As part of Pride Month, Curling Québec aims to highlight the initiatives, journeys, and experiences that help make our sport a welcoming, inclusive, and enriching environment. For this second article in our series, we look back at the origins of the first LGBTQ+ curling league in Quebec. We met with Louis Ricard and Joël Dubé, the two founders, who proudly shared how a group of friends from the softball community discovered curling and founded a league that still exists today.
In 2002, Louis Ricard and Joël Dubé were already well known within Montreal’s LGBTQ+ sports community. The two friends took part in various leagues, including softball, as well as different community social activities. Curling, however, was not part of their plans.
“We were playing board games during the Salt Lake City Olympic Games and there was curling on TV. We wondered: we’ve never tried this. Would we like it?”, recalls Louis Ricard.
He then booked ice time at the Longue-Pointe Curling Club in Montreal’s East End (now closed) for a two-hour introduction. Eight people showed up. “After our first game, we went for a beer and decided to found a league,” he adds with a smile.
With this idea in mind, Louis Ricard and Joël Dubé looked for an easily accessible club to host their project. They chose the Royal Montreal Curling Club, located in downtown Montreal, where they decided to rent ice once a week for their activities.
In the very first season, twelve teams registered. But how do you go from eight curious participants to twelve teams in one season? “We already had a community,” explains Joël Dubé. At the time, the Montreal LGBTQ+ softball league brought together nearly 250 players and participants. “Finding around fifty people interested in curling wasn’t that difficult. Since many didn’t have a winter sport, curling was an ideal way to stay active,” he notes. The duo also placed ads in Fugues Magazine, a Quebec LGBTQ+ media outlet focused on society and culture, which also helped attract new members. Once preparations were complete, it was at the Royal Montreal Curling Club that the first LGBTQ+ curling league in Quebec was officially founded in 2002.
The league, named Les Fous du Roi, quickly grew. A few years later, the increase in membership, logistical constraints, and differing expectations led to discussions to find solutions. In 2009, the league split into two: Les Fous du Roi, which became more competitive, and a second, more recreational league, the Phénix. Today, both leagues still exist and, despite this initial distinction, the level of play has become very similar between the two groups, with some members participating in both leagues.
Louis Ricard on the left and Joël Dubé on the right, in 2002 at the Royal Montreal Curling Club
Today, the two co-founders can be found at the Towjn of Mount-Royal Curling Club, in the Phénix league. Played on Wednesday nights and bringing together up to 16 teams, this league has become one of the most popular in the club. Its growth relies mainly on word of mouth: “About 80% of people come through word of mouth: friends, family, colleagues,” explains Louis Ricard. The other players are often experienced curlers from other cities or newcomers to Montreal looking to continue practicing their sport.
The league also stands out for its diversity, with a presence of ally participants. “I would say about 80% LGBTQ+ and 20% allies,” estimates Joël Dubé. But beyond the numbers, it is the atmosphere that truly defines the experience for participants. “There are people who play with us simply because they enjoy the atmosphere,” adds Louis Ricard.
Over the years, the league’s structure has also evolved. Initially organized through ice rentals, like at Royal Montreal, the league and its members were officially integrated into the Ville Mont-Royal Curling Club a few years ago, allowing for greater inclusion in the life of the club without major changes to its functioning.
When asked for advice for groups looking to create an LGBTQ+ league elsewhere in Quebec, the founders first emphasize simplicity and openness. “The best way is to start recreationally, accepting that mistakes will happen without judgment,” explains Joël Dubé. “And above all, you need to create social activities alongside the sport,” he adds, as these informal moments help strengthen bonds and introduce new people to the league. For example, the league organizes an annual barbecue, board game nights, and informal gatherings.
They also stress the importance of not operating in isolation. “You need to encourage members to take part in bonspiels everywhere, not just within their own league,” adds Louis Ricard. “The curling network is much larger than each club individually.” Finally, they remind that openness to allies is essential. “This is not a closed league. There is no discrimination, and allies are always welcome” says Joël Dubé. “That’s how friendships are formed.”
The founders also emphasize their desire to continue welcoming new members, particularly women, who are still underrepresented in the league, and they repeatedly return to this issue: “We would like to have more women in our teams.”
They therefore invite interested people to try curling during open houses at the beginning or during the season. “Even in our league, there is room for everyone,” adds Louis Ricard, “no matter your level, you can have fun.”
In addition to his involvement in the league, Joël Dubé is now president of the Ville Mont-Royal Curling Club — a natural continuation for someone who, more than twenty years ago, took his first steps on the ice without imagining it would become an important part of the LGBTQ+ curling community in Quebec.
