By Jordan Parker

The HRM Pride Bowls club is making an inclusive impact in lawn bowling in the province.

The organization — started in summer 2024 by president Curtis Cartmill and vice-president Kevin Stewart — began with 30 members and has now risen to 42. 

“We just wanted something for the queer community, and we thought this was a perfect sport for it,” said Stewart, who also serves as vice-president of Bedford Lawn Bowls and junior program director for Lawn Bowls Nova Scotia. 

“We took the lawn bowls idea to the Loose Ends Curling AGM in the spring of 2024, and many members of that group joined us. From there, word of mouth took over and we posted on Pride Groups online. We were so happy with what came of it.” 

They held a learn-to-bowl program in May, and this season will see them rotate to different clubs in HRM to play. All players must join as a full member at one of the area clubs to enjoy Pride Bowls.  

They play a number of different nights this season, and there is no pressure to show up every week. 

“Whoever shows up is perfect. We make teams on-site and do a social, competitive game. We can play in fours, triples, doubles or singles depending on the size of our group,” he said. 

Stewart’s reason for wanting a 2SLGBTQIA+ lawn bowling club was simple – there wasn’t one.  

“I just felt we needed more diversity and inclusivity in a game I loved, and this was a perfect way to do it. The sport is so accessible and it’s appropriate for everyone. People of different ages, sizes, shapes and abilities can all play,” he said. 

There are a number of other clubs focused on the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the city, including Loose Ends Curling, Halifax Rainbow Dodgeball, the Halifax Mussels hockey group and the East Coast Rainbow Softball Association. Stewart said the lawn bowls club is just another fabulous option. 

“We complement other queer sports and clubs and just give another avenue for those in our community to enjoy sport,” he said.  

“It feels great to have people come out and see support from the community. It adds to the socialization of it all. This is a low-impact sport and also incredibly accessible to those with disabilities.” 

They were recently nominated for a Sport Nova Scotia Support4Sport Award in the Sport Makes a Difference category and Stewart says it was a nice feather in the cap. 

“It just shows me that we’re doing something right. We are being recognized by those around us and we’re making an impact. It feels really good,” he said. 

“We just hope that we can continue to grow and bring people in, whether they’ve played before or not.” 

The Pride Bowls club have an upcoming event titled Come Out and Try It – Post-Parade Extravaganza after the Halifax Pride Parade on July 19. If you’d like to get involved, email hrmpridebowls@gmail.com.  

Those who would like to learn more can visit facebook.com/hrmpridebowls.