Draft:DC Strokes Rowing Club

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Last edited by Gorazhill (talk | contribs) 3 months ago. (Update)

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DC Strokes Rowing Club is an American rowing club based on the Anacostia River in Washington, DC, USA. The organization is the longest continuously running LGBTQ+ rowing club in America and home to athletes who identify as members of the queer community and allies.^[1]

DC Strokes is one of a few dedicated, independent LGBTQ+ rowing clubs in the world, along with the Chicago Rowing Union (USA), the London Otters (England), the Zurich Penguins (Switzerland), and the Melbourne Argonauts (Australia). The club offers sweep rowing, sculling, and learn to row programs.

Origins

In 1991, eight gay runners were looking for a sport to use for crosstraining.^[1] The team began rowing out of the Thompson's Boat Center on the Potomac River but moved to the Anacostia Community Boathouse on the Anacostia River in 2004.

Stonewall Regatta

Stonewall Regatta is the only rowing regatta in North America hosted by an LGBTQ+ rowing club. It was named in honor of the Stonewall riots and is held in June to coincide with DC Pride (LGBTQ culture) month festivities. It celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Stonewall is one of the first regattas of the Mid-Atlantic (United States) sprint season. In 2025, 23 teams from across the United States of America competed, including Potomac Boat Club, Annapolis Rowing Club, Chicago Rowing Union, Ann Arbor Rowing Club, and Harlem River Community Rowing. ^[2]

In 2024, the rowing governing body, US Rowing, allowed the Stonewall to accept entries for exclusively nonbinary gender races in the single scull, double scull, pair, quad scull, and four categories. ^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Just Another Crew in the Shell Game: For Gay Rowing Club, Sexual Preference Ends When Athletic Performance Begins". The Washington Post. 1994-09-28. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
^ "Stonewall Regatta XXXl". Regatta Central. 2025-06-01. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
^ "USRowing Adds Stonewall Regatta as First Ever Community Partner". US Rowing. 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-08-28.

[WashingtonPost1994-1] "Just Another Crew in the Shell Game: For Gay Rowing Club, Sexual Preference Ends When Athletic Performance Begins". The Washington Post. 1994-09-28. Retrieved 2025-08-28.

[RegattaCentral2025-2] "Stonewall Regatta XXXl". Regatta Central. 2025-06-01. Retrieved 2025-08-28.

[USRowing2024-3] "USRowing Adds Stonewall Regatta as First Ever Community Partner". US Rowing. 2024-05-29. Retrieved 2025-08-28.

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