Featured events


7-9 September 2012
Brussels Games
Brussels

Brussels Gay Sports will offer a weekend of fun and fairplay in the capital of Europe, with volleyball, swimming, badminton, and tennis, as well as fitness and hiking.

Learn more HERE.
26-28 October 2012
QueergamesBern
Bern, Switzerland

The success of the first edition of the QueergamesBern proved the need for an LGBT multisport event in Switzerland. This year will be even bigger, with badminton, bowling, running, walking, floorball.

Learn more HERE.
17-20 January 2013
Sin City Shootout
Las Vegas
The 7th Sin City Shootout will feature softball, ice hockey, tennis, wrestling, basketball, dodgeball, bodybuilding and basketball.

Learn more HERE.

13-16 June 2013
IGLFA Euro Cup
Dublin
After this year's edition in Budapest at the EuroGames, the IGLFA Euro Cup heads to Dublin for 2013, hosted by the Dublin Devils and the Dublin Phoenix Tigers.

Learn more HERE.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

"It's time for professional sport to come out of the closet"

From The Journal, the newspaper for Scottish universities:

The Journal explores the issue of homosexuality in team sport and the possibility that change may finally be on the horizon for sport's oldest taboo

Steven Davies, the England and Surrey wicket-keeper, has this week become the first professional cricketer to come out as a homosexual. It may not appear to be a big deal, and it really shouldn’t be, but to just look at the coverage the story Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas is gaining in America, in a sport Americans don’t even seriously play, shows the scale of the issue. Professional sports stars in teams around the world remain in the closet with ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policies commonly enforced. Gareth Thomas and Steven Davies are the only two openly gay current participants in leading team sports in the world.

The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) found that 6.4 per cent of males in Britain have had sexual relations with another man. Therefore the number of homosexuals currently playing sport in the UK should be much greater than two.

Homosexuality has only been legal in Britain for 34 years, and around the world in many areas such as Latin America it is still a massive taboo. The term ‘gay’ has even become a slanderous way to describe a homosexual, as when used by a child it often simply means something is bad, highlighting the negative connotations of the word. Worse still homosexuality is still considered sinful by most leading religions. The bible literally tells people they will be punished for eternity for what they are, unless they can pray the gay away. We still have a while to go before we can consider ourselves a truly accepting world.

With leagues like the Premier League having an international following, and squads having an international make up, perhaps many do not feel they can be honest with less open minded team mates. Andy Gray and Richard Keys did their part to highlight problems of exclusion in football with their derisory comments on the selection of Sian Massey as an assistant referee for a Premier League match, and similar problems exist for homosexuals as for women.

Then of course there is the hounding from the terraces. Sol Campbell, perceived to be a homosexual, upon his return to former club Tottenham was subjected to horrendous abuse that included references to his gaining HIV from his alleged sexual preferences.

Continue reading HERE.

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