In a hard-fought battle under cloudless skies, the no-nonsense Dykes were too much for the flashy Divas, and defeated them 13-10 in Halifax's Pride Classic. The game took place in front of an over-capacity crowd, which spilled joyously into the outfield. 

The event was unlike any slow-pitch softball game this reporter had ever seen. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas at second base, congregations of divas in various stages of repose in the outfield, and at any moment one might see an errant diva wandering the field with a megaphone, shouting encouragement. One rarely, if ever, sees an at-bat in lingerie and stiletto heels, done with such style and grace.

In the game's later innings, as the Dykes began to pull away from the Divas, questionable tactics became the norm. The Divas tried to unsettle the Dykes by starting several good-natured brawls, and began helping star pitcher Dyna Mite to liberal doses of liquid courage. The crowd of several hundred cheered and hollered with every vaudevillian effort

The Divas put on one last surge, and it appeared that Dasani's towering home-run might change the game's momentum. But the Dykes held off the charge, and escaped with a narrow victory.  

Not that a reason is ever needed to play softball on a sunny summer's day, but Liz McQuaid, the game's organizer, and co-chair of the Halifax Pride Board, felt the need to explain the mind-boggling event that had just taken place. Says McQuaid:

"A lot of people ask why we still do Pride Week in Canada, when we have so many rights. We do it because there's still people in the world that can't do this. They can't come out in all their wonderfulness and have a Dykes versus Divas ballgame, where they can assemble and represent what they believe in and what they are. So we do this until everybody in the world has the right to do this."

​Halifax Pride Events Continue all week long. Check ​www.halifaxpride.com ​for details.