It's Rainbow Laces Day, a chance to show your support for LGBT+ communities in sport through the simple act of brightening up your trainers with some gorgeous Rainbow Laces and showing them off on social media with the #RainbowLaces hashtag!
The Rainbow Laces campaign was founded in 2013 by Stonewall UK, a charity that has been striving for equality on issues concerning age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief and sexual orientation since 1989.  The campaign is well supported by TeamGB who will become Team LGBT+ across its digital channels to support the awareness of the campaign and making sport everyone's game. This will include changes to its social media profiles, profile pictures and publishing a short animation of the logo change to promote the campaign. For the first time, Team GB will be selling special edition Team LGBT+ t-shirts on Shop.TeamGB.com, with all sale proceeds going to Stonewall UK.
[caption id="attachment_24647" align="alignnone" width="240"] Team LGBT+ special edition T-shirt is on sale now from Shop.TeamGB.com - all proceeds will go to Stonewall UK[/caption]
Since the campaign began in 2013, Rainbow Laces has gone from strength to strength, and this year, in the face of the pandemic's restrictions, the campaign is building momentum online under the hashtag #RainbowLaces - celebrating the impact that sport has on LGBT people, and the impact that LGBT people have on sport. Stonewall will be sharing stories and considering how we can all play our part in making sport everyone's game.
[caption id="attachment_24648" align="alignnone" width="300"] Trans laces - an umbrella term to describe people whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.[/caption]
Join the #RainbowLaces movement today:
[caption id="attachment_24651" align="alignnone" width="300"] Pan laces - Pan refers to a person whose romantic and/or sexual attraction towards others is not limited by sex or gender.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_24649" align="alignnone" width="300"] Non-binary laces - umbrella term for people whose gender identity doesn't sit comfortably with ‘man' or ‘woman'.[/caption]
A recent survey by Stonewall UK about LGBT people's experiences during Covid-19 showed that loneliness and isolation are badly affecting LGBT communities.
Stonewall UK's 2020 Rainbow Laces campaign, from 26 November to 13 December, will focus less on grand stunts but will celebrate the impact that sport has on LGBT+ people, and the impact that LGBT+ people can have on sport through quality storytelling and profiling of individuals who identify as LGBT+ within sport.
The events of 2020 have highlighted long-standing inequalities across society. We've seen the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on marginalised groups and the results of structural racism throughout society, including in LGBT communities and across sport. The events of this year have also shown us how much community and allyship matter. We've seen the role that sport and fitness play in bringing us together, and so many LGBT people and allies have been doing amazing work to make sport everyone's game.
[caption id="attachment_24650" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bi laces - an umbrella term used to describe a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards more than one gender. Bi people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms including, but not limited to, bisexual, pan and queer.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_24652" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ace laces - umbrella term used to describe a variation in levels of romantic and/or sexual attraction, including a lack of attraction.[/caption]
WEAR AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
Wearing Rainbow Laces - in person or online - is an important way of showing you support LGBT inclusion in sport.
Don't forget to show your support by using the hashtag #RainbowLaces and showing off your laces online! Remember to share the content and tag @StonewallUK in your own posts.
[caption id="attachment_24653" align="alignnone" width="300"] Lesbian laces - Lesbian refers to a woman who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards women. Some non-binary people may also identify with this term.[/caption]
