The ball is pitched with a perfect arch, floating through the air nice and slow.

It’s hit and popped up high, but is rapidly descending to No-man’s land behind second base. Three players are hovering under it, but amazingly no one is able to deliver a catch.

“How many gay softball players does it take?” is yelled from the improvised dugout.
There is no need to get offended. No one is calling anyone names; this is a gay softball league, a place where straight and gay men and women have had a league to call their own for 35 years.

The San Francisco Gay Softball League, also known as SFGSL, is the product of two gay softball leagues that formed in the 1970s, said John Christophel, Fall Ball Coordinator, and Cable Car Division Representative.

In 1973, Jack “Irene” McGowan founded the Gay Community Softball League.

“The league had both straight and gay players and consisted of eight teams,” Christophel said. “The word ‘Gay’ was dropped as several people had high profile jobs, and it was known as The Community Softball League.”

Then in 1977, a man named Ken “Tuffy” Adams created the San Francisco Gay Softball League, which was only open to gay players, Christophel said. Both SFGSL and The Community Softball League coexisted for a few years before merging into one and the name SFGSL stuck. Straight players were allowed to play and to this day that rule still applies.

What began as a group of eight teams in 1973 has exploded to 53 teams competing in seven different skill levels in San Francisco with an annual, nationally participated Gay World Series that was held in Phoenix this year with about 4,000 players attending.

“(North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance) has a rating system for skill level,” said Tony Robbins, who manages a team he started 4 years ago, and works as the Web site manager at the SF State Career Center.

“There are 27 questions about throwing, fielding, batting and running,” Robbins said. “It makes the games even.”

At this time of the year, the Fall Ball League is in effect. It was created because people wanted to keep playing after the regular season, and keeping it going all year round keeps the entry costs low during regular season. However, it isn’t taken very seriously by some players.

“It’s loosey goosey,” said Juan, who declined to give his last name but requested to be called, “The Juan and the only.”

At one point during a game last Saturday, the players lost track of how many outs there were and some teams have no particular batting order set up in advance of the games.

“I can make mistakes but be comfortable, with no outside interference,” Juan said. “I’m more comfortable with my own people.”

The league is generally mixed, meaning both men and women can play but there is also an all women’s league as well.

“Sometimes people are confused about my gender,” said Ina Turpen Fried, a transgender female who normally plays in the women’s recreational league during the regular season.

“I love softball but I didn’t have a chance to play growing up because I grew up male.”
Men dominate the SFGSL but that doesn’t keep women from engaging in this sport.

“It’s a different energy playing with guys,” Eli White said. “The women are so competitive.”

There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding the gay community; among them is lack of athleticism and hyper sexuality.

“We try to do other things, like play softball,” White said. “It gives us a chance to socialize and be active. Things were rough not that long ago. People used to not give last names on rosters because of fear of people knowing. Now we have sponsors and we’re visible.”