Minnesota LGBTQ+ bar owner awarded inaugural St. Pauli 'Peace Prize'
An owner of an LGBTQ+ soccer bar in Minnesota has become the first recipient of a ‘Peace Prize’ issued by Bundesliga club St. Pauli.
Wes Burdine, whose bar - the Black Hart of Saint Paul - offers members of the queer community a safe space in which to enjoy football, has recently helped organise support for people affected by targeted immigration enforcement operations in the USA.
According to the St. Pauli website, the club’s Peace Prize is intended to honour “individuals and initiatives that actively stand for solidarity, togetherness and respectful coexistence” and makes “a deliberate statement at a time when the foundation of democratic and civil society is under increasing pressure”.
“This means a lot to me, and to this bar,” Burdine told St. Pauli’s official website. “Our job is to create communities and bring people together. The Black Hart exists because we wanted a queer soccer space - a place where people from all walks of life can come together, celebrate and build a community.
“In recent months, we’ve seen our neighbourhoods come under pressure, with our immigrant neighbours afraid to leave their homes. We believe soccer is one way to express our emotions - and to turn that passion into care for our communities.”
The award includes a donation to the Hamline Midway Diaper, Formula, Hygiene & Medical Supply Hub Fund - a charity chosen by Burdine which provides essential supplies to families in difficult circumstances and has already distributed hundreds of thousands of items.
“St. Pauli is a different kind of club,” Burdine added. “They stand for a different kind of soccer that fans around the world can aspire to.
“What we admire is their clarity - they wear their values openly, and they know exactly who they are and who they stand with.”
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