1 February 2012 / A focus on Title IX for National Girls and Women in Sports Day in USA

In honor of tomorrow's National Girls and Women in Sports Day and its theme, Title IX at 40: In it for the Long Run, the Women's Sports Foundation has put together some of the most troubling misconceptions about this law that has ensured greater access to sport to young women in America. Thanks to Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King for drawing out attention to this important text:


MYTH: Title IX has done its job and is no longer needed.

FACT: In the past five years, the gap between male and female athletic participation at the high school level has grown.

Female high school athletes receive 1.3 million fewer athletic participation opportunities than their male counterparts (2.9 million female vs. 4.2 million male).
Female athletes receive 86,000 fewer opportunities at the college level (205,000 female vs. 290,000 male).
Female college athletes receive $148 million less in athletic scholarships ($617 million female vs. $765 million male).
In addition, female high school and college athletes continue to lag behind males in the provision of equitable resources such as equipment, uniforms and facilities.



MYTH: Title IX has resulted in the loss of athletic opportunities for men's sports.


FACT: Overall, men's athletic opportunities since Title IX's passage have increased. Title IX has been wrongly blamed by its critics for cuts to some men's sports teams at some educational institutions.

Schools choose to support, eliminate or reduce particular sports opportunities on both men's and women's specific teams for a variety of reasons, including varying interests in specific sports and choices about how to allocate budget resources among the sports teams the school decides to sponsor or emphasize. The number, competitive level and quality of sports programs are individual institutional decisions, just as the number and quality of academic programs are institutional prerogatives. The government cannot dictate that particular varsity sports be added, retained or discontinued for men or women.
Opponents of Title IX have tried to mislead the public into believing that the loss of men's wrestling and a few other sports at some schools is a sign of massive loss of men's participation opportunities overall when exactly the opposite is true – men's sports participation continues to grow. Athletic programs add and drop teams all the time. Men are not losing.
This misinformation campaign takes the focus away from the facts that (1) women continue to be significantly underrepresented among high school and college athletes, (2) the gap between men's and women's sports participation and support is not closing and (3) it is the wealthiest athletic programs in NCAA Division I-A that are dropping men's minor sports, typically because they are shifting these monies to compete in the football and men's basketball arms race.



MYTH: Title IX's three-part test imposes a strict quota.


FACT: The three-part test imposes no numerical requirement even remotely analogous to quotas.

A three-part test for participation opportunities determines if institutions provide female and male students with equal athletic opportunities. In order to comply, institutions must pass one of these three tests:
a) Proportionality-male and females participate in athletics in numbers substantially proportional to their respective enrollments in school, or
b) History and Continued Practice of Program Expansion-the institution shows a history and continuing practice of program expansion which is demonstrably responsive to the developing interests and abilities of members of the underrepresented sex, or
c) Full Accommodation of Interests and Abilities- the institution demonstrates that the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex (females) are fully and effectively accommodated by the existing programs.
Because athletic teams are gender-segregated, individual educational institutions must decide how many athletic opportunities they will allocate to each sex. Thus, schools are required to make gender-conscious decisions related to allocation of opportunities. Far from imposing quotas, the three-part test is merely a measurement, a benchmark for determining whether schools distribute sex-segregated athletic participation opportunities fairly. Courts have repeatedly recognized that the three-part test in no way creates quotas.
Furthermore, Prong Three was used by institutions most frequently:
Prong One 28% (21 institutions) Substantial proportionality
Prong Two 5% (4 institutions) History and continuing program
expansion
Prong Three 66% (49 institutions) Full
and effective accommodation of interests and abilities



MYTH: Girls are not as interested as boys in playing sports.


FACT: The dramatic increase in girls' and women's participation in sport since Title IX was passed in 1972 (by 456% at the college level and 904% in high schools) demonstrates that it was lack of opportunity – not lack of interest – that kept females out of high school and college athletics for so many years.

Before Title IX, women were told that they were not as interested in law or medicine as men were. But given equal opportunity to pursue these interests, women thrive in these fields. Similarly, given equal athletic opportunities, women will rush to fill them; the remaining discrepancies in sports participation rates are the result of continuing discrimination in access to those opportunities.
Additionally, it simply defies reality for colleges to claim a lack of interest in sports participation on the part of female athletes. With more than 2.9 million girls playing high school sports and hundreds of thousands more participating in Olympic sports not offered in schools and colleges – and with only 205,492 female participation opportunities available at the college level – it is clear that there are more than sufficient numbers of women interested in playing on college teams. The single factor depressing female sports participation and Title IX compliance is the failure of schools to add more women's teams.
To accept the stereotyped notion that women are inherently less interested in playing sports has been repeatedly rejected by courts. Gender-based stereotypes used to justify limits on women's opportunities are illegal.




MYTH: It is not fair that Title IX requires equal spending on men's and women's programs because the men's programs bring in all of the school's money.


FACT: Title IX does NOT require equal spending on men's and women's programs, and less than 12% of college athletic programs actually make a profit.






MYTH: Football should be taken out of the Title IX equation because women do not play football.


FACT: No matter how you cut it, football players are male participation opportunities, not a third sex. They must count.

Men don't play field hockey in this country and few men play volleyball…should we eliminate those sports too? Title IX recognizes that men and women may be interested in different sports. It simply says, that you have to provide them with comparable opportunities to play sports. You cannot pretend that 100 male football players are not receiving the benefits of the athletic department- benefits that the school is obligated to provide to women as well.



MYTH: The American public is not supportive of Title IX.


FACT: Eight in 10 voters (82%) support Title IX with agreement across all political parties and among voters with and without children.

The American public believes that sports participation is as important for our daughters as it is for our sons.

Death of former Boston Mayor Kevin H. White, supporter of LGBT sport

Thanks to Boston Pride, we have learned of the death of former Mayor of Boston Kevin H. White. Mayor White was a progressive political force whose work to support diversity enabled women, African-Americans, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to be better represented and more involved in Boston’s political system.

Mayor White’s fervent support of the LGBT community is best exemplified by his signing a pioneering Proclamation declaring the week of August 28th to September 5th, 1982, “Gay Athletic Games Week” in the city of Boston (photo), in recognition of the first Gay Games held in San Francisco at the time.

We join Boston Pride in expressing our condolences. 

Panteres Grogues board member elected to board of Catalan Tennis Federation

A message from FGG member organization Panteres Grogues:

For the first time, the Federació Catalana de Tenis (FCT or Catalan Tennis Federation) will have on its board an out gay man, Manel Gines, a board member of FGG member organization Panteres Grogues in Barcelona. Manel is the treasurer of Panteres Grogues, and the coordinator of tennis within the multisport club.

He joins the board of FCT as part of a slate of candidates led by Joan Navarro, a childhood friend of Manel.

Their victory is a big shake-up for the federation, after a difficult election against outgoing president Francesc Orriols. The new team won by 110 to 104 in a run-off vote after a tied first round of voting.

A concrete hope for Panteres Grogues is for more favorable terms for renting tennis venues for their annual PantereSports multisport tournament, which will next be organized in September 2012. More important is the new possibility for developing projects within the FCT to fight homophobia in sport. The new team in place will be a much more interesting partner for such actions.

Sport in Spain is highly decentralized, and the autonomous region of Catalonia has full responsibility for sport. All sports clubs in the region are member of the Catalan federation for their sport, with some also being members of the Spanish national federation.

The FGG sends its best wishes to Manel in his new duties, with our hopes for a fruitful exchange between LGBT and mainstream sports bodies.

CDG Brasil leader visits Los Angeles

Shamey, left and Jeferson, right, with Jeferson's host in LA center

Jeferson Sousa, vice president of CDG Brasil, the national LGBT sports organization for Brazil, the hosts of the 1st Brazilian National Diversity Games later this year, is on a tour of the USA. While in Los Angeles, he met up with Shamey Cramer, FGG Officer for Ceremonies, where the growth of LGBT sport in Latin America was on the agenda.

See our posts on CDG Brasil HERE.

Athlete Ally to partner with NCAA

A message from Hudson Taylor from Athlete Ally about a new partnership with the National Collegiate Athletics Association, the governing body for university sport in the USA:


I'm proud to announce that the NCAA Department of Inclusion is an official partner of Athlete Ally.

A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak at the annual NCAA convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. While there, I got the chance to speak to student-athletes representing Division I, II, and III athletics. I used this as an opportunity to talk about the importance of LGBT allyship in sports and share what Athlete Ally is doing to combat homophobia and transphobia across the country. As a result of this presentation, the NCAA logo will soon be added to the Athlete Ally homepage. This is a true testament to the difference we are making.

Also, in the coming weeks I will be talking to the NCAA about how they can better serve the LGBT community within college athletics. If you have any ideas about what the NCAA or Athlete Ally can do differently, please reach out. The more ideas brought to the table the better!

Stay tuned as we continue to build on this important relationship and work with our friends at the NCAA to advance equality and respect on and off the playing field.

Unity Cup Stockholm 2012

Stockholm Snipers are together with the straight local team Råsunda FC hosting the UNITY CUP, a football tournament in Stockholm during Stockholm Pride in the beginning of August 2012.

The tournament is supported both by Svenska Fotbollsförbundet (Swedish FA) and Stockholms Fotbollsförbund (Stockholm FA) and by inviting some straight teams our goal is to build respect between the communities through football. Råsunda FC is a supporter team to AIK, the best Stockholm team which finished second in Allsvenskan (Swedish Premier League) 2011.

That connection will also give extra interest and publicity to the tournament and it is possible that a team consisting of former veteran AIK-players will take part in the tournament.
The tournament will be played both as a more competitive 11-a-side and a 7-a-side tournament for up to 9 teams each.

The Venue for the tournament will be Skytteholms IP which consists of three fields with high quality artificial grass next to Råsunda Stadium (the Swedish national football stadium). The venue is situated near Solna Centrum and the metro with 8 minutes ride to the city center is only a couple of minutes away.

The tournament will be open for whole teams or individual players without a team for who we are helping to find a team to play with.

Stockholm Snipers is working on putting together an affordable package including among other things a 4 nights stay in a double or triple room in a hotel located in the city center, a travel card for the public transportations, entrance pass for the Stockholm Pride.

More information are available soon at the Facebook Site of the event.

Let's go to Stockholm and enjoy some bright summer days of football, parties and friendship !

Registration for housing opens for GALA 2012

Registration is now open for housing for the 2012 GALA Choruses 's a video in a series that looks ahead to events at the upcoming 2012 GALA Choruses Festival in Denver.



GALA has reserved rooms at 14 downtown Denver hotels all within 6 blocks of the Denver Performing Arts Center. Registration for rooms at those hotels will be handled by the Housing Bureau of the Denver Convention & Visitor’s Bureau through an online housing registration system. The housing registration system will open on January 30 at 11:00 AM EST. Please do not contact the individual hotels as they are not able to take room reservations under the group rates. There are a number of tools available to assist you with planning your Festival housing.

Info HERE.

11 March 2012 / Team Philadelphia goes to the Circus School

Team Philadelphia goes to the Circus School - March 11, 2012

5900 Greene Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 849-1991


Philadelphia School of the Circus Arts will introduce Team Philadelphia members to new, exciting forms of working out and training during a special "Intro to Circus Workshop." PSCA faculty will help Team Philadelphia members get their feet off the ground and turn their workouts upside down - literally! Members will be broken down into groups of six participants to learn aerial skills (rope, trapeze, fabric), tightrope and juggling. Team Philadelphia members discover creative ways to build upper body and core strength. Program: 5:15pm sign-in and waiver review, 5:45pm circus workshop with warm up, 7:00pm social hour, networking, snacks/drinks provided by Team Philadelphia. NOTE: The price for this event is $35 per person ($25 for the school at time of registration and $10 for the Happy-Hour when you arrive.) Team Philadelphia is the umbrella organization for LBGT Sport in the Philadelphia, PA region and an official delegate to the Gay Games.



Register on line: REGISTRATION LINK: HERE.

For more information contact Bob Szwajkos.

Help get Greg Louganis on "Dancing With the Stars"

"Dancing With the Stars" is a reality TV contest on American TV, based on the BBC format for "Strictly Come Dancing". Gay Games Ambassador has in the past expressed a desire to be a contestant on the show, and now some fans have created a Facebook page to promote his selection for the next season.

From LGBTQ Nation:

“I really want to do this for GLBT youth,” Louganis told me this morning. “Being on Dancing With The Stars is more than me being on the show, it sends a positive message — an ‘It Gets Better’ message. And that message is still important- kids are still losing hope. I want to do what I can for them.”

There have been gay men on DWTS before — Lance Bass, Carson Cressley and Louis Amstel — and Chaz Bono broke the transgender barrier last season. But if his bid is successful, Louganis would be the first openly HIV positive contestant. And it’s about time, say HIV activists.

You can show your support by liking the page which you can find HERE.

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Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Amal Fashanu, Justin Fashanu's niece, on the continuing silence

From BBC News, in advance of the 30 January 2012 broadcast of "Britain's Gay Footballers" on BBC Three:


There are currently around 5,000 professional footballers in Britain, but none are openly gay. Amal Fashanu, niece of Justin Fashanu, asks why no gay player has followed in her uncle's boots in nearly 25 years.

My late uncle, Justin Fashanu remains the only professional footballer in Britain ever to come out publicly as gay.

Justin broke into football as a teenage prodigy at Norwich. In 1980 he won the BBC's goal of the season award for an incredible strike against Liverpool. I still feel a surge of family pride every time I watch it.

It's the casual celebration which always gets me. That was Justin. Effortlessly talented, effortlessly stylish, if a touch cocky.

But what I learned about Justin is that, sadly, "that goal" marked the high point of his career.

He was catapulted to fame, when Nottingham Forest paid a million pound-transfer fee to Norwich. But it was largely downhill from there.

Forest's manager, the famous Brian Clough - or in my family the infamous - took a disliking to Justin.

In his autobiography, Clough recounts the confrontation he had with Justin over rumours about frequenting gay clubs in Nottingham:

"'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose.' 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's.' 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?'"

Those were the typical attitudes Justin faced in his profession, and very little had changed by the time he took the momentous decision to come out publicly a decade later in 1990.

These prejudices he had to endure saddened, rather than shocked, me. But what I did find surprising was the slow pace of change within football since my uncle's courageous step into the limelight.

I learned Justin was no angel, but he genuinely believed he was setting an example to other players facing discrimination. Sadly, it's an example no other gay player has felt able to follow in nearly 25 years.

Keep reading HERE.

Cleveland beers take top honors

From Great Lakes Brewing:

Great Lakes Brewing Company Medals at 2012 World Beer Championships
Blackout Stout, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Christmas Ale Latest Winners

January 23, 2012—CLEVELAND, OHIO—Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC), Ohio’s most celebrated craft brewer of award-winning lagers and ales, announces that its Blackout Stout, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Christmas Ale scored medals in their individual categories at the 2012 World Beer Championships conducted by the Beverage Testing Institute of Chicago. Blackout Stout, a seasonal, scored 94 Points for a rating of “Exceptional” and a gold medal in its category “Imperial Stout”. Edmund Fitzgerald, available year-round, scored 93 Points for a rating of “Exceptional” and a gold medal in its category “Porter”. Christmas Ale, a seasonal favorite, scored 89 Points for a rating of “Highly Recommended” and a silver medal in the “Winter Ale” category (click on the “Points” for judging remarks).

Since GLBC’s inception in 1988, these three beers have garnered 16 gold medals collectively at the World Beer Championships, with Edmund Fitzgerald Porter achieving “World Champion” status twice. The World Beer Championships are considered one of the top beer judging events in the craft beer industry.

Profile of sports journalist LZ Granderson

The Grand Rapids Press recently published a great profile of out sports journalist LZ Granderson, a resident of the western Michigan city:

TOn a recent airplane flight, a college student asked LZ Granderson, “Excuse me — are you LZ Granderson?”
She asked for his autograph and then to pose for a photo with him.

“Then everybody else on the plane thought, ‘Shoot — he must be somebody. I’ll get my picture taken with him, too,’” Granderson recalls with a laugh. “I know I got my picture taken with a bunch of people who had no idea who I was.”

Who is he?

An award-winning journalist for ESPN and CNN, Granderson — keen observer and genuine nice guy — produces words people feel compelled to read.

Keep reading HERE.

Outsports round-up

Here are some recent stories from Outsports that caught our attention:

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Former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star pitcher Bob Tewksbury has voiced his support of same-sex marriage rights in New Hampshire. He and his wife, Laura, live in Concord, N.H., where Tewksbury was born. They have joined Standing Up for New Hampshire Families to stop the state legislature from removing same-sex marriage rights in the Granite State.

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One of the coolest and most gay-supportive pro athletes in the world is Brendon Ayanbadejo, linebacker and special teams player for the Baltimore Ravens. He has been a vocal supporter for gay marriage in Maryland and gay rights in general

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Golden State Warriors president Rick Welts, who came out of the closet last May, will receive Out & Equal’s advocacy award for coming out in the front office of his former team, the Phoenix Suns.

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Openly gay professional soccer player David Testo has been nominated for a position on the U.S. Soccer Athlete Council. The Council represents the interests of athletes in U.S. Soccer.

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We also looked back at Outsports and found some interesting stories that we missed when they were first published:

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A California high school water polo coach claims he was fired for his sexual orientation. Mitch Stein, an openly gay man, was fired as the junior varsity boys water polo coach at Charter Oaks High School in Covina, Calif., after pictures surfaced of him with people dressed in drag. Stein is a graduate of the school and his daughter is a freshman at the school. Stein alleges that he was fired because he is gay.

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Cyd Ziegler takes a good hard look at the politics and consequences of "gay rumoring", using Troy Aickman as the starting point. Here's an extract:

It’s time for our community to make a choice. Are we going to be that bully in fourth grade who pushes gay people deeper into the closet and makes enemies of potential allies? Or will we spend the time we’d otherwise use spreading gossip to make our world easier for those gay people to be themselves and those allies to be a little warmer and a little fuzzier?

Read the thoughtful essay in full HERE.

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Ben Cohen in Out Magazine

The latest issue of Out Magazine features Michael Irvin, along with other allies, including Ben Cohen:


Rugby star Ben Cohen has a very personal reason for standing up to bullies.
By Aaron Hicklin

Some years ago, early in the evolution of social media, a fan page for English rugby player Ben Cohen appeared on Facebook. “It had about 30,000 people on it at the time, and they were all men,” recalls Cohen, who recently announced his retirement from rugby to focus on combating homophobia and bullying in sports. Cohen, who is married with twin daughters, found the attention flattering, but also a responsibility. “People were telling us their stories, and I felt it was important to respond,” he says. “I know what bullying does, and I know it can tear you apart, and that, for a lot of young gay men or people who are perceived to be different, there is no family infrastructure to turn to, no support.”

Read more HERE.

Will Iranian women be able to watch the Olympics?

A reminder that religious repression of women's participation in sport also affects sports fans, in this story from January 2010 about the Women's World Football Cup...

(CNN) -- Iranian authorities have ordered a ban on women from watching live broadcasts of soccer matches at public movie theaters, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.

A state police agency that monitors Iranian businesses called for the ban because "the presence of women and families at movie theaters increases security risks and inappropriate behavior," ILNA reported.

Movie theaters in Iran's major cities have broadcast matches from this year's Asian Cup, where Iran's national soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals after winning its first three matches.

The final decision on the ban rests with a government office, according to an official with Iran's movie theater industry. "Movie theaters operate under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Guidance, so we're waiting for their decision in this matter," Amir Hossein Alamalhoda was quoted as saying.

Women already are banned from attending men's soccer matches at stadiums. Hard-line government officials and clerics say the presence of women at men's sporting events is not compatible with Islam.

Video of new Cleveland aquarium

Via Freshwater Cleveland.

The English Football Association must work harder to fight homophobia

Michael Ball

By Andey Wasley on the Huffington Post:

In less than two weeks, two professional footballers have been punished for making homophobic comments on Twitter. On 12 January, Oxford City sacked Lee Steele for making an offensive remark about Gareth Thomas, the openly gay rugby league player. And on 24 January the FA fined Leicester City's Michael Ball for sending a homophobic tweet about the gay Coronation Street actor Anthony Cotton. Oxford City and the FA acted quickly to deal with the players; could it be that the game is finally getting to grips with homophobia?

Football's chronic problem with homophobia goes back decades. In the Nineties it was brought into sharp focus by the experiences of the England's first - and, to date, only - openly gay professional player, Justin Fashanu. After he came out in 1990 he faced years of unchallenged homophobic abuse from other players and managers, and found it hard to find a team willing to sign him. He killed himself in 1998 after being wrongly accused of sexual assault, leaving a suicide note saying he wanted to 'spare his family and friends 'more embarrassment'.

Keep reading HERE.

Chris Morgan produces UK LGBT sport timeline

Gay Games Ambassador Chris Morgan has produced a great piece of work for the UK LGBT History Project, whose theme for 2012 is sport. He has put together a timeline of key moments in LGBT sport in Britain, with his work being turned into a fabulous poster by Jonathan Harbourne.

Thanks to Chris and Jonathan, and Sue and everyone else involved in UK LGBT History Project and the UK LGBT History Month, which takes place in February

Young gay runner takes a rock to the head... and what happened next

From the Shoreline Times, a story about a young out runner in Connecticut:

Sometimes a rock isn’t just a rock; it’s a wake-up call.

That was certainly the case for Jacob Gardner, a Madison [Connecticut] teen on the Daniel Hand High School track team. Two years ago, when he was a freshman, he was walking the track with his teammates before a meet when he was hit in the head with a rock the size of a baseball.

It had been thrown at him by one of his teammates, who defended himself by saying it wasn’t a big deal because, after all, Gardner is gay. (The guy used a series of gay slurs to get this point across.)

“It was an awakening,” says Gardner, 17, now a junior. “I had been bullied and teased in middle school, but once I got to the high school, everything had settled down. I even dared to join an athletic team.

“When I joined the cross-country team, I realized I couldn’t have chosen a better team to participate with. I was treated like one of the guys. People weren’t saying nasty things to me in the hallways anymore. I was in a passive state of feeling that things were getting better. And then that happened.”

This story — unlike many of the stories we hear about what can happen to gay teens — has something of a happy ending.

Keep reading HERE.

Outsports shares coming out story of college athlete

We shared the "It Gets Better" video made by athletes and athletics department staff from St Michaels College in Vermont. Here's an extract from the coming out story of one of the athletes involved in the production of this video, as shared by Outsports:

This past year I was lucky enough to be involved in a project at Saint Mike’s as a part of the “It Gets Better” campaign that involved a lot of students, athletes, and administrators rallying around the cause. Though I’m sure there are other gay athletes at SMC, I don’t happen to know any of them personally. I don’t know any other gay athletes around the NE-10 Conference either, but I’ve never experienced any negativity around the subject and I don’t ever expect to. I hope the video, at the very least, spoke to an athlete at or elsewhere who’s struggling with their sexual identity or with fitting in.

It was one of the most rewarding activities I’ve ever been a part of, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of it, and we had an overwhelmingly positive response.  It makes me really proud to have been a part of the production and a character in the video that reached more people than we ever though it would.

Read in full HERE.

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Sports personalities feature high on Campus Pride's "Hot List" of 25 top speakers for student events

From Campus Pride:

Campus Pride officially releases the 2011 HOT LIST! The list represents our "Top 25 LGBT Favorites" -- lecturers, comedians, musicians. poets, artists, researchers, activists and more. Every year Campus Pride picks the most diverse, provocative, inspiring and enlightening artists/speakers as a resource for your LGBT student organization. The purpose is to provide a recommendation of the BEST OF THE BEST in planning your campus events and activities.

The artists/speakers listed are not only our SIZZLING HOT PICKS but they also rate highly among recommendations from LGBT young adults at colleges and universities across the country. If you want to create change -- PICK FROM OUR TOP 25 LGBT FAVORITES!

BURNING HOT: Learn more about each artist/speaker and don't forget to mention the Campus Pride HOT LIST!

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On the list you'll find speakers such as:

Ben Cohen, MBE
Campus Pride Hot Tag -- Speaker/Lecturer, Sports

Ben Cohen, MBE, is an England Rugby World Cup champion, and among the world’s greatest athletes. He ranks second in all-time scoring for England, and first among straight professional athletes to focus his philanthropic efforts for the benefit of the LGBT community. In May 2011, Cohen founded the StandUp Foundation, Inc., the world’s first foundation dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying. The StandUp Foundation funds those doing real-world work to stop bullying, regardless of to whom it happens. Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are often targeted by bullies, the foundation gives particular attention to this community. Cohen and his foundation considers removing homophobia from sports as central to his personal mission.

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Hudson Taylor
Campus Pride Hot Tag -- Speaker/Lecturer, Sports

Hudson Taylor is a competing athlete and Division I college wrestling coach at Columbia University. He graduated from the University of Maryland as a Division I three-time All-American wrestler in 2010 and currently ranks among the top-five pinners in NCAA history. Hudson grew up in an Evangelical Christian family with missionary roots. Committed to civil rights and social justice, Hudson wore a Human Rights Campaign sticker on his wrestling headgear in college to show solidarity — as a heterosexual athlete ally — with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. This single act drew media attention around the country and prompted thousands of inspiring, personal messages. With this encouragement, Hudson became committed to speaking louder as an athlete ally and created the Athlete Ally Pledge and Whydoyoufight.org blog to gather support from athletes and advocates around the country.

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LZ Granderson
Campus Pride Hot Tag -- Speaker/Lecturer, Sports

LZ Granderson is a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com, as well as a regular contributor for ESPN’s Sports Center, Outside the Lines and First Take. A member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Mr. Granderson was a Columbia University Hechinger Institute Fellow, a 2009 GLAAD Award winner for online journalism and won first place in the opinion writing category for the 2008 Excellence in Journalism awards given by the National Lesbian Gay Journalist Association. He recently ignited an intense national community debate with his op ed piece, "Gay is not the new black" on CNN.com.

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Brian Sims
Campus Pride Hot Tag -- Speaker/Lecturer, Sports, Politics

In 2000, Brian Sims was the captain of the Bloomsburg University football team in northeast Pennsylvania, and following the greatest season in the Division II school’s history he did the unthinkable: he came out of the closet! In doing so, the regional All-American and team captain became the only openly gay college football captain in NCAA history and the most notable college player to ever come out. Sims is currently running for the Pennsylvania State House and was formerly the Staff Counsel for Policy & Planning at The Philadelphia Bar Association. In addition to his practice, Sims serves as the former President of the Board of Directors of EqualityPA and as the Chairman of GALLOP (Gay & Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia). In 2009 he was selected as a State Political Leaders Fellow by the Center for Progressive Leadership and joined the National Campaign Board of The Victory Fund. He also travels and speaks about his experiences in college level athletics for LGBT students and allies.

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Michael Holtz
Campus Pride Hot Tag -- Lecturer/Speaker, Sports

Michael Holtz is an inspirational public speaker, inspiring people how to live their best lives and to embrace their uniqueness, empower themselves, and enrich the lives of others. He is also the founder and race director for the Swim for Equality series which has a race in June from Swim for Equality from Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay and in September 24 in Malibu, California. Through it all, Michael has trained, competed and achieved numerous prestigious honors to date. These include: Compete magazine's Athlete of the Year; Mr. Gay USA 2011; and first runner-up Mr. Gay World 2011. International Olympic and US springboard diving legend Greg Louganis describes Michael as, "A very committed, young, energetic man and a wonderful role model for what is good in the LGBT Community in Sports and Awareness.

The Federation of Gay Games supports Gay-Straight Alliance Day

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Get more info HERE.

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"LGBT world championships: sexualized ghettos in global scale?"

Wagner Xavier de Camargo, Paris 2011

CAMARGO, Wagner Xavier de and RIAL, Carmen Silvia Moraes. LGBT world championships: sexualized ghettos in global scale?. Rev. Estud. Fem.

After a partial presentation of his work at the December 2011 conference on sport and homosexuality organized by FGG member organization FSGL in Paris, Wagner Xavier de Camargo along with Carmen Silvia Moraes Rial have published (in Portuguese) their paper in the Revista Estudos Feministas.

The positions taking are striking, but, at least based on an imperfect Google translation, many would take issue with the conclusions, and the research behind them. For example, the description of the role of the FGG Board in choosing a host city does not correspond to the reality of the process. And the role of a search for a non-sports model for a sports event in the creation of the Outgames is undoubtedly exaggerated,  and is inconsistent with the diversity of the content of the Gay Games themselves, ignoring the cultural component of the Gay Games, along with an explicit commitment to human rights (for example at the 2002 Gay Games in Sydney).

Nor do the authors take into account the diversity of participants in the Gay Games (and Outgames). While the writers were struck by the presence of affluent white men from developed countries, such people cannot be identified as the only participants in such events (it is true that as privately self-funded events, and despite efforts for outreach, finances may skew the profile of participants). And to reduce the interest of participants to tourism, and in particular to sexual tourism, is to deny participants their identity as athletes.

And while there may be some participants who prefer to remain isolated among LGBT people alone, this is in any case not the official position of organizers. All are welcome to participate. And if it is true that with some exceptions, relatively few spectators with no connection to the athletes can be found at venues, this is not specific to LGBT sport: the majority of non-elite sporting events are alas not particularly well attended by fans with no connection to those playing.

There may be validity in speaking of "ghettos" in the context of LGBT sport. But the ghetto above all is a creation of the oppressor, and this paper deals little with the very real homophobia and exclusion of mainstream sport that participate in the creation of such "ghettos". Nor does the paper adequately recognize that rather than ghettos, LGBT sport creates spaces of freedom, not just for LGBT people, but for all people anxious to do sport together, with specific values, best represented by the FGG motto of "Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best".

We look forward to further discussions, and opportunities to enrich the understanding of these researchers and others of the legacy and potential of the Gay Games and the international LGBT sports movement.

Akron mayor signs on for marriage equality

Don Plusquellic, mayor of Akron, has joined Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson and Cleveland Heights mayor Edward Kelly among the "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry". , From the Freedom to Marry website:

We're excited to announce the launch of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, a bipartisan coalition of 75+ Mayors who pledge to support marriage for gay and lesbian couples! You may have first heard about this impressive coalition of Mayors a few days ago when the Wall Street Journal broke the story that Mayors of some of America's largest cities were joining together to support the freedom to marry.

The coalition will officially launch this morning at 10am, as Freedom to Marry and a handful of notable Mayors host a press conference at the 80th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C. Participants at today's press conference include: Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diegol Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston; Mayor Annise Parker of Houston; Mayor Marilyn Strickland of Tacoma; Marc Solomon, our National Campaign Director here at Freedom to Marry; and Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director.

Mayors for the Freedom to Marry includes mayors from cities and towns—large and small—with diverse geographic, ethnic and political backgrounds. The list includes the mayors of America’s four largest cities—Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and Annise Parker of Houston. It also includes mayors from cities including Juneau, Alaska; Des Moines, Iowa; Bloomington, Indiana; and Lewiston, Maine, where the freedom to marry may go to the ballot in 2012. You can click here to view the full list of Mayors.

Looking ahead to IGLA 2012 in Reykjavik

From the latest issue of Wet Notes, the newsletter of FGG member organization International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics:

We look forward to welcoming you to the 2012 IGLA championships in Reykjavík Iceland. We proudly invite you to the coolest capital in world for fantastic championships from 30th of May to 2nd of June. Experience unique nature and enjoy local hospitality as well as a top standard competition on the roof of the world. Prepare yourself for a new experience in our fantastic geothermal pools and some serious fun and activities lined up for the championship.

The IGLA Championships in Reykjavik at the end of May 2012 will coincide with Reykjavik Arts Festival, which is one of Northern Europe's the oldest and most respected arts festivals. The purpose of the Festival is to promote Icelandic and international culture in all fields of art. The programs offer a range of concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions, dance and opera. In combination with its focus on Icelandic culture, past and present, the Festival has hosted many outstanding international artists and performers, for example Amadou & Mariam, San Francisco Ballet, Goran Brecovic and Pavarotti.

The swimming competition as well as the water polo will be held in a 50 meter indoor pool in Laugardalur, and swum in ten lanes. All events will be conducted according to the IGLA Championship rules as well as FINA rules. Heats will be seated according to age groups. However, all heats will be filled. The coaches meeting will be held in the morning and warm up will start at 8.00. The outdoor pool will be available for warm-ups and cool-downs during the whole competition. As well as the hot tubs and the water slide.

The 25m meter charismatic indoor swimming pool will be perfect for hosting the diving and synchronized swimming. The pool is situated down town Reykjavik and was built in 1937. It includes private changing facilities, two outdoor hot tubs and a steam bath. It is a bright and friendly facility loaded with history and character. This gorgeous pool is a testimony of Iceland's most prestigious Icelandic architect, Guðjón Samúelsson who also created the National Theatre building and main building of University of Iceland. The pool was Iceland´s first indoor pool and a great ...for a community that wasn´t so keen on taking regular baths.

The IGLA 2012 calendar is full of great events! The championships start on the morning of May 30th and the Opening Party is in the famous Blue Lagoon that same night. IGLA's partner Pink Iceland offers daily tours during the whole week. The Pink Tours are specially put together for IGLA guests and will therefore be very queer, fun and fabulous.

We look forward to seeing you all in Reykjavik!

Where's the sports? Two LGBT news items that are lacking in sport

Outsports points out the lack of sport in two recent news items about LGBT issues.


First, the GLAAD media awards:

Over the last few years we’ve been very pleased to see GLAAD recognize the increasing LGBT work done in sports with multiple sports-related nominees for their media awards.

This year, as far as we can tell only one of the 151 nominees is directly related to sports: ESPN’s segment on Kye Allums. What makes that nomination a little strange is how negative that piece was, with so much focus on made-up negative aspects of Allums transitioning and playing on a women’s basketball team (not to mention Kevin Blackistone constantly referring to Allums as “a woman” and “she”). We’re glad any time sports are highlighted by gay organizations; This one, however, is a bit of a head-scratcher.

---

And documentary film project Second Class Citizens:


A fantastic, moving video was posted on YouTube earlier this week that chronicles the ups and downs of the gay rights movement. From being outcasts in the ’50s to defeating Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, it touches some of the more powerful moments in gay-rights history.

While the video includes references to politics, entertainment, youth, housing, employment, adoption, the military…there is no reference to sports. Not a big deal, not every project has to touch on every corner of the world (e.g., we don’t touch politics 99.99% of the time). But from the day we started Outsports, we’ve said there’s as much need for education about sports in the gay community as there is for education about gay issues in the sports world.

To which we say: indeed!

Cleveland and Cleveland Heights mayors part of US mayors' appeal for marriage equality

Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson and Cleveland Heights mayor Edward Kelly are among the "Mayors for the Freedom to Marry". , From the Freedom to Marry website:

We're excited to announce the launch of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry, a bipartisan coalition of 75+ Mayors who pledge to support marriage for gay and lesbian couples! You may have first heard about this impressive coalition of Mayors a few days ago when the Wall Street Journal broke the story that Mayors of some of America's largest cities were joining together to support the freedom to marry.

The coalition will officially launch this morning at 10am, as Freedom to Marry and a handful of notable Mayors host a press conference at the 80th annual U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington D.C. Participants at today's press conference include: Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles; Mayor Jerry Sanders of San Diegol Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston; Mayor Annise Parker of Houston; Mayor Marilyn Strickland of Tacoma; Marc Solomon, our National Campaign Director here at Freedom to Marry; and Tom Cochran, U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director.

Mayors for the Freedom to Marry includes mayors from cities and towns—large and small—with diverse geographic, ethnic and political backgrounds. The list includes the mayors of America’s four largest cities—Michael Bloomberg of New York, Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, and Annise Parker of Houston. It also includes mayors from cities including Juneau, Alaska; Des Moines, Iowa; Bloomington, Indiana; and Lewiston, Maine, where the freedom to marry may go to the ballot in 2012. You can click here to view the full list of Mayors.

Wide Rights on a strange reaction to the question of women coaching men's teams

Pete Olsen runs the Wide Rights blog, and is a law student. He recently posted on a "debate" on contractual measures to increase the presence of minorities in coaching staffs... here, women in men's collegiate sport. Here's an extract:

We moved on to discussing the Rooney-Rule of the NFL. If you’re not familiar with it, basically, any NFL team that is hiring a new head coach must have three “finalists” and one of those three finalists must be a “minority candidate.” We discussed the merits of it, whether it has been successful or not, whether it is still needed, etc.

And then the professor posed the question: Should a rule like the Rooney-Rule be imposed for women coaches in NCAA men’s sports, because, for example, there are no women head or assistant coaches in men’s Division I basketball ? (The professor was not, nor am I, familiar with any women coaches at that level).

The response simultaneously astounded and bothered me.

And it came from both men and women.

Ignoring the merits of a rule like the Rooney-Rule and whether there would even be women interested in coaching men as general matters (which both were discussed), those that spoke suggested that a woman would not even have the capacity to do so.

The rest is quite amazing... keep reading HERE.

Auf Deutsch / 1 February 2012 / Die letzte Bastion der Heteros - Schwulenhass in Fussball

Aktuelles von SC Janus, Koeln:



Die letzte Bastion der Heteros - Schwulenhass im Fußball
Mittwoch 1. Februar um 19 Uhr
in der Studiobühne
Universitätsstraße 16a
50937 Köln

Der Männer-Fußball ist eines der letzten heterosexuellen Milieus. Während sich nicht nur Politiker, sondern auch Moderatorinnen, Schauspieler oder Modeschöpfer in den letzten Jahren zu ihrer Homosexualität bekannt haben, ist die Profikickerei in dieser Beziehung ganz of fensichtlich kein Spiegel der gesellschaftlichen Entwicklung, sondern „viel archaischer“, wie Philipp Lahm einmal in einem Interview mit dem schwulen Lifestyle-Magazin Front befand.

Immer noch gilt es – nicht nur hierzulande – als nahezu undenkbar, dass ein Fußballprofi offen schwul lebt. Denn er muss befürchten, durch die Presse gezogen, von den Mannschaftskollegen ausgegrenzt und von den Fans – den eigenen wie den gegnerischen – beschimpft, verhöhnt und ausgelacht zu werden. „Die eigentliche Sexualität wird deshalb“ – so fand die inzwischen eingestellte Fußballzeitschrift RUND heraus, „anonym in der Schwulenszene ausgelebt“; ansonsten werden, „um der Norm und dem Idealbild des heterosexuellen Sportlers zu genügen, von Spitzensportlern und deren Clans mühsam und aufwändig konstruierte Doppelidentitäten mit Frauen und Kindern geschaffen“.

Zwar werden die – möglichen und tatsächlichen – Folgen eines öffentlichen Coming-out bezahlter Balltreter mittlerweile auch in auflagenstarken Medien erörtert. Doch die meisten machen um die Frage, warum sich die Homophobie gerade im Fußball weiterhin nahezu ungehemmt austoben kann, zumeist einen großen Bogen. Genau diese Frage soll deshalb im Mittelpunkt des Vortrags von Alex Feuerherdt stehen. Hinzu kommen eine Reihe von aktuellen Fallbeispielen und ein Kurzfilm zur Schwulenfeindlichkeit im Amateurfußball.

Zum Referenten: Alex Feuerherdt ist als freier Publizist u.a. für KONKRET, die Jungle World, die Jüdische Allgemeine und den Tagesspiegel tätig. Er lebt in Köln und war bis 2005 als Schiedsrichter in der Oberliga aktiv.

Der Eintritt ist frei.
Veranstalter: Phil-Sprat

Mit freundlichen Grüßen Der Phil-Sprat

1 June 2012 / Registration open for IGLFA wold championship

Registration for the IGLFA World Championships is open! The event will take place from 1-9 June 2012 in Mexico City.

Register HERE.

Thursday, May 31st, 2012
Human Rights Conference

Friday, June 1st, 2012
Draw Ceremony

Saturday June 2nd, 2012
Gay Parade Mexico City

Sunday June 3rd, 2012
Opening Ceremony

Monday 4th – Friday 8th, June 2012
Tournament Matches

Friday June 8th, 2012
Final Match Female Division II
Final Match Male Division II

Saturday June 9th, 2012
Division I Finals
Closing Ceremony
Closing Concert

Nick Clark writes on ECA of his new life as an out coach

On the blog of the Equality Coaching Alliance, an FGG initiative coordinated by Roger Brigham, Nick Clark has written an update on his new life as an out coach:

I am just a little past the midway point of my first season as an "out" coach. It has been largely gratifying with few, if any, hiccups. I was hired in May of 2011; a month or so after an article was written about me on outsports.com. I am so happy and thankful for the article. I was inspired by those who had articles written about them and I saw how much it helped me and I wanted to help others in return. I received many emails from people all over the country. All were positive. They shared their own lives with me. Some were out and others were still closeted. Some were athletes and others were just sports fans.

I have had such great reception from both the men and women's volleyball teams. I was in a team meeting with the guys in late August when the students were returning to campus. It was important to me that I share with them my homosexuality from the start. I wanted to share that part of me and begin building trust. I didn’t want to go back into the closet and not share my life with them. I was incredibly nervous and my heart was racing. It was well received and they really didn't comment all that much. Some of them had a stunned look on their face, while others already knew because they read the article. Within the next few days I was approached by some of the guys and they gave me their support and let me know that they "have my back". It was a major relief. I could do what I came here to do. Coach.

Keep reading HERE.

Congatulations to David Rae, Compete Magazine's Athlete of the Year

From Compete Magazine's profile of their new Athlete of the Year:

Rarely do we picture an athlete on a Compete Magazine cover in a business suit and tie but passionate cyclist and triathlete David Rae, our 2011 Athlete of the Year, is so much more than just a pretty face (and body!).

Graduating from the University of Redlands with degrees in Business and Musical Theatre, David is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) who holds Series 6, 53, 66, and 7 licenses enabling him to advise clients about life, health, disability and longterm care insurance matters. He joined Trilogy Financial Services in January 2003 and by the next year he was promoted and is now vice president of client services. With most of his clients being gay, David is also a designated 0601-aoty-david-rae-suitfinancial planning columnist for Echelon Business Magazine, a gay publication for LGBT professionals, and he has also written for the LA Times, The Advocate, Instinct Magazine, IN Magazine, Frontiers and Bottom Line, among others.

Having grown up with an NFL quarterback for a father, David has certainly had lots of exposure to sports and has tried a variety of them over the years, even football. The closest he comes to that sport, however, is his self-designated title as the “financial quarterback” who offers to lead financial teams to their goals. But David is now leading another team, this time as its captain—Team Popular. The sport that has really hooked David is that of cycling.

Keep reading HERE.

Gay Games medal winner stars in web series

Gay Games VII, photo Marc Naimark

Queer Me Up interviews Jeffrey Olson, who took a gold medal in bodybuilding at Gay Games VII in Chicago, and who was already looking to move from his work as a physician to acting:

To celebrate the season premiere of Old Dogs & New Tricks, Queer Me Up has an exclusive interview with multifaceted and sexy actor Jeffrey Patrick Olson.

Jeffrey Patrick Olson (‘Muscles’ Carter) is proud to parade his pectorals as Al “Muscles” Carter in Old Dogs & New Tricks!! Might as well, since winning the Gold medal for Physique at the 2006 Gay Games competition. [...]

In the new comedic web series Jeffrey Patrick Olson plays Al ‘Muscles’ Carter: A personal trainer at a WeHo gym, Muscles has the body of a porn star and the mindset of a 16 year old girl — he’s not putting out til he meets his Mr. Right!

[...]

Do you get to put your own take on your character?

Of course! Thanks to Leon we were given a luxurious amount of time to develop and flesh out our characters including table reads with the entire cast and valuable feedback from the director during the audition process. With Muscles, an easy potential trap is to play dumb – the stereotypical muscle-head. Thanks to working on my own backstory, reading subsequent episodes, and finding similar qualities and passions with which I could identify… I discover Muscles’ power beyond his innocence, even a technique of survival if you will – in West Hollywood.

How many “muscles” did you have to build in order to play a personal trainer?

Speaking of development! Well, I did bulk up a bit for the callbacks but luckily I am a mesomorph so I’ve been on a maintenance phase since then. Despite a medical degree, I learned a ton 5 years ago when I competed in Physique at Gay Games Chicago. I’ve had trainers throughout the years, but for this – I trained heavily for a year with my friend and fellow actor John Turk and actually took first place!

I was also blessed to have been photographed by some of the most noted physique photographers thanks to the competition – including Victor Skrebneski and [Gay Games Ambassador] Tom Bianchi. But, I’ll have to thank genetics mostly (and cycling as a teen) for the big gams.

Keep reading HERE.

30 January 2012 / BBC3 documentary to look at gay footballers

From the Pink Paper:

A new documentary will tackle the issue of homosexuality in British football and the reasons why no players have come out since Justin Fashanu, who suffered abuse after revealing that he was gay in the early 1990s.

Presented by Fashanu’s niece Amal Fashanu, Britain’s Gay Footballers gains opinion from current and past players, supporters and publicists, including Justin Fashanu’s brother, John.

During the BBC programme, John Fashanu, who disowned his brother after he came out, explains to his daughter the barriers against gay footballers. “I think there’s more chance of the next Pope being black, than you finding a footballer who will come out and say he’s gay,” he says.

The programme also hears claims of there being gay footballers who are afraid to publicly reveal their sexuality for fear of abuse within the game or their career taking a downward turn, as happened with Justin Fashanu, once a £1 million player - he later committed suicide.

Keep reading HERE.

Em portugues / "Competições esportivas mundiais LGBT: guetos sexualizados em escala global?"

Wagner Xavier de Camargo, Paris 2011

CAMARGO, Wagner Xavier de and RIAL, Carmen Silvia Moraes. Competições esportivas mundiais LGBT: guetos sexualizados em escala global?. Rev. Estud. Fem.

ABSTRACT
Os guetos são espaços circunscritos e marginais nos quais, ao longo da história, minorias religiosas, sociais, étnicas e sexuais foram encapsuladas e segregadas. Atravessados por fluxos e tensões em movimento do global landscape, tais territórios devem ser revisitados sob a ótica da globalização. Com o propósito de analisar territorialidades marginais de gênero atreladas a eventos esportivos LGBT, este artigo buscou ressemantizar o conceito de gueto da "Escola de Chicago" e repensá-lo segundo novas perspectivas analíticas, aplicadas a duas competições esportivas mundiais (Gay Games e World OutGames) voltadas para o público LGBT. Percebeu-se que a ocorrência dessas competições e as expectativas em torno de "capitais ejaculantes" de corpos, sexos, desejos e sexualidades vinculados ao esporte abrem a perspectiva de que tais torneios performatizem "guetos sexualizados", isto é, espaços territorializados de práticas itinerantes de desejos, na lógica de uma circulação em escala global, de corpos e de capital.

Congratulations to Håvard Øvregård

Congratulations to our friend Håvard Øvregård, who last week was presented with a GayGalla prize on behalf of the Norwegian confederation of sports and the Norwegian Olympic Committee, for their work on the project "With sport, against homophobia". Learn more about the project HERE.

The GayGalla prizes recognize individuals and organizations that promote the homosexual issue in a special positive way, and thus contribute to the visibility of the gay issue and problems in the rest of the public debate.

A look back at the NASSPDA North American Same-Sex Dance Championships

photo Kati Garner

FGG member organization North American Same-Sex Partner Dancing Association (NASSPDA) recently held its championships in Sacramento, California, hosted by Dancing in the River City. Here are a few extracts from a good article in the Sacramento Bee:

The glamour and glitter of Hollywood, the unbelievable grace and beauty of ballroom dance and the amazing athleticism of international sport came together in Sacramento on Sunday.

The North American Same-Sex Dance Championships at The Ballroom of Sacramento was an exciting all-day competition of dancers from across the nation. The event culminated in an evening dance show, “Dangerous Liaisons: An Evening of Espionage and Intrigue,” featuring many of the champions and competitors. The competition was conducted under the auspices of the North American Same Sex Partner Dance Association, or NASSPDA.

From the time the first couple took the floor for the single dance events until the final formation team and show dance events, the competition was a whirl of action, grace and drama.

|...]

For the same-sex dance community, there are only a few welcoming programs among dozens of dance studios. In Sacramento, The Ballroom hosts a thriving same-sex program under the leadership of former world champion Robbie Tristan, and same-sex dancers are welcome at the Mirror Ball Dance Studio in Sacramento.

Dancing in the River City hosted the event as their fourth annual competition and show at The Ballroom. Under the leadership of Cindy Mills and her longtime partner Annette Wegesend, with dancers Robert Aina and Elly Bishop, DIRTC has built a strong organization of same sex dancers who are committed to holding this annual event. Since 2008, DITRC has been able to raise funds which have enabled Sacramento dancers to travel and compete in the Gay Games in Cologne, Germany in 2010 and in the North America Out Games in Vancouver, BC in 2011. The group is raising funds now to sponsor dancers to the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland, Ohio.

Read in full HERE.

Cleveland-area couple faces discrimination in access to sports facility

A story gaining national attention in the US combining Greater Cleveland, recreational sport, and marriage equality. While Cleveland and many other communities have adopted progressive policies, the state of Ohio continues to institutionalize discrimination against LGBT people. The petition can be found HERE.