Here at Girl Boss Sports we are happy to announce that we have won the “Best LGBTQ+ Owned Business” Award accompanied by a $2000 cash prize through the Business Impact NW #ImpactPitch contest. This Mission Award is sponsored by the Pride Foundation and Verity Credit Union! This money will ultimately go toward girls and women in sports here in the Pacific Northwest.
We want to take a minute to say thank you to everyone who got us to this stage of the competition as we could not have done it without each and every one of you! This is such an incredible honor to have been selected for this award, particularly given the mission of Girl Boss Sports. As you may already know, the sports industry can be incredibly challenging for girls and women to participate in…but for LGBTQ+ athletes, the challenges are even greater!
Did you know that 84% of all athletes have experienced or witnessed homophobia in sports?
Or that 85% of LGBTQ+ athletes have received verbal slurs?
In addition to the statistics mentioned above, LGBTQ+ athletes face issues such as rejection by peers, harassment, name-calling, stress, under-performance, feeling pressured to “stay closeted,” and giving up sports altogether. Many athletes also face discrimination from their coaches which in turn impacts their performance on AND off the sports field.
Given this, there are several things that can be done to make the sports industry more inclusive for those who identify as LGBTQ+. One of these is ensuring that parents, coaches, and sports governing bodies take LGBTQ+ phobia and harassment seriously from early on. Clear policies on inclusion of all LGBTQ+ athletes and coaches should be adopted and promoted. Training is also becoming more readily available that will assist schools, clubs, and governing bodies of sports to better work with ALL athletes. It is important to create a culture in sports where differences are not only respected, but celebrated as well. If you are interested in learning more about training opportunities for LGBTQ+ athletes/ coaches, please reach out to info@girlbosssports.com and we will send you to the right organizations who are working to make these vital changes in sports.
Here is a message from our CEO, Sarah Wolfer, on the impact of receiving this award.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Business Impact NW community as well as all of the Girl Boss Sports supporters that have been here since the beginning. We have made real progress toward helping girls and women in sports (for athletes and coaches) and this award will only make our impact even greater.
This has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding years of my life. Finding the courage to come out and share with the world who I really am has been so fulfilling but also completely disrupted everything I thought I knew about life. The honor of being chosen for this award feels like it’s coming full circle. As a current athlete and coach myself, I have seen firsthand how challenging it is not only for girls and women in sports but also for athletes and coaches who identify as LGBTQ+. There is much work to be done in each of these areas, but this award is a step in the right direction and Girl Boss Sports is committed to making the sports industry more inclusive for ALL those who want to participate.
Thank you Business Impact NW for this incredible honor, and thank you to all of our fans and supporters who are working to make the world a better place by supporting us in our vision.”
AND, in case you missed it, our CEO will be participating in the FINAL ROUND of the #ImpactPitch Contest THIS Thursday September 19th from 5:30-8:30PM at 415 Westlake Ave, Seattle WA 98109. The top 5 Pacific Northwest start-ups will be competing for $10,000 with a 6 minute live pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience. There are still tickets available HERE and if you’d like to watch but can’t attend in person, Business Impact NW will be live-streaming the event from their Facebook page beginning at 6:30PM PST.