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Overview
These stirrups were worn by the Amazon Softball team from the 1970s till the 1990s in conjunction with a pair of black knickerbockers. The stirrups are made from purple stretchy material and were pulled on like a sock and looped under the players boot to keep the knickerbockers in place. Knickerbockers and stirrups were made popular by the New York Knicks, who first wore them in 1846 as part of their baseball uniform.
This pair of stirrups is part of a collection of objects that represents the Amazons 30 year presence in New Zealand. The collection spans the team’s history beginning in 1977, when the fight for gay liberation and homosexual law reform were in their prime, until they disbanded in 2011. Lesbian women joined this team for solidarity and to socialise with like-minded people. The Amazon Softball Club was an integral part of the gay rights and gay pride movement in Wellington.