Boston Uncommon vol. 1 / no. 2
Trans-inclusionary competitive sports and Coleslaw
Boston Uncommon is a weekly newsletter covering Boston-based drag, burlesque, cabaret, sex work, and general queer nightlife. By engaging authentically and openly with the community of people who work and play within Boston’s in-person and digital queer spaces, we hope to report on the issues and events that affect them and their lives.
In this week’s edition of Boston Uncommon we:
Cover a BIG STORY: Elite athletes have formed a policy group to address the growing questions around trans inclusionary competitive sports.
Make sure to STAY ON TOP OF THIS: Coleslaw is combining drag and science with Coleslaw’s Corner: Science in Drag through the Museum of Science.
Check in with our STREAM QUEENS: Boston drag performers are using Zoom and their Twitch channels to live stream while venues remain closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
And stop to think— WHAT’S MISSING?: COVID restrictions continue to impact independent venues.
BIG STORY: Elite athletes form policy group to answer ongoing questions around trans inclusionary competitive sports.
The Women’s Sports Policy Working Group was formed to address the growing question of how young transgender girls can safely and fairly participate in sports.
“We reject both the effort to exclude trans women from women’s sport and the effort to disadvantage females by forcing them to compete against athletes with male sex-linked physical advantages…The issue is not whether trans women should be included in women’s sport…it is whether female athletes can continue to be protected and trans girls accommodated within women’s sports consistent with their gender identity” the group’s mission statement reads.
The group, made up of six athletes including two-time Olympic gold medalist Donna De Varona and three-time gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Maka, sees itself as ‘the middle’ in finding ways to make women’s competitive sports more protective and inclusive of trans athletes.
However, many, as outlined by The 19th News, have pointed out how the groups’ proposed solution, created without any input by transgender athletes, is exclusionary towards trans and gender non-conforming people. In their 2019 article, the Health and Human Rights Journal breaks down some of the group’s claims regarding the benefits of gendered competitive sports and the rights of trans people to compete.
STAY ON TOP OF THIS: Coleslaw fuses drag, science, and technology with her digital show with the Museum of Science
Boston drag queen Coleslaw has launched a new digital series, Coleslaw’s Corner: Science in Drag. Each episode, Coleslaw sits down with an expert, scientist, or researcher to learn about science and technology through drag, games, surprise segments, conversation, and Q&A.
This week, Coleslaw will be exploring attraction, pheromones, and aphrodisiacs through a panel, Q&A, and games, according to the Museum of Science. For Valentine’s Day, Coleslaw will be joined by author of The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook Martha Hopkins who will be discussing the true myths and powers of the aphrodisiac.
Registration for the free program is online and the show will stream at 7:30 p.m. EST on Feb. 11. Donations are encouraged.
STREAM QUEENS: Boston queens take to Twitch streams
Weekly, I will be spotlighting queer creators who have continued to stream on Twitch and YouTube amid shifting Covid-related restrictions on nightlife and public gatherings. These performers are using technology to connect with audiences unable to return to queer spaces.
Just JP’s First Impression: Anastasia – Feb. 12 @ 8 p.m. EST – The Serve Network
The Serve Network is presenting a new show on Sunday hosted by JP and a cast of over 10 performers. Live on Twitch, JP will be reacting to the cast’s performances of an Anastasia themed drag show.
Isolation Drag Queen – Every Sunday at 7 p.m. EST – Drag Queen Bingo
Both in the UK and US, transatlantic queen Charlie Hides hosts weekly drag bingo. Tickets are available on their official website for $7 and the games happen live on Zoom.
Full Throttle – Every Sunday at 7 p.m. EST – The Serve Network
Hosted by Travis Ti, Full Throttle showcases the talent of conceptual artists. “Get ready to laugh, cry, and yell at your screen,” the Serve Network TV website reads. Performances are campy, political, sexual, and scary— “the saturation on 100%.”
WHAT’S MISSING?: COVID restrictions continue to impact independent venues
This week, NPR released an interview with reporter Audie Cornish and various independent venue owners and artists documenting how they have been impacted by the pandemic. They also discuss how the Save Our Stages Act and money currently waiting to be allocated can help them and their businesses.
“Once grant money becomes available, the qualifying venues, which have hung on this far, will get some federal help staying afloat. That does not mean they'll be out of the water anytime soon,” Cornish said.