World’s First LGBTQ+ Polo League Comes to Florida

April 2, 2024
ALEXANDER

World's First LGBTQ+ Polo League Comes to Florida

Get ready "Don't Say Gay" Florida, the gays are coming! The world’s only LGBTQ polo league is returning to Wellington, Florida for the Lexus International Gay Polo Tournament, April 4-6 at the Patagones Polo Club. A big draw is expected bringing in stallions, world-class polo players, and a colorful crowd from every letter of the rainbow.

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The event was founded by Chip McKenney almost two decades ago as a way for him to expand his social network in Southern California. It started off casually with friends, and friends of friends, at monthly polo clinics at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Establishing the Gay Polo League, we wanted to reflect the core values of polo play and provide an outlet that was supportive, safe, encouraging, and always fun.

The Tournament is a three-day affair, kicking off with an invite-only welcome party for players on Thursday, the Polotinie Wigstock party on Friday during which attendees are encouraged to decorate their heads with wigs, extensions, you name it, and then finishing with the main event on Saturday, when players from all over the globe compete for The Senator’s Cup and The Founders Cup.

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Founder McKenney states in a press release, "Growing up, I did not see openly gay athletes identified on television. I assumed I was the only gay person who loved sports. In my adulthood, I witnessed how even the idea of being out could potentially ruin an athlete’s career. The Gay Polo League provides a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQ athletes to train and compete, openly and authentically. The Gay Polo League has become an instrument of change and oftentimes introduces gay people into the lives and consciousness of people who have not known gay people firsthand."

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For the main event, there is also a tailgate party. It's less football style with beer and burgers and more fanciful, with prizes such as Best in Show, Best Cuisine, Best Cocktail, Best Single Tailgate, and Best Multiple Tailgate.

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This year's tournament benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation which supports HIV prevention, education programs, direct care, and support services to people living with or at risk of HIV.