Pickleball Is Personally And Financially Welcoming For LGBTQ Players

While homophobia is still pervasive in most sports, pickleball seems to be a more inclusive, welcoming, and equitable place, according to several pro players with whom I spoke. This seems to have been good for these pros financially and good for companies that support the LGBTQ community.

While the WNBA has been the most active sports league in support of LGBTQ people, many men’s and women’s leagues do offer statements and events that affirm the LGBTQ community. Still, being out as a professional athlete in most sports is difficult at best. Pickleball seems to offer a more supportive space for LGBTQ athletes, especially queer women.

Catherine Parenteau, Irina Tereschenko, and Lacy Schneeman all said that being out as a queer player on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour hasn’t had a negative impact on them or cost them endorsements or sponsorships. In fact, Parenteau suggested that, for her, being out has been an advantage in some ways. She said companies like Skechers who support the LGBTQ community want to have LGBTQ players to represent them.

Schneeman pointed out that sponsorship and endorsement issues for women on the tour are more about gender than sexuality. “We still live in a man’s world,” she said. The result is that prettier, more feminine women players get more opportunities, whether straight or queer.

On the men’s side, Parenteau explained, one of her gay friends tells her it’s harder for queer men to feel accepted and that he doesn’t feel as much a part of the tour’s community as she does.

Out player Zack Taylor said that he hasn’t paid a price with sponsorships or endorsements for being out, but he added that that’s because he doesn’t want to work with companies or people who don’t want to work with him because he’s gay.

“As a younger kid,” he explained, “I would’ve said, ‘Oh my gosh! I really want to be sponsored by this brand no matter what they thought or what their values are.’ As I become smarter in the business world I just want to make sure I work with brands that I love and align with the values in the future of where I want to go in the sport.”

Like Parenteau, he said he sees plenty of opportunities with companies that support LGBTQ people. “I love to work with brands that love to work with me,” he emphasized.

Alex Neumann is straight but was raised by two gay dads and studied gender and politics in college. So he’s an ally and has a keen eye for homophobia. He said that on the men’s side there’s just less cultural acceptance than on the women’s. He says men players on the PPA tour still reinforce some pretty stereotypically macho masculine behaviors and can make fun of men who in some way seem to be a little more feminine. He suggested there’s definitely still room for growth in terms of inclusivity on the men’s side of the game.

Taylor agreed. He said, “I think for guys there’s still a little bit of a stigma of being a gay athlete. I think there always will be, but I just find that it’s better to just be true to who you are. You can be gay and also be good at sports.”

Coming Out In Pickleball

For the players I interviewed, coming out in the sport has mostly been an organic process as both other players and fans have gotten to know them.

Schneeman said, “It’s not like I go to the courts and say, ‘Hey, guys, I’m gay. Nice to meet you.’ That’s not the intro I use. When it comes up, I’m not hiding it or anything. It’s something I’m pretty open about with the new people I’m meeting. I’m in LA, so that’s comes with a little bit of a caveat. I’m in a good place for that.”

Taylor suggested that it’s not necessarily easier for women to come out on the tour than for men, but that there are just more queer women who are out. He imagined that there are more gay men on the tour than the few who are out, but they are afraid to come out. “I think it’s hard,” he explained for anyone to come out but especially in the professional sports arena.”

Tereschenko said that the most welcoming thing for her about the tour is that she doesn’t even have to think about sexual identity. She said she tends to be a more private person, while some on the tour are more public about their relationships and more active in LGBTQ rights movements. A native of Russia, Tereschenko said she feels she can be herself in the US and that she’d have to be more careful in other parts of the world.

For Parenteau, visibility has been positive. She told me that other players and fans approach her and her partner sometimes to thank them for being public. She said one woman told her that her daughter was able to come out because of the example she saw in Parenteau and her partner.

Neumann, as an ally, enjoys playing with gender to try to disrupt dominant notions about masculinity and heterosexuality. He said he’s aware of the influence he can have as an athlete, and he can use things like post-match interviews to speak up. He said he makes sure to talk about his two dads or say “birth mom” when he talks about his mother. Sometimes he wears a visor to play. Men on the tour don’t typically wear visors, but women do.

He added, “I often paint my nails and I do that a lot on tour when I play. Most people who see it will say, ‘Oh, I assumed you were gay.’ Painting nails – you’re gay.” But for him these little rebellions are an important way to show that all men don’t have to be the same.

The Politics of Pickleball

Like any professional sport, pickleball also faces political questions. Neumann pointed out that some professional associations like the NFL have at times issued statements in support of the LGBTQ community. He said the PPA is a start-up organization focused on its brand at the moment and so likely has not had the time nor staffing to create statements yet. He’s excited, however, to see how the tour responds to opportunities to speak up for inclusion and equity.

Another political issue that may impact the sport is the current raft of anti-LGBTQ laws in states like Florida and Texas, where a lot of professional pickleball tournaments are played. So far, players haven’t seen much of an effect from the legislation on the tournaments. Neumann observed that for LGBTQ players or even players like himself who don’t always conform closely to gender expectations, playing in places that can be unwelcoming to LGBTQ people can be difficult. “It’s definitely harder to live your life fully when you are travelling to places you feel a bit scared to be yourself,” he said.

We’ve already seen some backlash in the business community to these kinds of anti-LGBTQ laws, and many companies have been outspoken in support of LGBTQ people. Pro pickleball may soon have to make choices about how it will address the issue, given its presence in these states.

Be Yourself

Despite any difficulties or controversies, all of these pros offered similar advice to LGBTQ players: be yourself. Tereschenko put it this way: “Be yourself. Be nice to people. Embrace the community and the awesome activity that brings people together.” Similarly, Parenteau emphasized LGBTQ players should not be afraid of who they are. “You don’t want to hide,” she said. “It’s not fun.”

Schneeman recognized the importance of visibility for others as well. She said, “Get out there. Pickleball is an easy sport to pick up and don’t be afraid to be yourself. Showcase what you have and who you are and don’t be afraid to let that out there. Representation is crucial for the next person as well. It’s always nice to live your own truth and be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be true to you and do your thing.”

Taylor added, “If I could do it all over again, I would just tell them to just be yourself from the start. I think a lot of us hid a lot of our personality to try to fit in. When you’re young, that’s all you want to do is fit in. I would say be yourself because I have gotten so many more opportunities being who I am than me trying to be somebody that I’m not. I would say that if you don’t have a good support system around you that supports you and your decision, find a new support system because there’s people out there that are probably feeling the same way, and you can find support.”

Schneeman concluded, “I think there is something to be said for pickleball being super welcoming to everyone in the community. It’s so accessible for different types of people – whether you are young or old, guy or girl, whoever you like or love. Where you come from, what socio-economic background. All of those things.”