This First Person column is written by Bailey Ross, who lives in Halifax, and is part of a Canada Day series exploring what Canada means to people across this country. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.
To me, there’s nothing more Canadian than the sport of curling.
I grew up in Digby, N.S. This rural community was picturesque, but there wasn’t a lot to do as a gay teenager with big city dreams. I didn’t always feel like I belonged.
Then one day, I stumbled across a community breakfast hosted by the tight-knit Digby Curling Club. If you haven’t been to a curling club, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Many Canadians, at some point in their lives, might find themselves within a club’s four walls — not just to curl, but for fundraisers, weddings, birthday parties, and to vote during elections. In Digby, my curling club hosted one of my sister’s birthday parties, a multitude of political debates and forums, as well as fundraiser tournaments to raise funds for my high school curling team and volunteer trips.
In addition to Digby, I’ve also curled in Clare, Kentville and Dartmouth, N.S. No matter where I lived, I always found a home in a curling club. And in every club I joined, I was fortunate to be surrounded by members who defended my identity unconditionally. However, I was always one of the few queer curlers in a room full of straight folks. I was welcomed and loved, but not surrounded by my people.
I didn’t know what it would mean to find a community of curlers that didn’t just embrace me, but who understood me on a deeper level.
In 2023, I moved to Halifax to start my career as a French high school teacher. When I came across an article about a queer-friendly curling league operating out of the Mayflower Curling Club — home of curling greats like Colleen Jones and her powerhouse women’s rink — I knew this was the place I had to be.
Curling icon Colleen Jones to enter N.S. Sport Hall of Fame
My first day at Loose Ends Curling League was an absolute thrill. For the first time, I found myself in a curling league where queer curlers dominated the scene.
I had no idea that my curling caught the attention of some of the other curlers in the rink, who I found later were watching me and commentating.
“Go watch her! Yes, that one over there. She can slide!”
(In our league, many of us refer to each other as being queens, something that has long been part of queer culture.)
I was quickly embraced by the members of the Loose Ends Curling League. It was as if I’d been there since the very moment of its inception, back in 2006.
Although I knew I was a good curler, I couldn’t believe it when a team invited me to represent the league at the 2024 Canadian Pride Curling Championship.
The feeling of being at my first nationals in St. John’s was electric. Just a couple of months ago, I didn’t even know that this event existed. Now here I was, representing Nova Scotia’s national queer community on a national stage. Fun fact: On my national team, with much love and endearment, our “regal” titles now range from Her Majesty to Her Royal Pain in Our Highnesses.
I’ve now curled, coached and officiated for 18 years. I have developed lifelong bonds with so many curlers. I’m part of a pan-Canadian community of like-minded folks who are never more than a phone call away, no matter where I may be living within this enormous, breathtaking country.
These local leagues provide me and my fellow queer curlers an environment in which we feel completely safe, accepted and loved. When I’ve faced blatant homophobia in the form of common microaggressions and even threats of physical violence in a local bar, my fellow Loose Ends members have sat me down and demanded to know “the tea” so they can provide the listening ear I needed in that moment. No matter what may be going on around us, we can just be a bunch of curlers being ourselves under one roof.
Our deep expression of queer pride made me an even prouder Canadian.
As the tides of global order begin to turn, forcing me to reflect on what it means to be Canadian, one answer consistently comes to mind. Canada is a nation of kindness and acceptance, an internationally recognized pillar of democracy and human rights. Last but not least, we are lovers of poutine, hockey, and of course, curling.
In curling, we call the scoring area “the house.” Our house is Canada. And although our country may not be perfect, my goodness, I feel privileged to call it home.
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