proper solution.

“To me, sports is one of those things that can change culture. I truly believe that,” Oni said.

Oni and Fair’s private conversation sparked the creation of Unmatched Athlete, an organization that encourages LGBTQ+ youth and allies to get involved in sports. They remembered their experiences as kids playing soccer, feeling excluded or unable to be their true selves on the field. They didn’t want other kids to feel like they had to play a part to play sports.

“In sports, you don’t really see a lot of representation for people in the LGBTQ+ community,” Oni said. “I wanted to build that space where kids can feel like they belong.”

Through partnerships with local gyms and corporate sponsors such as Under Armour, Unmatched Athlete has blossomed since its launch two years ago into a safe space for youth in the Baltimore area who identify as LGBTQ+.

The organization holds multiple events throughout each season, featuring sports such as climbing, flag football, ultimate Frisbee, basketball and soccer. There are no organized leagues but pickup games in each sport (children from ages 5-18 can participate).

The events take place in and around Baltimore, including a free ride-share program to make events more accessible. During Pride Month, on June 17, Unmatched Athlete hosted a fundraiser in conjunction with Union Collective Pride at Movement Hampden, a local rock climbing gym.

Oni, Fair and the rest of the organization spent months preparing for the event. Marketing coordinator Patrick Schwab said they went to local high school field days and promoted it heavily on social media to spread the word. Shantelle Fuller, an ally, said her daughters heard about it through Baltimore Design School and were excited about the chance it provided them to travel out of their neighborhood.

“I love the fact that they chose athletics to be able to give children the chance to communicate, especially coming from a space now where kids are more hands on with their electronics,” Fuller said.

Heather Riley discovered Unmatched Athlete through her wife two years ago. Riley said the Unmatched Athlete events provide an inclusive space for her family to be exposed to sports together. Riley is a big sports fan, but her 13-year-old son, Kaden, is more interested in art and drumming.

“[Unmatched Athlete] introduced us to Movement, and Kaden loves it there. It’s the one sport he does consistently,” Riley said.

Kaden was a little worried about bouldering, which doesn’t include a harness, and needing to learn from the Movement coaches how to properly fall or jump down from the structures. But, with help, he found the experience amazing.

“It was about unapologetically being yourself while also being active in sports,” Kaden said. “It felt like a refreshing and nice change to see. Usually the LGBTQ+ community isn’t associated with sports. I thought that was pretty cool.”

Kaden and the rest of the children climbed from noon to 5 p.m. at the Union Pride Collective fundraiser in June before a drag show that ended the evening. Oni said it was even more powerful to see allies like Fuller’s family show up to the event. A number of local businesses contributed to raffles, which helped raise over $1,300.

“The ally support is definitely there and definitely strong. We want to see that grow,” Schwab said. “We want to broaden our marketing to not just target the LGBTQ+ community but allies as well.”

Last year, in the first rendition of the Union Pride Collective fundraiser, 40 to 60 people showed up. This year, Oni said, more than 140 people came through Movement Hampden’s doors.

When Oni and Fair began forming Unmatched Athlete, those numbers seemed unattainable. They weren’t even sure if there was a need for an organization like theirs.

Oni and Fair put surveys on Facebook and held focus groups to see what people thought about their once-private idea, specifically reaching out to parents to see if this was something they wanted. One parent brought up how their kid was interested in sports but didn’t know where they fit in because they were nonbinary. The need was there.

“We were shocked by the amount of positive and overwhelming support we received from people,” Oni said. “That really gave us that extra push to move forward.”

Unmatched Athlete launched June 12, 2021, with around 40 people from Baltimore and surrounding counties at their first event. Soon after, the Baltimore Ravens Foundation awarded a Play 60 Grant to the organization. Fair said the Ravens’ support was a huge boost because an invitation to training camp incentivized more families to join their cause.

For a lot of the LGBTQ+ youth, Oni realized Unmatched Athlete’s events were the first queer space they’d ever been in. Oni said parents were crying when they saw the joy from their kids interacting with others they related to.

“When you feel ostracized in general or you relate to your body differently than the people around you, especially in gendered spaces, that stops you from doing anything,” Fair said. “Our space allows them to meet other kids they relate to.”

The necessity for these spaces is even more prevalent today, Oni said. When Oni started Unmatched Athlete, there were marches and social media callouts meant to bring attention to the unprecedented number of violent attacks on transgender and gender-nonconforming people.

Now, the fight is happening in statehouses and courtrooms as over 650 anti-LGBTQ bills have been proposed so far this year, according to the Movement Advancement Project. That has only made Fair’s push for increased empathy all the more urgent.

“Kids don’t really have any responsibility. They just want to have fun. And you’re literally saying to a trans kid that they can’t play sports,” Oni said. “Sports is one of those arenas where it has a lot of social benefits and, when you’re depriving a younger kid of that opportunity, it’s going to affect them at some point.”

The conclusion of the Union Pride Collective fundraiser marked the end of a successful Pride Month for the organization. But Oni emphasized that Unmatched Athlete’s impact is year-round and that the support shouldn’t end after June. The next event includes pickup football and volleyball July 22 at the Weinberg Y in Waverly.

“Pride shouldn’t be celebrated in one month; it should be celebrated in every month. It’s one thing to say it; it’s another thing to actually do it,” Oni said. “We will continue to have fundraisers with organizations who see our vision of trying to change sports, which I believe we will do.

“We expect to be here for a very long time.”

anish.vasudevan@thebaltimorebanner.com