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.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

More and more athletes are coming out: let's not forget the first flakes of this snowball effect

David Kopay
Ross Forman in the Windy City Times and Cyd Ziegler in Outsports take a look at the incredible number of sports figures who have come out so far this year.

Cyd counts a total of 25 for the year to date, and notes for the month of January alone, the following:
  • Steve Buckley, Boston Herald sports reporter
  • Johnny Weir, Olympic figure skater
  • Travon Free, former Long Beach State men’s basketball player (bisexual)
  • Akil Patterson, greco-roman wrestler
  • Brad Usselman, Washington high school runner
  • Robert Scott, high school soccer player
  • Ben Newcomer, high school soccer player

In his piece, Ross quotes Cyd: "My prediction for 2015 is, we will look back at 2011 as the year gay equality in sports made its seismic shift. While we might not have our Jackie Robinson, 2011 will be our 1947", in his in-depth look at the situation, including kudos to straight allies like hockey's Burke family and Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor.

These are great observations, but we wanted to add our own: the idea of a phenomenon "snowballing" is that it starts small and slow, and gradually picks up more and more speed, and grows bigger and bigger, faster and faster. Anything that snowballs starts somewhere. The sports figures that have come out so far this year will make it easier for even more athletes, officials, administrators, journalists and others in the world of sports to live their lives openly as gay men and women.  And it was those who came out in 2010 who made it easier for this year's crop. And the ones that came out before them, and before them.

Our goal and our hope is that it shouldn't require courage to come out: it should be perfectly natural, perfectly safe. Those coming out now are brave. And those who came out before were even braver. So let's celebrate the growing number of out sports figures, but not forget, and not forget to thank, those that came before them.Thanks to Tom Waddell, to Dave Kopay, to Billie Jean King, and all those who followed!

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