Our Picks

The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation is excited to unveil the new Rainbow Logo Challenge application, appropriately on the start of June Pride month and with the launch of the 2025 Rainbow Logo Challenge. The application is the final part of the launch of GLRF Version 2.0. 
 
The premise of the Rainbow Logo Challenge is for organizations to incorporate rainbow colors in their social media and website logos.  The application displays each entry along with those media sites that feature an organization’s rainbow-colored logos. 
 
Both GLRF members and guests can now directly submit entries for the Rainbow Logo Challenge, which facilitates the uploading of rainbow logos directly from clubs, programmes, organizations, and businesses.  This means the logos are the actual image instead of some version of right click and save.
 
As an international organization, the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation recognizes that some countries celebrate Pride month during months other than June: Deutschland, Danmark, Nederland, to name a few.  For that reason, we included a month selection feature for each challenge entry, and we also featured a field to allow for the local spelling of the month name.  We feel this allows for increased inclusivity, and a recognition that each of our rowing communities and global Pride month celebrations are unique.
 
The application now displays all challenge entries by year and presents a compelling list of clubs, organizations, and businesses that actively support the LGBTQ rowing community.
With the introduction of the optional month selection, the Rainbow Logo Challenge now becomes a year-long engagement, providing more sustained visibility and support for the LGBTQ+ community within the rowing world.  It acknowledges the diversity of Pride month celebrations globally.
 
We believe this new application is a positive change that can expand the reach and impact of the Rainbow Logo Challenge initiative

DC Strokes will run the 31st Stonewall Regatta on Sunday, June 1 on the Anacostia River in Washington DC. As added incentive, this year's event coincides with World Pride, being hosted by Washington, DC. 

Pride Sprints is an inclusive, open lineup 500m dash regatta, for athletes of all ages, ability levels and gender identifications. Run in conjunction with National Learn to Row Day, Pride Sprints offers rowers a way to celebrate newcomers to the sport in a fun, community-driven regatta format.
 
Proceeds from Pride Sprints benefit the Trevor Project, the world’s largest nonprofit suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth.
 
Follow this listing and add yourself in the Members Going area. 
 
Share your images and add comments. 

Now, more than ever, the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation (GLRF) is essential as a safe space for rowers, coxies, coaches, and race officials.  As an individual membership online community, GLRF offers a continuous connection between members of the LGBTQ rowing community and clubs, programmes, organizations and vendors in the broader rowing community.
 
We want to highlight a powerful tool on our community platform: the Share A Link feature.  It provides an opportunity for LGBTQ rowers and supportive allies to promote rowing clubs or programmes, and other rowing-related entities that genuinely support acceptance and inclusion. The goal is to help both GLRF members and website visitors to find a rowing home, vendors, and other resources where they can trust they will feel welcomed and comfortable in their identity.
 
Every Share A Link listing provides a descriptive text space to describe the club or programme, vendor, or organization and any supportive language for LGBTQ acceptance and inclusion. Share A Link users can search by categories, geography, and by tags, helping them find an accepting space to row and participate in the sport.  The categories, covering all aspects of the rowing experience, include: 
Clubs & Programmes Open Ocean Race Teams Boat, Oar, and Erg Manufacturers Rowing Retailers National and Regional Rowing Federations/Associations Rowing Resources Training and Fitness Resources Rowing 101  
Representatives of LGBTQ-inclusive clubs and programmes, vendors, and organizations are welcome to add a link for their entity.   
 
Why does this matter now?
 
The current political climate, the assault on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies and programmes, and threats against LGBTQ participation in sports in the United States will (among many other things) make it harder for LGBTQ individuals to find places where they can feel comfortable and safe, and for organizations to express support for the LGBTQ community. 
 
Although we believe there is an urgent need to show support from the North American rowing community, it is equally important for this resource to be built out worldwide. We call on the global rowing community to support our Share A Link feature.  With robust input from both the LGBTQ rowing community and allies, Share A Link will be a powerful tool.
  
The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation isn’t just for LGBTQ individuals.  We warmly welcome allies.  Our registration system doesn’t ask anyone’s sexual orientation, just a person’s gender identity. Belonging to the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation helps expand our network and strengthen our community.
 
Registering with GLRF is free, as is adding Share A Link listings (you must register to be able to add to Share A Link).
 
If your club or programme is a strong proponent for LGBTQ inclusion, why isn’t your link listed?

Seat Search as a concept began at the 1998 Gay Games when the WHOars needed a coxie for their 8+ and 4+.  With the launch of Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation website in 2003, we offered a Seat Search feature for featured regattas.  The idea of using a database was not really feasible for the website tools we were using at the time so the capabilities were limited.
 
Fast forward to December 2024 and now Rower Seat Search and Club Seat Search is a default feature in any Regattas+ listing.  For example, if a GLRF member added the Head of the Yarra in Melbourne as a Regattas+ listing, a rower could submit a seat search to race in a boat, and a rowing club or program could list a Club Seat Search for an opening in their boat maybe for a cox or for 6-seat.
 
What’s the difference between a Rower Seat Search and a Club Seat Search? For a rower whose club is not going to a regatta or who wants to race in more than just one entry, the Rower Seat Search helps a rower announce that they are looking for an open seat in a race.  For a club or program that perhaps wants to enter two races but only has rowers for one boat and is short one or more for a second race, the Club Seat Search helps a to fill a boat.
 
Each Seat Search entry leverages the GLRF member profile to display key rower and coxie profile of data that is important for filling a boat.  The Seat Search feature provides for three categories: sweep, scull, and cox.  Seat Searches can be made for each category, “rower looking for …” and “club seeking a …” 
 
If this was available in 1998, the WHOars would have submitted a Club Seat Search for a coxie.
 
Regattas+ is part of the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation community platform that enables members to add their own regattas, ergattas, and rowing camps/clinics.  Every Regattas+ listing creates community for LGBTQ rowers by providing a RSVP-like members going feature, comments feature, upload files, and share images. 
 
Whether it is the Head of the Mississippi regatta or the Covered Bridge regatta or a Eurogames regatta, GLRF is helping to create community among LGBTQ+ rowers.
 
Of course, allies can join GLRF and add a Regattas+ listing.  GLRF doesn’t ask anyone’s sexual orientation.