In ancient Greece, the Olympics were a fierce competition. Kingdoms sent the best of the best to compete in footraces, wrestling, spear throwing, and other contests in order to bring honor to their people and worship their gods.
Last weekend in Greenfield, the Olympics took on a slightly different, sillier approach to the fierce competition. Last Ditch held its first-ever Queer & Trans Olympics on Friday, bringing together dozens of queer athletes for a night of wig snatching, slime wrestling, eating contests and more.
The event, which was loosely inspired by previous events held at 10 Forward, before it closed and became the lesbian bar Last Ditch, was about bringing LGBTQ+ community members together for a night of fun and challenge.
“Everything is challenge by choice. Just thinking about making space, taking space and participating. Don’t go too hard, and don’t hurt yourself,” Co-host Olly Kelly told competitors.
Events consisted of a relay where teams competed in a race to put on sex toys, putting on nails and eyelashes, walking in heels, walking a fellow contestant on a leash, “shooting their shot,” tug of war, and slimy wrestling. Contestants also participated in lesbian themed trivia, slam poetry, a race to eat watermelons and hot dogs, pin the jockstrap on the booty, and lastly, a wig snatching contest.
In true lesbian fashion, points were measured with carabiners. Participants competed for a chance to win a $100 prize, as well as prizes donated from Looky Here in Greenfield and Bookends in Florence.
“Whoever has the most carabiners at the end wins our $100 cash prize,” Kelly said.
Throughout the night, queers laughed and cheered, rooting on their friends as they struggled to glue on nails or come up with pick-up lines to “shoot their shot” and toss a cardboard beachball into a hula hoop.
“If you’re not wearing nails, you’re not doing drag,” Co-host Kennedy Bufford joked. “It’s not easy being a femme, but it’s so worth it.”
Despite the silly and friendly vibes present at Last Ditch, competition was fierce, and competitors put their all into the various events.
“What an honor and privilege it is to see the greatest competitors in this country go head to head. Who’d’ve thought it’d be in a basement in Greenfield,” Last Ditch Co-owner Asa Rosario said.
Hazel Fogarty, a Human Resources Technology Specialist at Smith College, took first place and said it was an honor to win and represent the trans community.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “I help run the trans liberation group and all we want to do is lift up other trans folks and fight for our rights.”
Fogarty said the group, which is a sub-committee of the River Valley chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, meets monthly to protect the rights of transgender and non-binary workers in western Massachusetts.
Fogarty said the hardest event was actually the poetry contest, where all the competitors scrambled to grab slips of paper with words written on them and rearrange them into a poem on the spot.
“Having to just scramble with everyone else with a pile of words on the floor was alot,” Fogarty said.
Fogarty said she hopes the event becomes an annual one, as it was a fun night. Kelly agreed and thanked all the competitors who came out to make the Olympics a great night for the LGBTQ+ community.
“We’re a really big, weird family. I love it,” Kelly said.