Grant #224
Resistance Roller Derby
December 27, 2016
Roller derby elbows its way into Scotland to benefit queer and trans youth.
Lace up your roller skates, swallow the awkwardness of a mouthguard and prepare for the promise of bruises. You guessed it. It’s roller derby time.
While you may associate this full contact and incredibly tactical sport with the tattooed hipster subculture of cities like Seattle, Austin, or New York, it’s an international phenomenon that is elbowing its way into Glasgow, Scotland. Resistance Roller Derby Glasgow is joining the worldwide movement of connected and empowered athletes and ensuring queer and trans youth are part of it.
As the only junior league in the world that is explicitly intended for LGBTQI+ youth, RRDG is pushing the conversation on issues like queer and trans-inclusive sports. They’re also building a community around healthy habits, body positivity, and physical activity among a population that faces glaring health inequalities and is systemically disenfranchised.
The league has already crowdfunded startup costs to cover insurance, hall rental, and a few roller derby starter kits, but RRDG is committed to making it completely free for all to participate. But skates, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, and a helmet aren’t free (we know, obvi), so the Awesome Without Borders grant will go directly towards buying these starter kits. More kits = more young people on skates and benefitting from awesomeness on wheels. Wheeeeeee.