A Brief History of the CGSL

A recruiting poster that reads, “Gay Softball: The Cabbagetown Group Softball League invites men and women to join in the 1980 season...”.

An orange button badge, 5.5 cm in diameter, featuring a baseball, on which is printed: "C.G.S.L.” (Photo by M. Pereira).

A trophy, 16 cm high, featuring a bat-wielding figurine and inscribed with the recipient name, team and year, “Jack Brannigan / Bloor Station / 1982” (Photo by M. Pereira).

A “Pink Toronto Awards" plaque, inscribed with the date, the title and recipient name, "Sunday, March 28th, 1999 / Outstanding Community Volunteer Award / Cathy Craig” (Photo by M. Pereira). 

The CGSL, founded in 1975 by Barry Borsellino, Jack Brannigan, and Warren
Shepell, to provide opportunities for members of the LGBTQ community to
engage proudly in organized sport, became a sodality promoting gay
liberation and a recreational hub. In the the fourth year of the CGSL’s existence
(1978), the league was a founding member of the North American Gay
Alliance (NAGA) comprised of five cities including Toronto, New York, Milwaukee, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This organization evolved into
the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA), under whose
aegis the annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) was established. The
CGSL began holding its annual Canada Cup tournament in 1978, hosting
teams across Canada and the USA. In 1979, the executive imparted a
more structured organization to the league, publishing a constitution and a
newsletter. Organization led to conflict over modus operandi regarding
whether the league should be competitive or recreational in nature. In 1980,
those seeking to prioritize athleticism over participation separated from the
CGSL, creating the Riverdale Softball League (RSL). In 1981, the CGSL
hosted the fifth annual GSWS in Toronto, and the RSL was excluded from
participating. In 1983, a rapprochement between the two leagues
occurred. Thereafter, both competitive and recreational divisions were
sustained. While teams were originally mixed, in the 1990s, a separate
women's league was briefly instituted. In addition to holding membership
drives and organizing regular season games, the executive committee
organized frequent social events, including fundraising dances, award
banquets and charity events, many of which were held at The 519 Community
Centre.