The Chicago History Museum ( CHM ) provided a glimpse into the rich history of the pre-Stonewall struggle to create safe space for gays and lesbians in its latest installment of the Out at CHM series, 'Before the Gay Games: Lesbians in the Ballpark.'
The June 8 discussion, which featured University of Wisconsin historian Anne Enke and State University of New York-Buffalo history professor Susan K. Cahn, gave insight into lesbians and softball since the 1930s. They showed that before Stonewall and the Gay Games, lesbians were fighting to create a safe space and a community in the dusty fields of America's ballparks.
According to Cahn, softball underwent a 'sex change' in the late '30s and '40s. Once dubbed 'kitten ball,' softball slowly became considered a masculine sport. In the early years, there was no association between lesbianism and softball. Instead, women involved in the sport were feared to become 'pursuers of men who were loose and aggressive sexually,' Cahn said.
But by the '40s and '50s, everything changed. 'Softball and lesbians somehow went together like peanut butter and jelly,' Cahn joked.
The thinking at the time was this: In softball, it was thought that masculinity was required to excel. Lesbians were thought to be more masculine. So naturally, people thought softball must be filled to the brim with lesbian participants. And, after some time, it truly was.
'The sport proved to be an inviting location for lesbians,' Cahn added. After all, cultural activities attract people of like minds—and libidos. In softball, strength and female bonding was key, which was an attraction for many lesbian players.
But it was a fight for lesbians to even be involved in the sport. For example, many team owners wanted to veer away from the lesbian association. They prohibited openness about sexuality and tried to feminize the players with pastel colors and charm schools. The All American Girls League, which was Chicago-based, required its players to wear skirts on the field and in public. If a woman was or thought to be a lesbian, she would be kicked out. If a woman who appeared to 'mannish' merely wanted to try out for the league, she'd be sent packing.
However, the Chicago-based National Girls Baseball League—a 'thorn in the side of the All American Girls League'—embraced the 'pants-wearing, tough-talking' female softballer image. It didn't feel the need to play up the athletes' femininity.
By the '60s and '70s, lesbians had found a safe space in softball. Although there was an unwritten rule to not be out publicly—'play it, don't say it'—the softball field provided a comfortable public place for lesbians. Here, they could find love, friendship and community.
'Women learned to look for signs,' Cahn said of the 'play it, don't say it' rule. Players learned to spot fellow lesbians and lesbian couples on the field. In the pre-Stonewall years, lesbians in softball were definitely 'out in the closet.' There was a great fear of being out publicly, but they could at least be true to themselves on the field. 'Softball was a place you could be a lesbian, meet a lesbian or become a lesbian,' Cahn added.
While Cahn gave a rich history of how softball has changed, Enke conveyed the history of lesbians and feminists organizing through the experiences of several Midwestern softball teams.
According to Enke, there were many Midwest teams, such as Minneapolis' Avantis—dubbed the 'dykiest team' in softball—and Chicago's Wilder Ones, where softball became 'an arena of lesbian organizing.' By the '60s, most top-caliber teams were heavily lesbian. Soon, lesbians and feminists decided to create their own lesbian softball teams.
The Chicago Liberation Union, which put out the newsletter 'Secret Stone,' played a crucial role in the Midwestern world of lesbian softball. The Chicago Liberation Union was a feminist organization dedicated to using softball as an organizing tool. The group fought for women to gain space on the field. Softball was key to them because it allowed feminists and lesbians a safe space to publicly rebel against gender norms and heterosexism. By 1976, the group had helped over 140 women play on lesbian and feminist teams by helping them organize.
The going wasn't easy. By the '70s, distinct teams of women had formed: the lesbian jocks, the lesbian feminists and the social feminists. 'Although their styles differed,' Enke said, 'all borrowed, copied and modeled after each other.' After a time, The Chicago Liberation Union started to address issues of sexuality and racism in its 'Secret Stone' newsletter. Feminists and lesbians, in their fight for equal space on and off the field, realized they must work together and not stay in separate camps.
As the popularity of the sport swelled in the late '60s, many feminists joined the lesbians on the field. There were many lesbian teams, such as Chicago's Lavender Women, who met behind the Art Institute every Sunday. Lesbians and feminists, whether they had any talent or not, were playing and watching softball. For these women, an all-American pastime helped them create solidarity and community long before there was Gay Games.
Local Briefs
A doggone good time: Mercury opens its 2006 Canine Cruise season with a benefit to support the programs and services of The Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago. The event is June 29, 7:30-9 p.m., at the lower level of the Michigan Ave. bridge. Call 312-644-8338, ext. 311, or e-mail ckieba@anticruelty.org .
ALMA aid: The Association of Latino Men for Action ( ALMA ) has started a Spanish-speaking support group for gay, bisexual and questioning men. The sessions will take place on Saturdays, 12-2 p.m., at Radio Arte, 1401 W. 18th, until Aug. 19. E-mail ccastillon@almachicago.org; 773-968-6300.
Cruisin': Youth Pride Center's first benefit will be held July 13. The event, titled 'Treasured Moments,' is a cruise on the Spirit of Chicago. It includes a buffet, cash bar, cabaret show, music and dancing. Boarding time is 6 p.m. Tickets are $85 per person and $150 per couple. Call 773-203-1531.
Twirls and boys: 'Dancing Cowboys, Acrobats and Comics ... Oh My!'—featuring the D.C. Cowboys dance company—will occur July 21 at 10 p.m. at Bailiwick Theatre, 1229 W. Belmont. Tickets are $20 in general and $25 for reserved center seating. Call 773-883-1090 or visit www.bailiwick.org .
