The PDC's annual support of Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign will increase in 2023 with the use of the trans flag on stage at the Cazoo Players Championship Finals this weekend. 👉 bit.ly/23RainbowLaces
The PDC is once again participating in the annual Rainbow Laces campaign this year. The organization behind this campaign supports LGBTQ+ people in the United Kingdom and seeks to contribute to a positive change in public opinion.
The Rainbow Laces campaign, now in its 11th year, promotes inclusivity in sports and supports the work of agency programs in all walks of life.
For several years, the PDC has participated in this initiative. At the Players Championship Finals this weekend, the PDC's logo on stage will adopt the campaign's rainbow logo.
Players will also have the opportunity to support the Rainbow Laces campaign by wearing a pin on their game jersey. Rainbow laces for shoes will also be provided.
Noa-Lynn van Leuven has been presented by the PDC as one of the faces of this campaign. Van Leuven is a Dutch trans woman who made her debut at the Women's World Matchplay in Blackpool earlier this year. Van Leuven became the first transwoman ever at a television tournament at the PDC.
Matt Porter, general manager at the PDC, is pleased with this development. "Darts is a sport which perhaps traditionally hasn't had the most diverse of backgrounds and participants, so it was important for us to show our support for Rainbow Laces and to show that the PDC is an inclusive space where anybody who is interested in darts, anybody who likes playing darts, watching darts, following darts can come and do so and enjoy it."
"This year we had our first trans competitor playing on a TV stage and I think it's important to show inclusivity, that you're welcome regardless of your background - and we want you to know that the PDC is somewhere can come and feel that you're not going to have any level of harassment, any level of prejudice and you're going to be able to do what you enjoy doing, which in Noa-Lynn's case is playing darts, without any form of problem," Porter commented. "Noa-Lynn playing at the Winter Gardens made a big statement at a time when trans athletes in sport were attracting headlines, so it was important to show that Noa-Lynn's participation was something that was very welcomed."
Van Leuven herself is also very pleased with the PDC's participation in this inclusivity campaign. "I'm really happy with the way the PDC is showing inclusion and showing how it can be," Van Leuven said. "It's great that the PDC shows inclusion in darts. It helps me to play in the tournaments but I think it also helps a lot of others to also play in those tournaments."
The PDC's annual support of Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign will increase in 2023 with the use of the trans flag on stage at the Cazoo Players Championship Finals this weekend. 👉 bit.ly/23RainbowLaces