San Francisco Fog gay rugby club building community, expanding horizons of sports

IF YOU WALK into the Pilsner Inn, a gay bar in the Castro, on Thursday nights around 10:30, you’ll be sure to find a group in the back patio with a pitcher or two of beer, possibly playing a drinking game. They’re mostly men, mostly gay or queer, and mostly in their 20s or 30s — but anyone’s welcome if you show up.

Then you might notice some things: a bandage and a mouthguard here, or a sweaty shirt and a bruised thigh there. Soon you’re uncovering the common thread that brought them together, tonight as always, seen in the blue logo emblazoned on their clothes. This is the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club, and they’ve just come from practice.