Recognition of 50th Anniversary of the Cabbagetown Group Softball League - by Councillor Paula Fletcher, seconded by Councillor Chris Moise

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The decision

2025-06-25 · Toronto City Council · adopted

As filed

City Council on June 25 and 26, 2025, adopted the following: 1. City Council extend warmest congratulations to the Cabbagetown Group Softball League on 50 years of Pride, Perseverance and Play.

The vote

Adopt Item · Carried, 19-0

For (19)Alejandra Bravo, Anthony Perruzza, Ausma Malik, Chris Moise, Dianne Saxe, Frances Nunziata, Gord Perks, Jamaal Myers, James Pasternak, Jon Burnside, Josh Matlow, Lily Cheng, Michael Thompson, Mike Colle, Paul Ainslie, Paula Fletcher, Rachel Chernos Lin, Shelley Carroll, Stephen Holyday

Absent (6)Amber Morley, Brad Bradford, Nick Mantas, Olivia Chow, Parthi Kandavel, Vincent Crisanti

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On the agenda

As the city filed it

Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate a remarkable milestone: the 50th anniversary of the Cabbagetown Group Softball League. Half a century ago, a group of trailblazers came together to form a baseball league where the gay community could gather in joy, camaraderie, and competition in a well-loved sport. The original constitution of the league spelled out its values to "provide and protect the opportunity for individuals

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who support the bonds of gay fellowship to play softball in an atmosphere of friendly competition, free of discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, sex, ability and sexual orientation." They had wanted to name the league Cabbagetown Gay Softball League, but instead had to choose a name that would allow them to secure field permits at a time when the City of Toronto would not issue a baseball permit to an openly gay league. So, the initials Cabbagetown Group Softball League had two meanings - one for the permit and one for the community. But their identity - and their mission to bring the fledgling open gay community together in sport - were never hidden. From those early games at Riverdale Park to today's vibrant and welcoming league, Cabbagetown Group Softball League has stood as a proud example of resilience, inclusion, and the power of community. The Cabbagetown Group Softball League is one of the founding members that formed the umbrella organization (North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association) which includes all the 50 plus gay softball leagues in North America. It hosts an annual gay softball World Series attended by 160+ teams with several levels of play. The Cabbagetown Group Softball League has hosted two gay World Series in 1981 and 2000. Some of the Cabbagetown Group Softball League members have been inducted into the Gay Baseball Hall of Fame. The league's history is also now well documented in Toronto's ARQuives. Sadly, in the early days, the Aids epidemic ended the lives of many of the founding team members and time has taken the lives of many of the others. But many new players, volunteers, and organizers have stepped in to keep todays' Cabbagetown Group Softball League thriving, building on the foundations set 50 years ago. Cabbagetown Group Softball League is more than a league - it's a legacy. To everyone who's ever taken the field, this milestone belongs to you.

Staff recommended

Councillor Paula Fletcher, seconded by Councillor Chris Moise, recommends that: 1. City Council extend warmest congratulations to the Cabbagetown Group Softball League on 50 years of Pride, Perseverance and Play.

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