11 August 13 - 19, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | scene and building a chosen family in the historic Oak Lawn area. But when the pan- demic shut down almost every bar in the city, his network was shattered. In the absence of a crucial piece of his so- cial life, he poured himself into his partner’s recreational rugby team, the Lost Souls. The team, which defines itself as inclusive, is 80% LGBTQ+ and a member of the larger network, International Gay Rugby (IGR), a nonprofit organization that offers commu- nity members competitive opportunities across the globe. The IGR has three teams in Texas, and the Lost Souls travel to Austin and Houston regularly for matches. For a while, Hilbert stayed on the side- lines with a Yeti full of chardonnay, standing weary of the contact sport and happy to re- main honorary team mom. Then, one sea- son, he was convinced to walk onto the field, and now he’s the president of the team. “There was a part of me that became missing,” says Hilbert. “Getting into rugby gave me that back. It gave me 40 brothers.” For Hilbert, building community was just as important as reclaiming a piece of life that felt designed to exclude him. Now, the Lost Souls take anyone and everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status (the team has no dues, and even offers health insurance through IGR membership), sexual identity or sporting experience. Statistically, there are very few openly gay professional athletes in contact sports. But Hilbert and his team are making space for themselves, highlighting the special bond that can only be built from a large man running directly at you at full speed. “We don’t allow each other to give up on ourselves,” says Hilbert. “Good is good enough, and we won’t let you fail on your own because we win as a team, we lose as a team.” Being on the team gives players a differ- ent sense of pride. Chances are, if you know a Lost Soul, they will never let you forget it. “Literally everybody knows us as the rugby boys,” says Hilbert. “We go out, we talk rugby all the time. We get people interested in it. Even people who don’t think that they would want to play, we’re like, ‘Come, just come watch us, support us, ring a cowbell.’” Hilbert says the people who test the lim- its of their comfort zone on the field are eas- ily adopted into the “quasi-family.” “For those who stick around and for those who embrace the team, the team em- braces them,” he says. “They feel that. They feel that they have that community. We are a team, but we are also a brotherhood.” Hilbert says for a lot of the LGBTQ+ community, finding safe spaces outside of bars, especially in the South in the current political climate, can be difficult. He speaks from firsthand experience. But teams like the Lost Souls offer his community a place to find peers before the sun goes down. “[Some members] may have just moved here or they didn’t like going to the bar scene,” says Hilbert. “They wanted to do something outside of the bar scene, and they found they don’t have to go to the bar to have people they’re comfortable with.” Batter up The value of team sports isn’t just improved cardiovascular health; it’s a deeply bonded community. You’re never too old or too inex- perienced to find a place on a team in Dallas, and once you do, it’s not going anywhere. “To see that teammates are willing to put their body in front of somebody to protect me — it’s just something that, until you play a game and experience it, you can’t under- stand,” Hilbert says. “Especially in this con- text: you rely on other people, you’re trusting these people to protect you. You’re trusting these people to take care of you and to make sure that you are safe. But at the same time, we’re having fun, and it’s OK to mess up, and they’re there to pick you up.” Photo by Yvonne Calloway Senior citizen softball in Carrollton “We’re having fun, and it’s OK to mess up, and they’re here to pick you up.” Want to keep reading Dallas Observer in print every week? Support us today by becoming an advertiser or member. D
