On the 12th of February in partnership with Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the Pride in Tennis network was launched with an event being hosted by the LTA in Roehampton’s National Tennis Centre.
Pride in Tennis is a network dedicated to working towards making tennis in Britain a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone LGBTQIA+, free from prejudice and a place people can just be themselves.
Their launch event started with a panel discussion held with people such as Amazin LeThi (LGBTQ+ Athlete and Federation of Gay Games Ambassador), Simon Johnson (CEO of Tennis Wales), Ryan Waston (Pride in Tennis representative and London Smashers Founder), and more.
Following this were group sessions giving the community a chance to share their experiences and thoughts on the future next steps of Pride in Tennis. Later in the day, there was an opportunity for people to get on court and play some tennis.
After a successful launch you may want to keep yourself updated about what Pride in Tennis will go on to do, if so you can follow their Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter to keep yourself informed or to show your support for them.
We do our best to make sure we are accepting to all and willing to change to adapt to the needs of anyone who might come through our doors, so it heartens us to see others also take steps in working towards creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone to feel comfortable in.
As always, stay Defiant!
#TeamDefiant