Getting to Know…Vincent Fuqua
Mother Theresa once said “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.”
While no one would confuse San Francisco Gay Softball League (SFGSL) Commissioner Vincent Fuqua with Mother Theresa (Vincent is way taller), the ripples of lives impacted by the Black, African-American, Gay man in San Francisco are many.
Fuqua grew up in a neighborhood in Southern California that most people don’t want to spend any time in.
“There were a lot of gangs, a lot of drugs, a lot of violence,” he said. So naturally, he hid his sexuality. “There was no way in heck I was going to be able to come out in the neighborhood I was in. It was not a safe place.”
So, like millions had done for decades before him, in 1989, at the ripe old age of 19, he took off to San Francisco to be his authentic self.
In a fortuitous piece of timing, that was also the year the SFGSL was looking to expand and its leadership reached out to LYRIC in hopes they would bring on a youth team. Once Fuqua heard that, he was all in. “I wanted to join,” he said. “There was no hesitation whatsoever.”
Despite his enthusiasm, Fuqua wasn’t exactly a jock. “I never played organized sports. I had asthma and so my mom wouldn’t let me.”
But asthma wasn’t the only reason Fuqua hadn’t really put himself out there.
“Believe it or not, I was a very shy kid.”
But that same motivation that brought him to San Francisco, to be his authentic self, was the same thing driving him to the softball league. Once he got there, Fuqua felt something very different.
“I was excited about playing and just being on the field with other gay athletes” he said. “It was just so cool.”
Fuqua would play in C for about three years. “And then later on, I was congratulated for winning the Player of Year award for C division, and then it was mentioned that I was moving up to the B division,” Fuqua recalled while laughing.
“That was a totally different experience. I was like, Hello! These people are good! I am not that good. But, it forced me to get better. I worked at it.”
He would play in the B Division until the year he turned 50.
But playing in the upper divisions would hardly be Fuqua’s only contribution.
About 10 years after he joined the SFGSL, someone from the league’s Ratings Committee invited him to join their group. Not long after that he joined the league’s board. Then, in 2008, Fuqua would be appointed to the position of Commissioner, a position he has held for the last 17 years, making him the longest-serving commissioner in the history of the SFGSL and the longest currently serving league commissioner in International Pride Softball.
In all his years of service as Commissioner, Fuqua has never had an opponent run against him. That’s over eight elections and not once has anyone thought they could do a better job. That’s probably because of who he is as a leader.
“Even if we didn’t always agree, the people in my league knew I always did what I thought was best for the players and league overall in San Francisco. But if I made a mistake, I would own it,” he said. “I think they also know that I will fight for them and look out for them. I got their back.”
That kind of appreciation for service is rare in queer softball. That isn’t lost on Fuqua. “It means a lot to me.”
During our conversation I asked him to look back and tell me what he’s most proud of, after more than 30 years.
“The thing that makes me the happiest is when folks feel welcome, when they feel included, and seen, and allowed to be their true self. As a leader that means a lot to me. It means I’m creating a space for them to be themselves and to help uplift them. That brings me joy to be able to see that.”
You might notice that the boy who moved to San Francisco to live as his authentic self has spent most of his adult life helping others do that exact same thing. The many ripples that have been created by the stones Fuqua has tossed into the water are too numerous to count, but for many years now, people have been making him aware of just how he has changed their lives for, for good.
“Here I am, a black, African American gay man, and seeing the impact that I’ve made on people’s lives — it’s uncanny. Like, who would have thought, that I would have so many people look up to me?”
And he’s not done yet.
In 2006 Fuqua was inducted into the SFGSL Hall of Fame, and in 2018 he was inducted into the NAGAAA Hall of Fame. For several years he also served as the Chair of the NAGAAA/iPride DEI Committee. However, at the beginning of 2025 he stepped down from that role to focus on leading the Bay Area’s commitment to hosting the 2027 Gay Softball World Series, which also happens to be the 50th annual tournament.
While the event is still in the planning stages, one thing you can count on… the 2027 Gay Softball World Series will be authentic, and the people who come will be able to bring their authentic self to the fields.