Highland News and Media reporter Andrew Henderson hosts panel event
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Highland News and Media journalist Andrew Henderson was front and centre in a panel event bringing together some of Scotland’s top sporting stars recently.
Henderson, who works as a sports reporter for HNM, also runs a website called Pride of the Terraces to share stories from the Highlands and beyond of LGBT+ sporting figures.
Through that, he joined forces with Scotland’s LGBTI+ sports charity Leap Sports and journalism network group Sports Media LGBT+ to put on Authentic Me: A Celebration of Scottish Sporting Pride in Glasgow.
A close to capacity crowd at the University of Strathclyde Students’ Union saw two panel discussions – one focusing on experiences in elite sport, and one on grassroots sport.
Henderson chaired the elite sport panel, featuring Olympic silver medal curler Bruce Mouat, two-time Paralympian and member of Scotland’s 3x3 wheelchair basketball squad at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Robyn Love as well as category one football referee Lloyd Wilson, who became one of the first openly LGBT+ figures in the Scottish men’s game this summer.
Themes for the panel included dealing with national media and social media as LGBT+ athletes, going to countries with unfavourable human rights records and the support given by their respective partners.
Glasgow City councillor Holly Bruce took over hosting duties for the grassroots panel featuring trans researcher and footballer Blair Hamilton, co-founder of inclusive basketball club Rainbow Glasgaroos Zyra Evangelista and chair of inclusive rugby club Glasgow Raptors Ross Lockerbie gave their thoughts.
There, trans participation in sport was a hot topic based on Hamilton’s expertise, while Evangelista and Lockerbie spoke of the tangible impact their clubs have had.
Lockerbie also touched on the impact of representation in pop culture, and Evangelista gave their experience of being non-binary in sport.
