The Rainbow Club

Picture it: Sydney, early weekend morning. Streams of people are making their way down Oxford Street to join the large throng that have already gathered in Hyde Park.

A kaleidoscope of individuals, some are costumed in feathers and wings while others are even more creatively decorated. A few brave souls are clad in nothing but underwear and body paint. Most, though, are dressed appropriately for the occasion: short running shorts, skin tight lycra and comfortable running shoes that have seen their share of kilometres.

This, however, isn’t Mardi Gras. It isn’t even a gay and lesbian event. It’s Sydney’s annual fun run, City2Surf.

It’s unusual to see the areas surrounding Oxford Street being barricaded for an event that doesn’t include glimpses of fantastically flamboyant floats or the hundreds of bright pink coloured banners and rainbow flags being waved with so much pride. Instead, there are groups of athletes, casual runners and a plague of breeders with prams. Running bibs decorate one and all.

And amongst this chaos is my friend, Scott.

Here especially for the event, recently ‘out’ Scott has flown over the border as part of a small contingent fronting up on behalf of a running group in Melbourne. A club that is made up of gay, lesbian and queer-friendly runners, it is an activity social club whose sexuality is a uniting factor but with a main interest centred firmly on pounding the asphalt. It is one of many in a trend of associations that largely focuses on specific activities and not solely on the sexuality of its participants.

“I initially found out about gay sporting clubs at my first Melbourne Pride March,” says Scott when quizzed as to how he got started, “I had always been into sport so I thought I would give it a go. I went to one of their Saturday morning social runs and I've been going along ever since.”

While most individuals seeking initial contact with the community will approach support groups, such as those facilitated by organisations like the Victorian AIDS Council, guys like Scott, however, have taken a different course altogether. While similarity in sexuality helps, to them common interest seems more paramount – and in Scott’s case, it’s sport: “the best thing about sport is you can socialise while doing it, which opens up more avenues for conversations and getting to know people.”

Scanning the community contacts list on MCV reveals at least a dozen other ‘common interest’ gay groups. From film buffs and 4WD enthusiasts to tennis and rugby supporters, even one for board game addicts. You name it and more than likely it exists.

Is that then the reason why such groups are more of interest for some than actual support groups?

“Support groups are still vital parts of the community,” Scott explains. “Activity social groups simply provide another facet – a variety. And with mine, there’s a great mix of guys and girls which makes it a real representation of life in the real world. And because of this, we’re able to participate as well as better represent our community at events like City2Surf – and of course, we also get to have a lot of fun along the way.”