Utah hosts ultimate disc tourney while on probation for LGBTQ slurs
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As ultimate disc teams descend on Salt Lake City for the national high school tournament this weekend, Utah's contenders say they're trying to make amends.
- The Utah Ultimate Disc Association was put on probation this spring for anti-LGBTQ slurs shouted at last year's championship game.
The big picture: USA Ultimate, the group that oversees club competition, made trans-friendly policy changes in April, around the same time it placed Utah's nationally dominant club on probation.
What happened: The Utah Swarm girls' team was playing the Oregon Downpour last August at the USAU youth club national finals in Minnesota when spectators on the Utah side shouted slurs at the Oregon team.
- The Oregon team, which includes trans and nonbinary players, filed a complaint with USAU, which put Utah's league on probation for two years, and the boys' program for three years.
Of note: The Utah Ultimate Disc Association didn't dispute the allegations, saying its spectators — including members of the boys' team — targeted Downpour players with "hateful comments" about gender identity.
- The Downpour has been proudly gender-diverse for years, Oregon's KLCC reported this week — and USAU rules forbid discrimination in any division based on gender identity.
Details: Probation doesn't affect the teams' play, but requires the UUDA to provide diversity, equity and inclusion training to coaches and its board, and undergo a DEI audit within the year.
State of play: That training has begun, UUDA president Joe Strong told Axios, and has generally been well-received.
- "I don't think most of the [ultimate] community is like, 'Oh my goodness, we are being wronged here,'" Strong said. "It was a traumatic experience that [the Downpour] players went through."
- Multiple players who made transphobic remarks said they didn't realize the words they used were abusive, Strong said. He noted UUDA teams include several LGBTQ+ players.
Meanwhile, USAU in April announced it would no longer host championship games in states with anti-trans laws regulating sports participation.
- It's also creating an LGBTQ+ advisory council.
Zoom out: Utah lawmakers passed a ban on trans girls in school sports, which a judge blocked last August — but this weekend's tournament is for high school teams and is unaffiliated with USAU.
The intrigue: Players from the Downpour will face off against some Swarm players with their respective high school teams this weekend, Strong said.
- "It's still a little bit scary to go to the state that houses the team that was making those remarks … and play on their soil," an Oregon player told KLCC.
What to watch: Utah's teams agreed to enlist extra chaperones to "help make sure that our sideline is not doing anything that they shouldn't be," Strong said.
Context: Utah's youth ultimate scene is highly competitive, with the Swarm winning national titles in 2021 and 2022.
What they're saying: "We are an up-and-coming ultimate hub," Strong said, adding the state's anti-trans laws are holding the sport back. "If we can get some politics changes, we can bring some college nationals and club nationals here."