Melbourne legends and notorious cultural deviants the Huxleys are doing something they’ve never done before this Melbourne Fringe, and it might just heal part of your inner child. The Aussie sporting world is sometimes not the most inclusive of arenas, so it’s no surprise that queer people often feel alienated from joining a team. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of winning best on ground, but you’ve never felt comfortable entering the often heteronormative domain of competitive sports.
If any of this sounds familiar, the Huxleys have created an event that promises to help unravel those layers of discomfort. Join the Huxleys team at The Winner Takes it All – a grand slam queer takeover of the sporting world.
So, what is this mysterious gathering? Register online, and (if you make the cut), rock up to Prahran Aquatic Centre, Princes Gardens Tennis Court and Malvern Cricket Ground on October 6 and 12. What will you do when you get there? Live out your glamorous athletic dreams, of course.
This large-scale participatory event invites ordinary citizens en masse, both LGBTQIA+ and allies, to enter the realm of competitive sports. But this time it’s different, and it’s made for anyone who has ever felt excluded from sport, for reasons of sexuality, gender, culture, disability or background.
Dress as a sporting star, an umpire, or a ball runner. Prefer to stay on the sidelines? The call out also extends to orange slice attendants and over-eager spectators. You’ll be directed in a high camp photo shoot with the Huxleys, featuring DJs and special half-time performances. You’ll even get a photo to keep.
Like many young people, Garret Huxley had a fraught relationship with sport in his younger years.
“Sport highlighted my differences and made me an easy target for playground bullying, and so I spent twelve years of my life trying to get out of every sporting activity possible”, says Huxley.
“A teacher once ordered the class to triple-jump into the sandpit. I refused to do it. My inner body temperature felt like 100 degrees because I was in the unwanted spotlight.”
Find out more about The Winner Takes it All and register to participate here.
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