More to be done for LGBT inclusion in sports, Preston rugby club says
Preston's Typhoons rugby club, which has been playing in the city since 2018, now say they are more popular than ever, despite ongoing challenges for the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think society has gotten better as the years have gone by, and it’s arguably better than it was. But I still think there is a massive place for a safe space for queer people to play sports and feel included in a team.”
That’s the verdict of Joanne Lloyd, communications officer and self-described mum of Typhoons RUFC.
Eight years after launching from “just a handful of members”, Preston’s only LGBTQ+ rugby club now say they are more popular than they have ever been - and are keener than ever to see more LGBTQ+ people get involved in team sports.
“We play in the International Gay Rugby League, playing against other inclusive clubs,” Joanne told the Lancashire Evening Post.
“In essence, there are two branches under our one club: You’ve got the Rugby Union, which is full-contact rugby, and then you’ve got Touch Rugby, which is non-contact.
“In the Union, we have male players, and the Touch team is fully inclusive. It doesn’t matter about size, age, gender, ability, or whether you’ve ever picked up a rugby ball - it’s completely inclusive for everyone.”
Typhoons RUFC have been playing in Preston since 2018, and kicked off thanks to the efforts of rugby enthusiast Lawrence Howard.
Speaking to the Lancashire Evening Post in 2018, Lawrence said he’d wanted to help challenge stigma around LGBTQ+ people in sports from both inside and outside the community.
“I never experienced any abuse when playing myself, but I think there is a perception that people could experience homophobia,” he said.
“Whether it is real or not, people have a perception that it is.”
Though she believes there have been improvements in society, Joanne says that these negative perceptions still remain an important issue.
“My best friend once said that when he was questioning his sexuality as a teenager and wanted to play team sports, he didn’t feel comfortable. [There are people on the team] who, because of experiences in school or later in life, just felt fearful of joining a team.
“It’s not an easy time for the community, particularly the trans community, so we find that we end up supporting people not just through playing rugby, but through a social side to the club as well.”
Research from Stonewall in 2024 found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of LGBTQ+ did not feel welcome in community sports.
They also found that a fifth (22 per cent) of LGBTQ+ who joined a fitness or sports group reported having experienced discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year.
In April 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that legal gender in UK equality law would be defined by sex assigned at birth.
Non-legally-binding guidance from the EHRC earlier this year states that transgender women should be made to use male facilities, and that transgender men could face being excluded from gendered facilities altogether.
For community sports groups such as the Typhoons, it also means there is no way for them to follow government guidance while still keeping trans-inclusive, gendered teams - any men’s group which includes transgender men would be forced to include women, and vice versa.
“It’s been a really difficult time with the court ruling,” Joanne said. “But even before the ruling came in, we always ensured that trans people had their own space if they wanted it.
“We’ve been doing that for a long time, just to make sure that our trans members are safe. We also give support from a welfare point of view; we have mental health first aiders who are there if anyone needs to talk.
“There are many, many of our members who are queer or trans who say this club saved their life. All these anecdotal things of the community feeling comfortable and safe and included whilst all this other stuff is going on nationally, internationally, at the minutes really makes us realise that that’s why we do what we do.”
Now looking ahead, the Typhoons are currently preparing for their next big venture: taking on Preston Pride 2026.
Having already visited other pride events across Lancashire, Joanne hopes that Preston Pride will be an opportunity for the teams to let loose - and to garner even more interest for new members.
“Big prides are wonderful and there’s a lot that goes on, but the smaller prides that we show up for are just as important,” Joanne said.
“Preston Pride is still fairly small and local, but it’s actually pretty well supported and we’ve been going there from when it first started. It’s really important that these smaller prides are still backed up and supported.
“[The Typhoons] have done really well and we continue to thrive, but we’re here all year for the queer community. Anybody can contact us and come down at any time.
“We’re here all the time - not just for pride season.”
The Typhoons meet twice a week at the Preston Grasshoppers club.
The Touch Rugby team meets every Monday at 7pm, and the Rugby Union every Thursday at 8pm.
More information is available on their website.