Crowds gather at Thomas Boyland Park in Bushwick to watch a pickup basketball tournament. Despite the rain, the players continued playing, their hair sticking to their foreheads and their shirts sticking to their skin. As the clock expired, AJ, the team captain wearing a pink T-shirt, fired the ball from half court, sinking the basket and sounding the buzzer. Her team’s hands fly into the air in celebration, while the players on the opposing team also stretch their hands in frustration.
This is the Basketdolls, an all-trans streetball pickup league in Brooklyn, New York. Team AJ will face Team Nora at the Doll Star Game on September 28th. This game features the best performers of the Dolls for All summer competition at the beginning of the month.
With team names like Whore Moans, Metropolitan Trans Authority, and New York LiberT-Slurs, there’s no question that this is a community by and for trans people. In contrast to the uniqueness of the team’s name, there is a gruesome atmosphere on the court. “This competition was the perfect balance of people trying hard and taking it seriously, but also people coming in to have fun,” said Jae Grumulaitis, 24, a member of Cunning Stunts. I’ll tell you. “When someone scores me a goal, I think, ‘Great shot.’
