Worldwide Roar (organization)

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The Worldwide Roar (formerly Warwick Rowers) is a mental-health project and a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting healthier masculinity for social change.

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The project began by tackling homophobia in sport through the use of sport-based male nudity.  It has since broadened its scope to promote healthier masculinity as a route to LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality and ending structural racism. [1] [2] [3]

History

In 2009, Worldwide Roar (then known as Warwick Rowers) was initiated by Angus Malcolm, who later founded registered charity Sport Allies, as a sports-based advocacy program. Malcolm is an LBGTQ activist who created a naked calendar featuring straight sportsmen as a direct challenge to homophobia in sporting culture. Initially, profits from sales went to funding the rowing club at the University of Warwick.

Since 2009, the project has become popular among the LGBTQ+ community and celebrity fans. In 2014, the project funded and supported the development of Sport Allies, a registered charity focused on making sport a leader in promoting diversity and inclusion.

In October 2017, the Sport Allies charity was nominated for the European Diversity Awards. Over the years, the project has received global recognition as a gay/straight alliance and advocacy for LBGTQ+ inclusion, social equality and related charitable fundraising initiatives. [4] [5] [1] [6]

The organisation is known for its charity fundraising annual calendar. It has been voted two times the "United Kingdom's Charity Calendar of the year" along with other national calendar awards.

In 2019, Worldwide Roar funded Sport Allies' collaboration with the London Film School and SKY Sports to create three "Spotlight" short films, a new series about sports inclusion.

In 2019, Worldwide Roar celebrated the tenth anniversary of its calendar with a centrefold of Robbie Manson, the LGBTQ+ world cup champion, world-record holder as fastest rower, and two-time Olympic athlete. By 2019, the project had garnered over 200,000 followers on Instagram. [7] [8] [9] [10] [1]

In 2019, Warwick Rowers was internationally rebranded as Worldwide Roar. After launching an international appeal for help, organisations like British Rowing and Sport England supported the organisation with recruitment of more diverse men from different sports.

In April 2020, Worldwide Roar provided entertainment via social media and newsletters as a measure to sustain morale during Covid-19. [11] [2]

Charitable work

Worldwide Roar funds Sport Allies, a registered charity working to promote inclusion and combat homophobia that receives all the profits of Worldwide Roar. By 2020, the organisation had received over £100,000 or 129,000 USD in donations from the Worldwide Roar project. [11] [8] [10] [3]

Controversy

Their calendar was banned in Russia for featuring nude poses of men and gay propaganda in 2018.

In 2016, YouTube temporarily suspended the organisation's channel. [12] [2]

Worldwide Roar posts images within Instagram's published guidelines on occasions including International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, LGBT Pride and International Women’s Day.  Problems began when Instagram deleted some of its posts due to an alleged breach of community guidelines. On 26 May 2018, Worldwide Roar's Instagram account was deleted without warning for breaching Instagram's nudity policy. Instagram apologized for removing the account in error and restored the account as it did not breach any of Instagram's nudity policies. [13] [12] [14]

Achievements

Worldwide Roar has been voted two times as the "United Kingdom's Charity Calendar of the year". [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "National Inclusion Week: Sport Allies and Warwick Rowers team up with London Otters RC". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 19 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Schultz, Ken (15 April 2020). "Warwick Rowers help LGBTQ fans get through quarantine". Outsports. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 Abrams, Print Sean (24 October 2019). "The Worldwide Roar Is 'Changing How We Look at Men' With a Global Campaign". Askmen India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Spirus, Dr (20 December 2018). "Warwick Rowers are welcoming 2019!". Yass Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Hartley, Laura (23 December 2018). "Look: Warwick Rowers' men bare all for 2019 calendar". CoventryLive. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Oar-some! Warwick Rowers charity up for diversity award". outnewsglobal.com. 20 October 2017. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Atléticos, guapos y divertidos: los Warwick Rowers se desnudan por una buena causa". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2019. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Warwick Rowers Talk Nude Athletes, Future Calendars, and Masculinity". www.out.com. 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Zeigler, Cyd (22 October 2018). "Warwick Rowers include gay World Cup champ Robbie Manson in new calendar". Outsports. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  10. 1 2 e (19 October 2018). "Warwick Rowers enlist Robbie Manson for tenth anniversary calendar". Werow. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Naked rowers protect modesty with towels in calendar to challenge homophobia". Metro. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Warwick Rowers' Instagram is back after being deleted". PinkNews. 19 June 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Morgan, Joe (19 June 2018). "Pro-LGBTI group Warwick Rowers banned from Instagram". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Instagram Deleted These 10 Photos of the Hot Warwick Rowers (See Them All Here)". www.out.com. 14 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
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