Team Message

To our fans, friends, and basketball family – 
 
We are pleased to be participating in Champion Pride Round and join our club and the league in the promotion of inclusion and diversity this season. 
 
We are all here because we love the game of basketball, and we hope there is a safe space in our sport that respects everyone equally, without discrimination. 
 
We all bring different backgrounds, cultures and experiences to the group, and we embrace the diversity of our team. We don’t have to agree with each other, to love each other. 
 
Some of us have LGBTIQA+ people in our families and want nothing more than to represent them in a positive and spirited way.  
 
This initiative should be a celebration; however, our team has already been subjected to a barrage of abuse and harmful commentary that has led to individuals being targeted and shamed. 
 
This is a negative distraction to what should be a positive experience across the game, and now we feel as though our only choice as a team is to collectively opt out of this season’s uniforms. 
 
This is not a reflection of our individual stances or personal views, but a protection of our brothers that are being set up to be vilified and no longer feel as though they have a safe space in our sport.
 
Positive change requires positive action, and we believe we can champion different people and groups in our society without persecuting others in the process. 
 
We hope everyone finds it in their hearts to understand. 
 
We love all of you, and this week, we particularly love the LGBTIQA+ community. 
 
Time to hoop. 
 
The Taipans Playing Group