This February was LGBT+ History Month in the UK. The aim is to increase the visibility of LGBT+ people, their history, lives and their experiences. It raises awareness on matters affecting the LGBT+ community, working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT+ communities.

The theme this year was Peace, Activism and Reconciliation. The website states “The theme this year is of such great importance, exploring LGBT+ activism in the year marking 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, a pivotal moment in LGBT+ rights and history. It is crucial that the struggles and fights of others, to give us the lives we have today, are recognised. It is also so important that we understand the fights that are still continuing to happen, and still need to happen, to give folk liberation and peace.”

Within KRG we are constantly striving to make our league as welcoming and inclusive of LGBT+ members as we can. We follow the current WFTDA gender inclusion policy and always encourage our members to let us know how we can improve their experience. We’re a work in progress but after interviewing a few of our LGBT+ members, we’re proud to share a few of the responses we received.

Dunks, a rec league member who identifies as queer, came out a long time before joining roller derby. “I came out of the womb holding a pride flag!” says Dunks, however after joining KRG they felt comfortable enough to start exploring other aspects of their identity. “I have met more gender non-conforming people through roller derby, which has probably helped me to embrace my gender non-conforming side myself.”

When asked about what they think makes roller derby such an LGBT+ friendly space, they replied, “I think roller derby’s ‘outsider’ status in the sports world, and the fact it was a grassroots DIY movement which involved a lot of queer, feminist women from the outset, means that it is a beacon for outsiders, queers, and generally cool people.”

Main league skater Trix agrees, “Roller derby is like a magnet for misfits, it attracts people who feel like they don’t fit in normal society, like people who don’t fit in with ‘regular sports’ they are drawn to it as its a space to explore and learn with like-minded people. I think it’s ultimately so inclusive because it was started by women unlike all other sports, and now it has developed and grown and is probably the most inclusive sport around today.”

All Stars (our A Team) jammer Ali is another one of our league’s non-binary members and has shared with us that they have experienced negativity surrounding their gender expression in their everyday life. They believe the reason roller derby is so inclusive is down to the diversity in the backgrounds of the people involved.

One of our skaters, who prefers to remain anonymous, identifies as bisexual. Even though she is not ‘out’ to many people, other than close friends and family, she has still had negative reactions to her sexuality. When asked if roller derby had helped her to be more open about her own identity, she replied, “Yes, [it’s] encouraged me to tell my parents.”

Trix transferred to KRG last year, she identifies as bisexual/queer and has explained some of the struggles she has faced. “I think people are commonly judged or brushed aside as not being part of the LGBT movement if they are bi and in a relationship with the opposite sex; sometimes it’s hard not to internalize this too.” Being part of KRG has helped her to love herself more and “also appreciate the importance of support from others.”

“In roller derby you can’t really hide anything about yourself because you react purely by instinct and intuition, you spend hours a day training under a great deal of pressure with a team full of people, so I think once you are in deep it just makes you definitely feel a lot more free to be unapologetically yourself.”

Jenna, who has been with KRG for nearly 8 years, also identifies as bisexual/pansexual and has experienced similar bi-phobia in her everyday life. “As a bisexual woman I find that people often decide my identity for me, based on the assumed gender of my current partner. I find the people I’ve met through roller derby to be much more open and accepting of the fluidity of sexuality. Since we spend so much time training together it’s really refreshing to not have to hide any part of myself.”

Accepting your own identity can be a struggle for many LGBT+ people. Shep is the current All Stars captain and told us about their experience of ‘coming out’ not once but twice. “I originally came out as a lesbian 13 years ago, but meeting a variety of people through roller derby has helped to me to better express my gender identity and sexuality… it turns out that both are part of a much bigger spectrum than I could ever have imagined at 14!”

“[Roller derby has] given me the confidence to start using my non-binary title at work and even to put my pronouns on my email footer! It sounds like such an insignificant thing, but it really has given me the courage to be unapologetically queer.”

One of our cross-over skaters, who plays for both A and B teams, identifies as lesbian and asexual. She says, “I don’t really have a ‘coming out’ story. I don’t see why an LGBT person should have to come out if a straight person doesn’t. All people need to know is that I am me, and that should be enough. It’s pretty obvious when you get to know me, and possibly more obvious now that I do roller derby, because I’m more comfortable in myself.”

She adds, “The ethos of roller derby is ‘by the skater, for the skater’, and this extends to supporting and accepting each other.”

El, a skater in our Knightmares (B Team), identifies as gay/queer and came out at a young age, “I came out as gay when I was 12, but then experimented with boys so came out again as bi – at that time a lot of people assumed I was straight. Then I came out again (!) in my early 20s as gay.” She thinks our governing body the WFTDA has a lot to do with the inclusivity of the sport, “There are a lot of like-minded people in derby. Plus the genuine inclusivity within the sport, such as the gender policy which includes trans and gender expansive individuals, helps create an environment where people feel they can be who they are with no judgement.”

Two of our brand new members in rec league, Mitch and Pav wanted to take part in this article too to tell us about themselves and their first impressions of KRG. Mitch is non-binary and has found everyone to be “friendly and accepting” and even though they have only just started they say it seems inclusive. Pav identifies as bisexual/pansexual and has been ‘out’ in all aspects of his life for a long time, he says “So far I’ve seen plenty of pride flags/stickers and everyone seems pretty happy with gender neutral pronoun usage. I’ve been involved a few months now and everyone is friendly and supportive.”

When asked what advice our skaters would give to LGBT+ people thinking about trying roller derby, everyone was in agreement:

“Definitely give it a go!” – El

“Go for it, you’ll meet lots of cool people and make lots of friends, both queers and allies.” – Dunks

“Do it. You’ll be welcomed with open arms. Regardless of gender, sexuality etc.” – Anonymous

“Don’t doubt it just come and try it. It’s an incredibly safe sport!” – Ali

“Get involved you’ll enjoy it.“ – Mitch

“I would say go for it, it’s an inclusive space, nobody it going to judge you based on anything other than your attitude to learning and your dedication to the team.” – Trix

“Do it!!!! That’s the advice I’d give to anyone who wants to try roller derby.” – Anonymous

Why not come and see our skaters in action? We’ll be taking on London Rockin’ Rollers on April 6^th at our home venue The Bay Sports Arena. Get your tickets online now for discount!

Photos by Steve @ Shooterz.co.uk from our game against Dundee Roller Derby.

Before the game on Saturday against Dundee Roller Derby, we decided to catch up with Grazed Anatomy (still one of my all-time favourite derby names!) aka Rachel, before she puts on her gold uniform for the first time to represent Kent. We first me her back in August last year in one of our Open Day Stories and we wanted to see how she’s getting along…

” Update: I made it!! I passed my minimum skills back in November 2017, six months from my first time on skates. Now I get to train with main league twice a week, and learn to be part of a proper derby team! I’m loving getting to put the skills I learned back in Rec league to the test, and developing new ones with my team mates. I love getting to practice drills, and the best part of training is scrimmage on Sunday! ”

” It was weird to begin with, drawing numbers on my arms and getting to play, rather than NSO, but I love the adrenaline rush it gives me. I always come away from training buzzing and with a huge smile on my face! Outside of derby, skating has well and truly taken over my life! I’m still skating outdoors as much as I can, and I’ve just started a new chapter of Chicks in Bowls here in Kent, where some of us are learning to Ramp skate! ”

” Now that I’m in main league, I can’t wait to get to play my first game in Gold for the Knightmares, KRG’s B team. I’ve already played my first rookie game (I was on Team Thor), and I was awarded Most Valuable Player, which was a huge honour! ”

” Now that we’re approaching my first official KRG game, I’m nervous, but excited. We’ve been drilling hard, and I can’t wait to skate out with my team mates and show our opponents what we’re made of! The best part is that I get to play alongside some of my best buddies. We learned to skate together, and I know we’ll have each others’ backs! ”

” I still like coming to help and watch at Rec league sessions, it’s fantastic to see everyone progressing and enjoying the sport as much as I do. I’d like to get in to a bit of coaching too, maybe I’ll get to train the new faces of KRG someday! ”

Tickets are available online (£8) or on the door (£12). Doors open at 12.30. Come and join us at The Bay Sports Arena, Bullockstone Road, Herne Bay, CT6 7NS to see two awesome games and enjoy the atmosphere of our legendary home games!

Kent Roller Girls take on Dundee Roller Derby at the Bay Sports Arena on September the 22^nd.  After their summer break, Kent have got back to training harder than ever and have been working together to perfect their formations. Photographer Steve James joined us last Sunday to see us in action before the game.

Lead jammer for Tenacious while Knightmares vice captain Grymkhana braces the defensive wall.

Roller Derby is one of the world’s fastest growing sports. It is a full-contact sport played on quad skates, with roots going all the way back to banked track roller marathons in the 50’s and American TV shows RollerGames and RollerJam in the 80’s and 90’s which featured pro-wrestling style choreographed combat on skates!

The All Stars’ captain Commander Pain Shepard is making Trauma Trevor’s scoring pass difficult. 

Gone are the choreographed bouts of the TV shows; this is now a serious, tactical and hard-hitting sport. That said, a sense of fun is retained; there is still a strong feminist/DIY ethos and many players adopt humorous pseudonyms. Pictured below we have some great examples of these – DreadBlock, Fear Khan, Glitch and Pain Austen.

DreadBlock who is also known as Chantel in the non-derby world, has only recently become a full member of KRG’s main league and playing Dundee will be her first opportunity to play competitively. We found out how she was feeling before the big day:

“I’m feeling really excited, a little bit nervous. It feels like it’s been a long journey to get here but its been a fun one that has pushed me mentally, physically and emotionally. My parents and siblings are coming up to support me in my first game so I hope to make them proud. My mum will be the one in the crowd waving the Jamaican flag!”

Chip jams against a mix of A team and B team blockers.

Kent’s B team, the Knightmares, will be taking to the track with a few more brand new faces. Mama MoHito is not only the captain for this game, but has also been in charge of coaching rec league this year so she’s become very familiar with the newer skaters. She hopes that knowing these skaters from the first time they strapped on skates right up until their first game will help them communicate and work together better as one unit.

“I’m so proud and excited to be chosen as captain for this game. I love that I’ve been able to see these skaters get stronger and more confident each week. The transition from Rec League to playing competitively can be a daunting experience but I really feel like the team we’ve put together for this game is ready for the challenge!”

Mama MoHito, pictured with the big M on her shiny helmet.

Kent and Dundee have never met before on the track making it hard to predict who will be victorious and since the teams are so close in the UKRDA rankings (Dundee are 27^th and Kent are 29^th) it’s guaranteed to be exciting! KRG may also have some insider information in the form of skater Autopsy Turvey who transferred from Dundee earlier in the season. Can her knowledge of the team give Kent’s blockers and jammers the edge? Or will the Dundee skaters be saving their biggest hits just for her?!

All smiles after a tough session and a bruising scrimmage.

Kent Roller Girls are Kent’s longest established team, formed in 2010 by founding member Demi Lition, who you can see in action along with the rest of the team on the 22^nd, when KRG’s A and B teams take on Dundee’s A and B teams.

Tickets are £8 in advance, buy them online here, or £12 on the door, under 12’s go free. Doors open at 12.30.

Thanks for the great photos Steve! See you at the game!

Meet Sam, or Glitch to the rest of the team. Oh wait, you already met her almost a year ago, when she was telling us all about her Open Day Story! Glitch had heard about KRG about a month before she managed to find the courage to give it a try. We find that a lot of our newbies are nervous to begin with, like with any new experience, so we try our hardest to make sure it’s a fun and welcoming experience when they turn up to the Open Day.

“I have been with KRG for almost two years now. I joined after attending the Open Day back in October 2016 and finally passed my minimum skills on 27 May 2018 – Woohoo! I am currently on my probation period in main league then I’ll officially graduate into the B team for Kent Roller Girls, known as the Knightmares.

Training to play and compete in this crazy-fabulous sport has been such an amazing journey, and one I will treasure forever. When I look back at the times I almost gave up because I couldn’t get a skill nailed, or felt I would never be good enough, I am so proud that I didn’t let those thoughts win and I have finally made it into main league life!”

Whilst in our Recreational League, Glitch also dedicated a lot of her time to being an NSO (non-skating official), helping officiate bouts and scrimmages. She found it was a great opportunity to learn the rules as well as getting a front row seat to all the derby action!

“I have worked really hard every week in training and I am so thankful to all the KRG coaches and my fellow reccies for their time, encouragement, support and just pure awesomeness that has helped me reach my goal. I know that one day soon I will get to represent my team on track in the famous black and gold. So exciting!”

“Now that I have passed my minimum skills I get to compete in rookie bouts to get game experience and continue my learning and training, as that will never stop just because I’ve now passed the minimum skills. There is still so much to learn, practice and improve. I still have a bad habit of checking out the floor and what my feet are doing. I am trying to break this habit and look up more; as my teammates say when they catch me looking down “the floor is still blue!”

As soon as I passed in May I popped my rookie bout cherry a couple of weeks later playing for Team 90’s in a bout hosted in Cambridge on Sat 9th June. It was the most amazing feeling and I can assure you that all the hard work you put into training is totally worth it. The buzz you get from being out there on track in front of a crowd is so exhilarating!”

“I hope that if you’ve been thinking about giving Roller Derby a try, you go for it like I did. It’s so rewarding to achieve something in sports. This was way out of my comfort zone and I didn’t know anyone when I joined, but look at me now – a skater with a rookie bout ticked off the bucket list and a whole heap of new buddies that I get to hang with twice a week!”

Come and get your skates on at our next Free Open Day or just come along to find out more if you don’t fancy getting physical straight away. We’ll be at The Bay Arena on Sunday 8th July waiting for you to join us and start your epic KRG adventure!

Photos by Benjamin Valsler