Your move: Event participants play the board game Splendor at The Sentry Box on January 24, 2025. Many games are played at Queer Calgary’s board game events, but games like Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, and Bonanza are most popular. (Photo by Catrina Bowles/The Press)
Scott Young doesn’t like curling.
That’s what he was advised to try when he wrote into writer Dan Savage’s sex advice column Savage Love – join a gay men’s curling team.
Young wanted to make friends in Calgary’s queer community but had no idea where to start. He found Savage’s advice “stereotypically Canadian,” but pretty much irrelevant to his interests.
So he started hunting, and stumbled upon something much more his speed. He found Queer Calgary’s board game event.
Young joined the non-profit in the early days of the event in 2022. Young found himself returning to help out more often, until eventually he officially joined the Queer Calgary team. He has volunteered at queer board game nights ever since.
“We get a number of people who potentially are not safe at home,” Young said. “They want a space away from that [where] they can meet people, make friends and be who they are.”
The board game nights are held at The Sentry Box, a board game store in Sunalta, and welcome queer individuals of all ages.
Event holders have a policy against photos and video to ensure the safety of the participants.
Despite not making any money directly from the free board game nights, Sentry Box event coordinator Liam McConnell likes that Sentry Box gets to exist as a “third place” – a place to spend time away from home and work – for the queer community.
“I think it’s had a positive impact on the place… reinforcing that it’s a safe space,” said McConnell.
The event flourished over the past few years by offering a welcoming place for queer folks to gather in a low-pressure social environment.
Some nights see up to 30 people packing Sentry Box’s upper balcony. Young estimates that 10 to 20 per cent of the crowd each week are newcomers.
Though Sentry Box can handle the size of the group, the venue has limitations.
“One of the things that comes up a bit is accessibility,” said Young. “The venue… doesn’t have ramps or access like that, and it’s a multi-level building.”
According to a 2022 survey, LGBTQ individuals with a disability make up a little more than two per cent of Canada’s population. Of these individuals, 20 per cent have a mobility disability.
Queer Calgary has been hunting for a venue that can accommodate those with limited mobility, but many places can’t handle the size of the gatherings.
At the Jan. 24 board game night, participant Ben Newton handed out handmade trans pride flag stickers bearing stripes scribbled with marker.
“There was an anti-trans protest that was going on downtown, and me and two friends went to a counter-protest,” said Newton. “I was introduced to this place through that … back in January.”
Participants play a vast range of games at the event, including classics like Settlers of Catan and Code Names.
Newton, a self-proclaimed “Dungeons & Dragons theatre kid,” said that tabletop role-playing games in particular appeal to the queer community.
“It allows you to be yourself in a world that does not include any kind of hatred or politicians using you as a punching bag,” said Newton.
The queer board game nights offer an escape – and you don’t need to like curling.
