{"id":3678,"date":"2025-10-15T00:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/3678\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T00:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T00:57:08","slug":"orlando-otters-rugby-team-drops-2026-calendar-ahead-of-new-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/3678\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Otters rugby team drops 2026 calendar ahead of new season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not only are the Orlando Otters back on the field for another season, they\u2019re spicing things up off the field, too. With the launch of their first-ever team calendar, the LGBTQIA+ rugby club is raising both eyebrows and funds as they prepare for next August\u2019s Bingham Cup in Brisbane, Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Packed with sweat, grit and a good dose of cheek, the thirst-trap fundraiser is also a declaration of intent: The Otters are here to play, to protest and to belong.<\/p>\n

Formed in December 2021, the Orlando Otters had a set purpose from day one: create a safe, supportive space where LGBTQ+ people and allies could play rugby. Not just as an afterthought, but as a home.\u00a0 According to founding member Bobby Baldwin \u2014 who went from never touching a rugby ball to joining the Otters\u2019 leadership board within months \u2014 the inspiration for the Otters came from both the values of rugby (teamwork, grit, connection) and from seeing the void in Orlando\u2019s sporting landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Orlando Otters were started with the goal of creating a safe, supportive space where members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies could experience rugby in a fun, productive and exciting welcoming environment,\u201d Baldwin tells Orlando Weekly.<\/p>\n

Since its inception, the team has become something more than just athletes playing a game. According to Baldwin, \u201cthe Otters have created a community unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen. Anybody is welcome to join, and everyone is valued. As cheesy as it sounds, we\u2019re a family. We\u2019ve supported each other on and off the field, both in sport and in our personal lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Otters are steadfast in their commitment to inclusivity, welcoming men, women, nonbinary players and straight allies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Jai Lozy, a nonbinary player, the team\u2019s culture has been life-changing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been the only female on many teams in the past \u2014 queer and straight. The Otters are the only ones that didn\u2019t treat me like I couldn\u2019t keep up with the big guys,\u201d says Lozy. \u201cThey never let me feel left out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inclusivity extends to women, too. Jenna Schmidt, who plays with both the Otters and the Orlando Women\u2019s Rugby team, recalls how welcoming the Otters were when she first showed up late to practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cLogan, one of the players, came up to me, introduced himself, explained the drill and encouraged me to jump in,\u201d says Schmidt. \u201cPeople started to notice me and smile and excitedly introduce themselves, and I was brought into the fold just like any other player would have been. That really set the tone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lozy thrives on the physicality of the sport. \u201cWhen I first started, I made it clear that if they didn\u2019t tackle me like they would anyone else, it would only be doing me a disservice. Since then, my ability to take on men twice my size has only gotten better,\u201d says Lozy. \u201cTeam sports is about learning skills and conditioning your body. Your gender has nothing to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar to Lozy\u2019s experience, Schmidt says that she appreciates that coaches have jokingly told people to hit her harder. \u201c[Players] can be a little hesitant \u2014 I\u2019m 5-foot-1 and 135 pounds, so that probably doesn\u2019t help! I think I\u2019ve shown that scrappy, gritty players come in all sizes and genders. That shouldn\u2019t stop anyone from playing on the competitive field they choose.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Florida, where legislation has banned transgender women from women\u2019s sports teams, the Otters\u2019 open-door policy is an act of resistance. Team Captain Drew Perez says that the team is a safe place \u201cfilled with love, connection, growth, good times and great people. Now more than ever, queer spaces are needed. The few that remain need to be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Otters\u2019 2026 calendar isn\u2019t just for fun. It\u2019s a fundraiser for the Bingham Cup, the biennial world championship of gay and inclusive rugby. Named after Mark Bingham, a San Francisco rugby player and gay rights advocate who died as a passenger on United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, the Cup is organized by International Gay Rugby. Since its founding in 2002, the Bingham Cup has grown into the world\u2019s largest amateur rugby tournament, celebrating diversity and inclusion on the global stage.<\/p>\n

For the Otters, Brisbane isn\u2019t just another tournament, it\u2019s a major milestone and opportunity to meet other queer players from around the world. \u201cMy favorite part of being an Otter is traveling as a team for games and tournaments,\u201d says Vinnie, a straight man. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten the opportunity to travel to places I\u2019ve never been with some of the coolest people I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enter the 2026 Otters calendar. Produced by the team with love and more than a few saucy winks, player Jae Dawson teases, \u201cY\u2019all are in for a treat when it comes to our team calendar! Lots of time and effort went into this project, and the final product will leave you wishing for more months of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perez adds that the calendar reflects more than just hot bods. \u201cWe hope that when people buy our calendar, it gives a glimpse of what our camaraderie looks like \u2014 people from all walks of life coming together.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many, the Otters aren\u2019t just a rugby team, they\u2019re a lifeline. Baldwin says joining gave him direction and purpose after the isolation of COVID-19. Dawson says the team got him through recovery from a broken arm suffered at a previous tournament. Lozy found a meaningful bond between queer men and women. Schmidt found confidence in her grit. Perez found family. Vinnie found lifelong friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cRugby is badass. Queer people are even more badass,\u201d says Lozy. \u201cThe two together only makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Otters\u2019 fall season continues with a Round Robin tournament Oct. 25 at Barnett Park, where they\u2019ll face the Charlotte Royals and Crescent City Rougaroux. Their final home match of 2025 is against the Charleston Blockade on Nov. 22. And of course the team will be posted up at this weekend\u2019s Come Out With Pride festivities.<\/p>\n

Contributor J.D. Casto is an Orlando photographer, writer and sports fan. He shot the Otters calendar gratis \u2014 simply for love of the game.<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.<\/p>\n

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This article appears in Oct. 15-21, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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