Queer sport and recreation

Historian Scott Pilkington explores the relationships between masculinity, mental health, and Queer participation in sport through taonga in Te Papa collections.

Queer people in Aotearoa have always been part of everyday life – working, socializing, raising families, and taking part in the same pastimes as everyone else. Scott Pilkington explores how sport is one of those shared spaces through items in the Te Papa collection.

The Amazon Softball Club was the first and last lesbian softball club in New Zealand. It was formed in 1977 at a time when lesbians weren’t spoken about publically – they were virtually invisible. The club provided a safe space and an important opportunity for women who identified themselves as lesbian to meet together and have fun through sport.

Jeremiah Boniface explores the work of Grant Lingard, whose practice in the early 1990s focused on addressing issues of sexuality and concepts of masculinity.