JOY BLOG

The Victorian Pride Centre came alive on opening night of the Sport with Pride and Joy exhibition, a landmark celebration of the powerful role sport plays in achieving inclusion and visibility for LGBTIQA+ communities across Australia.

The exhibition is a celebration and acknowledgement of the people making positivity in sport a priority – the incredible guests on JOY 94.9’s dedicated weekly sport show Game On!, hosted by Jac Shields. Through 44 powerful photos and four mannequins displaying Pride kits, it brings together stories, memorabilia, and lived experiences from grassroots clubs, elite athletes, Olympians, Paralympians and professional sporting codes showcasing how sport has become a vital arena for building pride, resilience, and belonging.

The evening’s speakers underscored how far inclusion in sport has come with a call to keep pushing forward so that everyone can thrive in sport with pride and joy.

Peter Riedel, Chief Financial Officer at Liberty Financial and exhibition sponsor, highlighted the role of corporate allies in ensuring sport continues to be a safe and supportive space.

Tom van de Vusse, Melbourne United Basketball Club’s Chief Marketing Officer, reflected on the importance of visibility and action in professional sport where LGBTIQA+ inclusion has historically lagged but is now gaining momentum. Tom shared the club’s work helping to share Isaac Humphries’ courageous decision to come out publicly in 2022, becoming the only active openly gay male athlete in professional basketball globally, and the club’s ongoing commitment to inclusion.

“As a professional sports club, Melbourne United embraces the responsibility of using our platform to drive positive change in our community and it’s something we are excited to be passionate about. This includes how we create a welcoming environment both within our stadium on game day, but also within our club itself. This is emphasised by the fact that inclusion is one of our three club values, and we have the aspiration to be the most inclusive club in Australian sport”.

Theodore Pike of the Melbourne Chargers, Melbourne’s gay and inclusive rugby club, spoke passionately about the transformative power of inclusive clubs, where athletes can thrive without hiding their authentic self.

The exhibition is a beacon of positivity. It serves to challenge the viewer to reimagine their relationship with sport to envisage what is possible – connection, camaraderie, confidence, and even a successful career. A QR code accompanies each of the 44 images and the four mannequins displaying the club kits of the Melbourne Rovers, the Glamourhead Sharks, the Melbourne Front Runners and Pride kit of Melbourne United Basketball Club’s annual Pride game as an invitation to learn more about the LGBTIQA+ community with the support of allies thriving in sport.

Sport with Pride and Joy is on display and open to the public until 22 September, and is proudly supported by Liberty – recently awarded Silver status in the 2025 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) annual LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards and Pride in Diversity member.