As a queer Canadian from rural Nova Scotia, I always felt at home in a curling club

Bailey Ross · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Jun 29, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

This First Person file is written by Bailey Ross, who lives successful Halifax, and is portion of a Canada Day bid exploring what Canada means to radical crossed this country. For much accusation astir First Person stories, spot the FAQ.

To me, there's thing much Canadian than the athletics of curling. 

I grew up successful Digby, N.S. This agrarian assemblage was picturesque, but determination wasn't a batch to bash arsenic a cheery teen with large metropolis dreams. I didn't ever consciousness similar I belonged. 

Then 1 day, I stumbled crossed a assemblage meal hosted by the tight-knit Digby Curling Club. If you haven't been to a curling club, you don't cognize what you're missing. 

 Many Canadians, astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives, mightiness find themselves wrong a club's 4 walls — not conscionable to curl, but for fundraisers, weddings, day parties, and to ballot during elections. In Digby, my curling nine hosted 1 of my sister's day parties, a multitude of governmental debates and forums, arsenic good arsenic fundraiser tournaments to rise funds for my precocious schoolhouse curling squad and unpaid trips. 

In summation to Digby, I've besides curled successful Clare, Kentville and Dartmouth, N.S. No substance wherever I lived, I ever recovered a location successful a curling club. And successful each nine I joined, I was fortunate to beryllium surrounded by members who defended my individuality unconditionally. However, I was ever 1 of the fewer queer curlers successful a country afloat of consecutive folks. I was welcomed and loved, but not surrounded by my people.

I didn't cognize what it would mean to find a assemblage of curlers that didn't conscionable clasp me, but who understood maine connected a deeper level. 

Meeting chap queer curlers

In 2023, I moved to Halifax to commencement my vocation arsenic a French precocious schoolhouse teacher. When I came crossed an nonfiction astir a queer-friendly curling league operating retired of the Mayflower Curling Club — location of curling greats similar Colleen Jones and her powerhouse women's rink — I knew this was the spot I had to be.

WATCH | Colleen Jones inducted into Nova Scotia's Sport Hall of Fame: 

My archetypal time astatine Loose Ends Curling League was an implicit thrill. For the archetypal time, I recovered myself successful a curling league wherever queer curlers dominated the scene. 

I had nary thought that my curling caught the attraction of immoderate of the different curlers successful the rink, who I recovered aboriginal were watching maine and commentating. 

"Go ticker her! Yes, that 1 implicit there. She tin slide!"

(In our league, galore of america notation to each different arsenic being queens, thing that has agelong been portion of queer culture.)

I was rapidly embraced by the members of the Loose Ends Curling League. It was arsenic if I'd been determination since the precise infinitesimal of its inception, backmost successful 2006. 

Although I knew I was a bully curler, I couldn't judge it erstwhile a squad invited maine to correspond the league astatine the 2024 Canadian Pride Curling Championship.

The feeling of being astatine my archetypal nationals successful St. John's was electric. Just a mates of months ago, I didn't adjacent cognize that this lawsuit existed. Now present I was, representing Nova Scotia's nationalist queer assemblage connected a nationalist stage. Fun fact: On my nationalist team, with overmuch emotion and endearment, our "regal" titles present scope from Her Majesty to Her Royal Pain successful Our Highnesses.

I've present curled, coached and officiated for 18 years. I person developed lifelong bonds with truthful galore curlers. I'm portion of a pan-Canadian assemblage of like-minded folks who are ne'er much than a telephone telephone away, nary substance wherever I whitethorn beryllium surviving wrong this enormous, breathtaking country. 

These section leagues supply maine and my chap queer curlers an situation successful which we consciousness wholly safe, accepted and loved. When I've faced blatant homophobia successful the signifier of communal microaggressions and adjacent threats of carnal unit successful a section bar, my chap Loose Ends members person sat maine down and demanded to cognize "the tea" truthful they tin supply the listening receptor I needed successful that moment. No substance what whitethorn beryllium going connected astir us, we tin conscionable beryllium a clump of curlers being ourselves nether 1 roof.   

Our heavy look of queer pridefulness made maine an adjacent prouder Canadian.

As the tides of planetary bid statesman to turn, forcing maine to bespeak connected what it means to beryllium Canadian, 1 reply consistently comes to mind. Canada is simply a federation of kindness and acceptance, an internationally recognized pillar of ideology and quality rights. Last but not least, we are lovers of poutine, hockey, and of course, curling. 

In curling, we telephone the scoring country "the house." Our location is Canada. And though our state whitethorn not beryllium perfect, my goodness, I consciousness privileged to telephone it home. 

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