Out to Swim
British aquatic sports club for LGBTQ+ people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Out To Swim is a British aquatics sport club offering swimming, water polo[1] and artistic swimming club for predominantly LGBTQ+ people and allied members. The club was founded by AGM when the name was agreed in March 1992.[citation needed] In 2006 "Out to swim Brighton" was formed in Brighton and Hove[2] and 2018 "Out To Swim West" in Bristol.[3]
Inspired by the swimming teams at the Gay Games in Vancouver in 1990, the club has competed at national and international competitions; it has expanded to include a synchronized swimming team, and regularly competes in open water events.[1][4] Their first annual swimming competition was held in 1997 and attracted 23 gay and straight teams from all over Europe.[5]
In June 2012 a team of six members from the club swam the English Channel for charity.[6]
The club is also one of the few aquatics clubs in the world that offers men participation in synchronised swimming. In 2012 the club were part of a campaign for men to be allowed to compete in synchronized swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[7] Until 2022 artistic swimming was one of only two Olympic sports that discriminate on the basis of gender.[8]
In 2019 Out To Swim registered as a charity in England & Wales with the stated aim of "The promotion, for the public benefit, of equality and diversity in swimming and other aquatic sports".[9]
Out To Swim is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Aquatics[10] association and European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF).[11]