In italiano / Calcio, Prandelli: Omofobia è razzismo, stop ai tabù sui gay

From TM News we learn that in a preface to a new book about homophobia in sport, Cesare Prandelli, coach of the Italian national football team, pleads for treating homophobia as as serious a problem as racism:

MILANO - "Nel mondo del calcio e dello sport resiste ancora il tabù nei confronti dell'omosessualità, mentre ognuno deve vivere liberamente se stesso, i propri desideri e i propri sentimenti". Lo scrive Cesare Prandelli, commissario tecnico della Nazionale, nella prefazione del nuovo libro di Alessandro Cecchi Paone e Flavio Pagano "Il campione innamorato. Giochi proibiti dello sport", in uscita giovedì, in cui si raccontano decine di vicende olimpioniche, europee e italiane, perlopiù sconosciute o artatamente distorte, di campioni e campionesse che hanno vissuto bene o male il loro essere omo e bisessuali, ermafroditi o transessuali, anche a causa di doping forzato.

L'allenatore affronta senza imbarazzi un tema che rappresenta tuttora un tabù nel mondo del calcio. Lo scorso novembre il presidente dell'Associazione calciatori, Damiano Tommasi, dichiarò: "Meglio non fare coming out. Nel calcio basta poco per diventare un personaggio, pensi di fare una cosa positiva e invece ti si ritorce contro, diventa una marchetta, una domanda giornalistica".Il ct la pensa in modo opposto: "Anche l'omofobia è razzismo. Dobbiamo tutti impegnarci per una cultura dello sport che rispetti l'individuo in ogni manifestazione della sua verità e della sua libertà - prosegue Prandelli, che conclude con una frase a metà tra la previsione e l'esortazione -. Magari presto qualche calciatore farà coming out".

En français / Profil d'un nouveau club de judo-jujitsu

Dans le dernier numéro de Senstif, un entretien avec le fondateur du dernier né des clubs de la FSGL, Makoto, un club de judo-jujutsu :

Né en mars 2011, ce « bébé » compte dix-sept membres, a déjà un fonctionnement bien établi et des projets qui commencent à se mettre en place. Quentin Dezetter, son président, nous « dit les choses sans mentir », comme Makoto l’indique, et se livre sur cette association de judo qui ne demande qu’à grandir.

Quelques mots sur la naissance de Makoto ?
Un groupe d’amis et moi-même voulions une association afin que les personnes LGBT puissent faire du sport sans discrimination. On ne demande pas l’orientation sexuelle. Vient qui a envie de venir faire du judo avec nous.

Et le fonctionnement ?
Les entrainements ont lieu tous les dimanches au centre sportif Alfred Nakache dans le 20e et sont assurés par Sébastien, ceinture noire et bénévole. Il y a une grande
variété, filles et garçons, de 25 à 55 ans, tous niveaux de ceintures dont beaucoup de blanches comme moi-même. On est là pour avancer en même temps.

Continuer à lire ICI.


Retrouver le site de l'association ICI.

Lesbian wrestler takes advantage of Olympic trials in Iowa to marry her partner

From the New York Times (h/t June Thomas):

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Less than 48 hours after making the United States Olympic wrestling team in front of 13,000 fans, Stephany Lee arrived at the wedding chapel in a Ford Explorer carrying Colorado plates and a small entourage. She changed into jeans and a striped shirt. Beaming, she made her way to an altar sitting in front of five rows of padded pews.

Lee, right, with McDonald. “I’m not trying to be a spokesperson for lesbians as an athlete,” Lee said.

With the power vested in the Rev. Jonathan Harnish, in front of her girlfriend’s two children, her Olympic teammate Clarissa Chun and a family friend, Lee married her longtime partner, Brigg McDonald. No one objected. They just smiled and took photographs.

The serendipitous combination of time and place — the Olympic trials being held in Iowa, where same-sex has been legal since 2009 — was too perfect to let pass.

“It was an opportune time,” Lee said.

And so a wedding to sanctify a long-term relationship was hastily arranged, four years in the making and about four days in the planning. Paperwork requirements were scouted online last week. Documents were retrieved earlier Monday at the Linn County offices, housed in a dying mall west of town because the main courthouse was flooded by the Cedar River four years ago. And the chapel on busy First Avenue was reserved for 3 p.m.

McDonald wore a dress and a light sweater. Her 12-year-old son, Ethan, was the ring bearer. The five-minute ceremony stalled for just a moment as the ring would not fit over Lee’s swollen finger.

“That’s what you get for wrestling,” the reverend said. Soon enough, the union was sealed with a kiss.

While some well-known Olympians have come out after their athletic careers ended, Lee heads to London as one of the few active athletes in history to publicly — and officially — acknowledge being gay.

Keep reading HERE.

UCLA newspaper reports on visit from Hudson Taylor

UCLA student newspaper The Daily Bruin reports on Hudson Taylor's recent visit for Athlete Ally:

Hidden in a crowded audience of UCLA student-athletes, two male athletes laughed and joked that the presenter speaking in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights was “so gay.”

An earshot away sat Jordan, a UCLA basketball player who identifies as gay and whose real name is not disclosed out of a request for anonymity.

These comments stood in contrast to the words of Hudson Taylor, a former All-American wrestler and current coach at Columbia University, who came to UCLA on Monday night to promote Athlete Ally, an organization that advocates for acceptance of LGBT athletes. Taylor is a “straight ally,” a heterosexual who has openly taken a stance against homophobia in the locker room.

Taylor urged the audience of athletes to refrain from using derogatory homophobic phrases such as “That is so gay” and “He’s such a fag” in the locker room.

“I was really disappointed in some of the comments from the crowd – the lack of character and disrespect that was shown,” Jordan said.

As part of the quarterly Wooden Academy Leadership and Development Program sponsored by UCLA Athletics, the event was mandatory for all first-year and transfer student-athletes.

“This was something new to me, I wasn’t quite aware of what was going on. I have a lot of respect for (Taylor), for what he is doing,” said Xavier Su’a-Filo, a sophomore offensive tackle on UCLA’s football team.

Around 200 student-athletes attended the event; however, Su’a-Filo and Jerry Neuheisel, Su’a-Filo’s teammate and a freshman quarterback, reluctantly said that the mandatory nature of the event was the reason they attended. When Ally Week assistant director Cyrus Sinai thanked the audience for attending, a few mutters of “It’s mandatory” floated around Collins Court.

But other student-athletes were willing to show their support of the LGBT community as an Athlete Ally. Throughout last week and after Monday night’s presentation, athletes were invited to participate in photo shoots.

Keep reading HERE.

24 June 2012 / European Youth Sport session on sport and homophobia at Eurogames 2012

News about the opportunity to participate in an exciting event held in Budapest in association with Eurogames:

Context of the study session

Aim
To explore sport as both a player in perpetuated homophobia and an opportunity to play together and encourage youth to step away from this current dichotomy through a campaign or tool.

Background
ENGSO Youth has noted a wide intolerance and discomfort surrounding the topic of homophobia through the past trainings and experience within the sport movement.
Research confirms 48% of the EU´s population (Eurobarometer 263 “Discrimination in the European Union”) believes that homosexuality is still a taboo and as stated in the Norwegian NOC´s Sport Policy Document 2007-2011 homophobia is an extremely difficult topic to tackle: “lesbians, gays and bisexuals are – differing from many other minorities – an invisible group. And that is therefore an extra challenge to contribute to dissemination of knowledge and information in order for this group to be fully accepted within sports.”

ENGSO Youth believes there is a strong need to address this alienation within youth sport with a vision of a wider impact. Through this session ENGSO Youth together with 35 other young people aims to tackle discrimination and foster a truly inclusive European youth sector. As one of the main problems to inclusion is often perception, ENGSO Youth would like to engage young people not only to challenge this discrimination within the participants, but use their combined knowledge from the study session to launch a youth campaign targeting sport organisations, clubs, youth workers, or any other target group that the participants deem important.

The Study session is taking place in Budapest parallel to the Eurogames (the Annual European Gay & Lesbian Championships) which offer the perfect opportunity to put into practice the planned campaign.

The objectives of the study session are
To explore the concept of social inclusion, challenge its limitations in terms of access and promote sport as a tool for social change
To share practices on inclusion of homophobia in and through sport
To promote a new, fun, creative approach to youth, sports and homophobia
To create and develop a visual impacting awareness-raising campaign challenging homophobia in sport

Practical details of the study session
Organisers:
ENGSO Youth (European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation Youth) www.youth-sport.net

Date:
Arrival: Sunday, 24th of June until 6 p.m.
Departure: Sunday, 1st of July after breakfast
Co-financed by: The Youth Department of the Council of Europe
Venue: The European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary:
Zivatar utca 1-3., H-1024 Budapest

Both the study session and the accommodation will be in the same building. The homepage of the European Youth Center in Budapest is HERE.

Number and Profile of participants:

ENGSO Youth will welcome a total of 35 young participants who are:

• leaders active in the youth sector and the sport sector
• marginalized because of gender based and sexual discrimination
• interested in using sport for social inclusion, especially the inclusion of young marginalized people
• interested in the European context of social inclusion through sports
• leaders working with or interested to work with young people who are facing discrimination based on sexual orientation involved in voluntary work at a local, regional and/or national level;
• interested in raising awareness and challenging the current homophobic environment present in sport
• interested in developing a campaign for sport as social change
• interested in developing creative methods of inclusion through and with sports

ENGSO Youth wishes to receive applications from both female and male applicants, with different cultural and educational backgrounds from 18 to 35 years old. The European Youth Centre Budapest is accessible for wheelchair-users and three bedrooms are adapted. All the applicants are expected to be able to communicate in English during the study session.

Participation fee and travel costs:
There will be an enrolment fee for the participants of 50 € (that will be deducted from your travel reimbursement). The Department of Youth of the Council of Europe covers the costs of accommodation and travelling. The cheapest public transport is to be used. Travel costs will be reimbursed at the study session on the basis of the least expensive route between the place of residence and Budapest. In order to receive travel reimbursement, all receipts and boarding passes must be handed in.

Application:
Applicants need to fill in the application form online and answer the questions. In order to be as cost efficient as possible, we urge participants to send their applications as soon as possible, by the very latest until Tuesday, 1st of May 2012.

Provisional Programme for the study session

Sunday, 24th of June 2012
Arrival until 6 p.m. /Welcome Evening / Getting to know each other

Monday 25th June 2012
Morning Sport Activities/ opening and setting frame / Introduction / Expectations / Team building game / Common understanding of concepts / Sport focus / Role of youth / Experience exchange

Tuesday, 26th of June 2012
Morning Sport Activities / Getting to a common understanding of concepts: Inclusion / Exclusion / Barriers to homophobia in sport? / Critically analyzing strengths and weaknesses of sports regarding homophobia / Looking at social inclusion possibilities; how to create social inclusive sports?

Wednesday 27th June 2012
Morning Sport Activities / Towards inclusion, re-conceptualizing through the future workshop what changes could be made in sport in an ideal world to reality / Practical implementation and presentation of inclusive sports / Feedback, reflection and suggestions for improvement

Thursday 28th June 2012
Morning Sport Activities / Creating and collecting a “tool-tank” on possibilities to develop an effective campaign

Friday 29th June 2012
Morning Sport Activities / Guest Speaker / Developing the campaign to challenge homophobia in sport / Presentation and Feedback / Action production stage or Amendments, finalising the document and typing up

Saturday 30th June 2012
Morning Sport Activities / Presentation and Feedback / Implementation of outcomes strategies / Next Steps / Document dissemination / Conclusions and Evaluation / Farewell-Networking

Sunday 1th July 2012
Departure after breakfast

About the organiser, ENGSO Youth

ENGSO Youth is the youth organisation of ENGSO (European Non-Governmental Sport Organisation) with 40 national umbrella organisations of sport as members from across Europe.

ENGSO Youth’s underlying values and principles:
Education through sport: Physical Activity is not just a public health issue, it benefits society by increasing social interaction and community engagement and offers numerous possibilities for non-formal education and inclusion.
Co-determination, democratic participation and inclusion: Young Europeans can be unique agents of social change; they should be involved on all levels of the European social environment.
Equal access to health and well-being for all young Europeans regardless of their economic and social status.

ENGSO Youth has for mission to:
Provide support, advice and guidance for members who want to establish their own youth structure.
To work in partnership with the European Union, the Council of Europe and other European organisations to represent the voice of youth sport
Provide up to date communications and good practise to all member organisation.

Contact:

ENGSO Youth
Berlin Office of German Sport
Behrenstr. 24
10117 Berlin
Phone: +49 - (0)30 -200 75 79 30
Email: info(at)youth-sport.net
www.youth-sport.net

19 June 2012 / Seattle Walk With Pride

Seattle starts Pride Week with Run and WALK with Pride on Sunday 19 June 2012. This is the 29th year. This year the money raised goes to The It Gets Better Project with money directed at GLSEN Washington. Run, Walk, or Donate. If you are visiting Seattle, contact Seattle Frontrunners for hosted housing for this event.

Info HERE.

Greg Louganis interview on US diving Olympic outlook

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

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Paris Aquatique featured in Sensitif

Photos from the Aquafolies, a fun pool event in which FSGL and IGLA member club Paris Aquatique takes on teams from other FSGL clubs in synchro swimming and other activities, are featured in the latest issue of gay magazine Sensitif, along with a report on the performance of Paris Aquatique swimmings in the French national masters championships, from which the club brought back 15 medals.

Find the stories HERE.

7 December 2012 / 24th Frankfurt Xmas Tournament

Since 1987 XMAS Tournament is organized by FVV Frankfurt. From 2006 on in co-operates with Artemis Frauensport e.V. Starting as just a small Volleyball-Tournament, today XMAS has grown to one of the biggest LGBT tournaments in Europe.

In 2011 we were pleased to welcome more than 1.100 participants from 30 countries (not just from Europe). We are proud to say: XMAS-Tournament is one of the biggest and most traditional LGBT tournaments in Europe.

In focus are the competitions in Volleyball, Badminton, Soccer, Swimming, Bowling, Basketball, Table-Tennis and Tennis (GLTA licensed) along with workshops in Fitness and Dancing.

Events like the legendary Tournament-Party "Jingle-Bells" on Saturday evening and the Athlets-Brunch on Sunday build a warm and social framework to make friends from all over the world.

For more information please click HERE!

Playing ice hockey in two leagues, in and out of the closet

In Xtra, a gay ice hockey player tells his story of being closeted in his mainstream league and discovering gay hockey:

I play on two hockey teams. Members on one team know I’m gay. Members on the other do not.

The players on the straight team are of high calibre. I count some of them amongst my closest friends. None has ever given me the impression they would reject me if they found out I am gay. And yet I cannot be sure of that unless I tell them.

Before and after each of our games, I sit in the locker room listening to their stories — stories of partners and children and women they are dating. I don’t contribute to these stories. I don’t feel secure doing so.

As I have felt a distance growing between these teammates and myself, I thought it might be easier to walk away from them, and the team entirely, rather than risk rejection.

But I love hockey. So before giving it up for good, last fall I decided to check out Ottawa’s gay hockey club to see if it could replace what I felt was missing on the straight team. This wasn’t an easy step.

Even as a gay man I had reservations about walking into a gay locker room. I felt anxiety, perhaps even fear, of what I would find on the other side of the door. I asked a friend whether that trepidation was rooted in homophobia. He countered, suggesting I hadn’t been fearful of homosexuals, rather I had been fearful of a possible truth: that what I thought could happen in a gay locker room actually did and that the negative stigma toward homosexuals in sport was well-founded and would thus be directed at me. Guilty by association.

So let me tell you what I found on the other side of that locker-room door. There were no Speedos or pink boas. Nor were there towels being slapped at exposed body parts. Instead there was just a group of guys lacing skates, taping hockey sticks and telling stories. Fun stories and serious stories — of partners, children and men they were dating. The same stuff straight locker rooms are made of. Game on.

Keep reading HERE.

30 May 2012 / IGLA 2012 will be the largest international LGBT in Iceland, ever

IGLA Championships
Iceland’s largest gathering of international LGBT, ever.

The first weekend in June sees the biggest international LGBT event ever organized in Iceland! The IGLA Championship is hosted by queer sports club Styrmir in co-operation with the Icelandic Swimming Association, the City of Reykjavík, the Icelandic Ministry of Culture and Sports, and queer travel experts Pink Iceland.

The 2012 championships of FGG member organization International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics will be held from 30 May 30 to 2 June. Up to 800 participants are scheduled to arrive from all over the world to compete in swimming, water polo, synchronized swimming and diving. Organizers expect the event to be the largest international aquatics competition ever held in the country.

Host club Stymir at Gay Games VIII in Cologne

The Championship is sponsored by both the City of Reykjavík and the Ministry of Culture and Sports. The mayor of Reykjavík is scheduled to make an appearance, and if his past behaviour is anything to go by it is likely he’ll show up in drag to show his support.

Business Traveller Magazine voted Reykjavik on of its top five ‘Cities To Swim In’ in 2009 due to the unique culture and attitude to the sport. Iceland is a volcanic island and geothermal water is both plentiful and cheap. Pretty much every town in the country has its own geothermally heated outdoor pool open to the public all year round.

Swimming in Iceland is more than a sport, its a way of life.

For further information on the activities, lodging, flights and registration visit www.igla2012.org.

26 April 2012 / Manchester football round table to be livecast

The beautiful game - an ugly culture
Thursday 26th April, 5pm, Academy 2 | Register now - use the form below
The best people to lead the fight against discrimination in sport are those that experience it. Everybody can learn from them and help to combat discrimination. Register to attend our evening with John Barnes (ex-Liverpool and England mid-fielder and ESPN commentator), Matt Hall (manager at Village Manchester FC) and a special guest from the England Women’s Football squad from 5 pm in Academy 2 in University of Manchester Students’ Union. Students must register for entry using the form below , non-students may email Jeremy.buck@manchester.ac.uk for attendance requests. If you don’t manage to register for the event, you can also watch the event live at www.fusefm.co.uk andwww.fusetv.co.uk .

Matthew Mitcham on his role as an advocate

The Sydney Morning Herald looks at Gay Games Ambassador Matthew Mitcham's upcoming second Olympic adventure, with a focus on his status as an advocate:

DIVER Matthew Mitcham looks forward to the day when his sexuality will be of as little interest as the colour of a person's hair, their eyes or even gender in day-to-day life, let alone in the Olympic Games, in which he will compete this year as a defending gold medallist in London.

But Mitcham, who won the 10-metre platform event at the 2008 Beijing Games shortly after revealing he was gay, realises that day is some time away - and that it won't arrive before the start of the London Olympics, which yesterday ticked under the ''100 days to go'' mark.

Hence, as he prepares to defend his Olympic title and live up to the expectations on him, Mitcham is still willing to carry the added weight of interest in his advocacy of gay rights."I certainly don't see it as a burden,'' Mitcham told the Herald yesterday after training in Sydney. I never did, especially with how much attention the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered] cause has been getting lately with marriage equality … and with how few openly gay sports stars there are around at the moment. I don't mind attention being put on it. Ideally I would like one day for sexuality to be as unimportant and uninteresting as hair colour, or eye colour or even just gender in general. One day it will get to that. But until it is easy for sports people to come out without fear of persecution or fear of lost sponsorship income and stuff like that, or fear of being comfortable in the team environment, I don't mind attention being brought to my sexuality in the hope that it might make other people feel more comfortable … in being comfortable enough about who they are in their sporting environment."

Keep reading HERE.

US Sit Volleyball team at Times Square

A story submitted by Dianne Tinelli. New York, New York to Women's Sporting News, reminds us that inclusive sport is good for everyone:

I have to share my favorite lunch hour with the world. First of all, I’d like to thank Women’s Sporting News, @WSN247, for informing me that there was a 100 Days Celebration in Times Square for the Summer Olympics.

I walked to the event today at lunchtime and as soon as I integrated with the crowd on Broadway, I saw the U.S. Women’s Paralympic Sit Volleyball Team. I walked to the front, heard a man ask who’d like to participate and quickly raised my hand. He chose me and I practically ran through the crowd to get on the platform. The Paralympians waved me over to the other side of the net. I practically dropped my camera and papers I was carrying on to the sideline and sat down. They all said hi with big smiles on their faces. I had a permanent smile from then on. 

I was on the blue team with teammates Monique Burkland, Nichole Millage, Katie Holloway, Nicky Nieves and a little boy named Henry. Did I just call these amazing athletes teammates? Wow! We were facing the red team of Brenda Maymon, Army vet Kari Miller, Heather Erickson, Lora Webster and two lucky participants, like me. They told us to make sure not to lift our butt off the ground. My first serve didn’t make it over the net, but they told me to serve again. I didn’t realize without my legs, I needed to really pound the ball. So, I punched it and served an ace! OK, so I hit it in front of the non-athlete. On the next serve I aimed for a real athlete and we volleyed a few times and scored again. We won the game 15 to I don’t know what. Does it really matter? I PLAYED SIT VOLLEYBALL WITH THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL ATHLETES I’VE EVER MET. They gave me high-fives, compliments and of course, their smiles. They THANKED ME for playing! I thanked them and wished them luck. I didn’t want to get off the platform. I was in complete amazement.

Afterward, they played amongst themselves, then put their prosthetic limbs on and lined up near the Road to London bus for autographs. Of course, I had to get on the line to get their autographs. When I got there, some of them thanked me again for playing with them. They signed autographs and I took pictures of them before leaving.My day was made. No-one or nothing was going to bother me after that very inspirational moment I was so fortunate to share with the U.S. Women’s Paralympic Sit Volleyball Team - my new heroes. Of course, I will never forget it or them. I can’t wait to watch them compete this summer. I floated back to work after a few tweets and phone calls.Thank you again WSN for always keeping me in the know!

"Speak Out Against Prejudice" college scholarship offer for US students

A message of interest to US college students:

About The Scholarship
We’re proud to introduce the Gay Dating Sites.net - Speak Out Against Prejudice Scholarship, which will be awarded to one deserving student passionate about doing their part to stop bullying, prejudice, and negative stigmas generally, in particular as they relate to the GLBT community.

Scholarship Amount:
The scholarship will be in the amount of $5,000, and will be distributed for the 2012-2013 academic school year. It will go towards helping the student pay for non-tuition related expenses such as:
Rent
Childcare
Gas/Travel Expenses
Books/School Supplies
Utilities
Groceries

Please note that the funds will not be sent directly to the recipient of the scholarship; rather, Education Aid, Inc. will pay for the expenses. The student will be required to provide relevant supporting documentation necessary to validate any expenses being paid for on their behalf.

Can I Apply?
You would be a great contender for this scholarship if you meet the following criteria:
You are a US citizen
You are currently enrolled in or will be enrolled in a post-secondary accredited institution for the 2012-2013 academic school year
You have a financial need for this scholarship and are already receiving or are planning to receive some other type of financial aid
You are working towards a degree in:
Psychology
Sociology
Communications/Public Speaking
Political Science
GLBT Studies
Conflict Resolution Studies
Fine Arts / Performing Arts
You plan to pursue a career that will allow you to speak out against the bullying, prejudice, and negative stereotypes that are often thrust upon the GLBT community, and/or mentor and counsel those affected by such prejudice.

How Do I Apply?
You may download our scholarship application form and complete it either by typing in your answers or by printing it out and writing them in. If you choose the latter, please make sure to print clearly and legibly! Once completed, you must print out your application and sign it by hand (electronic signatures will not be accepted).

Who To Email?
Once you are satisfied with your application, the next step is to scan it and submit it to: GDSScholarship@educationaid.org. Please make sure to use the subject line, “GayDatingSites.net - Scholarship.”

Dates to Remember:
Application Deadline: June 1, 2012
Winner Announced July 1, 2012
Award Date September 1, 2012 (The start of the 2012-2013 academic school year)

Application Form
Download and complete the scholarship application form

About the Partnership
About GayDatingSites.net
The Gay Dating Sites.net - Speak Out Against Prejudice Scholarship was created and funded by Gay Dating Sites.net and administered by Education Aid, Inc. in order to reward one student’s hard work and/or future potential toward putting a stop to the prejudice that is often inflicted upon the GLBT community. The purpose of this scholarship is to give said student the financial resources to be able to reach their educational goals, and therefore be better able to aid in the implementation of equality towards the people in this community.

About EducationAid.org
It is the mission of Education Aid to change the lives of students around the country by providing them with the financial support they need to complete their education. This is done through the Support a Student Scholarship Program. Participants of this Program will have payments made on their behalf for non-tuition related expenses that are not being covered by their current financial aid amounts. Many economically disadvantaged students do not receive enough financial support to pay for such expenses and ultimately end up dropping out of school. This Program was created to identify these students and provide them with the financial support necessary to enable them to complete their degrees. You can read more about Education Aid at: EducationAid.org.

1800+ Facebook fans!

Thanks to the more than 1800 Facebook users who have "liked" our official page!

Help us get to 2000!

Visit our page at facebook.com/federationofgaygames, and don't forget to like the page of our host for Gay Games 9 at facebook.com/gaygamescleveland

Impact of You Can Play

"You Can Play" is a new campaign to fight homophobia in hockey. It's an initiative welcomed by players such as Dave Bossmin (you will recall his editorial we reported on HERE) of the Ottawa-Gatineau Gay Hockey Association. A CJTV News feature interview for Centretown News by Jason Chen, Nic Pollock and Robert Snow.

Week 3 for Anton Hysén: he's damn good!

It's Anton Hysén's third week on Sweden's "Dancing With the Stars", where he danced the paso doble, and did it exceedingly well!

Cody Roundball Classic on this weekend in Chicago!

Best of luck to everyone involved in the Cody Roundball Classic this weekend in Chicago!

In Atlanta? Cheer on those running in the Atlanta Bucks Purple Dress Run

It's today!

Info HERE.

Greg Louganis part of "100 Days to London" event at Times Square

Former U.S. Olympic greats Carl Lewis, Shannon Miller and Greg Louganis meet up with London hopeful Allyson Felix (second from right) in Times Square.

Louganis rings the closing bell at NASDAQ.

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Cleveland Plain Dealer on opening of registration for Gay Games 9

The Cleveland Plain Dealer interview with the leaders of Gay Games 9:

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With more than two years to go before opening ceremonies for the 2014 Gay Games unfold in downtown Cleveland and Akron, organizers of the Games say plans are coming together so smoothly that online registration should open for competitors within the next couple weeks.

More than 30 sports and competitive events -- ranging from track and field to ballroom dancing, martial arts and water sports -- have been listed on the Games' website, www.2014gaygamescleveland.com, so far.

And Thomas Nobbe, executive director of Gay Games 9, said the group already has been inundated with offers to volunteer from as far away as Australia. "These are people who don't even live here who are eager to be a part of it," Nobbe said in an interview Wednesday. "The responses we've received have been overwhelmingly positive about Cleveland as the venue. Our feeling is that we will put on the best Games that have ever been."

The Gay Games, for which Cleveland and Akron were chosen in 2009 as hosts, are expected to draw about 11,000 participants and more than twice that number of spectators, performers and volunteers from around the globe -- potentially pouring tens of millions of dollars into the local economy, Nobbe said.

To accommodate the sporting events, organizers are working to forge contracts with about 35 of what they called "world-class facilities" in the region, including university campuses, Firestone Country Club in Akron and potentially the new Convention Center under construction in downtown Cleveland. Nobbe said the Cleveland games, as well as cultural events and festivals surrounding them, will be located, if possible, near the Healthline bus route down Euclid Avenue. And the event will make the most out of downtown development, including the new casino, hotels and other improvements.

Organizers say they aim to raise $2.1 million along with in-kind donations of equipment or food, and they hope community members would consider opening their homes to host out-of-town participants. The event encourages participation regardless of skill level, age or sexual orientation. And scholarships will be available for competitors who cannot afford registration fees, organizers said.

Keep reading HERE.

Video from Play the Game conference: "Little Difference, Huge Impact: The Gender Challenge to Sport"

Find the Play the Game 2011 website with more information, photos, video, program, etc. HERE.

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We're posting audio and video from sessions from the 2011 Play the Game conference at the German Sports University in Cologne of particular interest to the FGG and its member organizations.

Here is the session on "Little Difference, Huge Impact: The Gender Challenge to Sport".


Part 1: Presentations from Daniela Schaaf, Jörg-Uwe Nieland, Tine Rindum Teilmann, Annette Hofmann (chair: Nikki Dryden)

Part 2: Presentation from Laura Robinson, then panel with Daniela Schaaf, Jörg-Uwe Nieland, Tine Rindum Teilmann, Annette Hofmann, Laura Robinson

Sportscasters say "You Can Play"

The Sports Network's James Duthie, Darren Dreger, Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie express their support for You Can Play. TSN's broadcasaters also promise to cover LGBT athletes fairly and honestly, and not to treat sexual orientation as a story in and of itself.

21 April 2012 / Learn to run a 5K with DC Front Runners

DC Front Runners are offering a GREAT course for those interested in running their first 5K race (3.1 miles). The 8 week course begins on April 21 and ends with you running in a race on June 21. To learn more or sign up, contact Blake at outreach@dcfrontrunners.org. To learn more about them go to www.dcfrontrunners.org. Better yet, join them on Friday, May 4th for their First Friday Happy Hour and meet them in person.

En français / 8 May 2012 / La FSGL invitée à la journée de l'Europe à Montreuil sur le thème du sport en Europe

FSGL has been invited to be part of the city of Montreuil's celebration of Europe Day on 8 May 2012, which this year is dedicated to "sport in Europe". Among the activities planned is a display of the EGLSF exhibition "Against the Rules".

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La Fête de l’Europe aura lieu le mardi 8 mai de 14 à 19h, dans le Square Patriarche à Montreuil (12/14 bd Rouget-de-Lisle).

En raison de l’actuel agenda sportif européen avec la Coupe d’Europe de football en Pologne et en Ukraine, ainsi que les Jeux Olympiques de Londres, la Fête de l’Europe 2012 aura pour thème principal « le sport en europe ».

Le public peut ainsi découvrir :
- quelques sports traditionnels de certains pays et des sports insolites
- l’action des institutions européennes dans le domaine du sport
- des projets sportifs à dimension européenne, réalisés par des associations

La FSGL sera présente, notamment pour présenter l'exposition "Contre les règles" de l'EGLSF.

Le long de l’après-midi, le public peut découvrir des groupes de musique européens sur scène, des jeux et des animations à dimension européenne, ainsi que des plats typiques proposés par des associations locales de ressortissants européens.

Infos ICI.
Dépliant ICI.

17 May 2012 / What are you doing for the International Day Against Homophobia?

From the IDAHO website: 

In practice, our first objective is to provoke action. Actions can take place in a number of different forms: a debate in the classroom, an exhibition in a cafe, a demonstration in the street, a radio program, a screening in a neighbourhood home, a round table organized by a political party, a short story competition sponsored by a newspaper, an awareness campaign led by an association, etc. These initiatives can be backed by LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans) associations, by human rights organizations, but also by women and men of any background and interest. In fact, today many people who are not specifically interested in questions of homosexuality are worried about the problem of homophobia. 

The second goal of this Day is to reinforce the visibility of the varied and often isolated efforts from activists all over the world. Actions happening the same day will benefit of the collective visibility and will gain in effectiveness and impact. And now the day becomes an annual meeting, the media and public opinion will be all the more attentive to the questions brought up, as well as to ground gained or lost. Moreover, those who coordinate this Day can report back the results of the efforts, informing journalists and favoring best practise exchanges among activists. 

This project has a third objective : to place this Day on the national calendar in the highest number of countries possible, and then to have it adopted at an international level. Obviously, this is a long term objective. But official recognition is not just a symbol, since even symbols have real power, as we all know. Recognition will contribute to the persistence of the fight. It will also make it possible to show that the fight against homophobia is not only the business of gay, bi or trans people, but that it is the full responsibility of public authorities and the concern of society as a whole.

Let us know what you're doing for IDAHO 2012! Just write blog@gaygames.org to share your news.

Nine Day / 9 roller coasters at Cedar Point

It's 19 April, so it's "Nine Day" on the Gay Games blog!

Cleveland and Akron and all of Northeast Ohio are looking forward to welcoming the world for Gay Games 9 in 2014.

Here are 9 of the 17 roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park which you can visit when you come to the world's largest sport and culture festival open to all:

1. 

Blue Streak

Height Requirement: 48"

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2.

Cedar Creek Mine Ride

Height Requirement: 48"

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3.

Corkscrew

Height Requirement: 48

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4.

Gemini

Height Requirement: 48

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5.

Iron Dragon

Height Requirement: 46"

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6.

Magnum XL-200

Height Requirement: 48"

» View More

7.

Mantis

Height Requirement: 54"

» View More

8.

Millennium Force

Height Requirement: 48"

» View More

9.

Raptor

Height Requirement: 54"

» View More

Grinnell College football blog reports on Esera Tuaolo talk

From the blog of the Grinnell College football team:

On Thursday [12 April 2012] Esera Tuaolo was on campus doing a number of speeches, talks and sessions with people all across campus. If you don't know Esera's story, he's the most-prominent, and only 3rd, openly gay current or former NFL player. His experiences in the uber-jock environment provided plenty of ridicule and difficult times and he's sharing those stories. His message revolves around eliminating hatred and disrespect of all types, from generic bullying to the homophobia that can be so prominent within male athletics.

(photos Alysia Horcher, Grinnell class of 2015)

En français / La FSGL salue le retrait du prix Pierre Guénin de Louis Nicollin

AFFAIRE LOUIS NICOLLIN : LA FSGL SALUE LE RETRAIT DU PRIX PIERRE GUENIN CONTRE L'HOMOPHOBIE

Mardi 17 avril 2012

C'est avec stupeur que la FSGL (fédération sportive gaie et lesbienne) a appris hier sur Yagg.com les propos tenus par Louis Nicollin au micro de RMC le 12 avril dernier. Le patron du Montpellier Hérault Sport Club expliquait pourquoi il ne s'était pas rendu au match entre Montpellier et l'OM (match placé sous le signe de la lutte contre l’homophobie dans le sport) : «J'ai stressé énormément pendant tout le match. D'ailleurs au dernier moment je n'y suis pas allé parce que j'ai eu peur. (…) Oui, je suis un pédé, mais enfin qu'est-ce que tu veux, j'ai eu peur.»

Nous ne pouvons que nous insurger de tels propos, qui une fois de plus sortent de la bouche d'un responsable sportif fort de notoriété nationale. Il n'est pas sans rappeler les anciens dérapages de M. Nicollin qui n'hésitait pas en 2009 à traiter de "tarlouze" un joueur de l'équipe adverse, après une défaite de son équipe.

Suite à cet épisode peu reluisant, le Montpellier Hérault SC avait tenté de rattraper le coup en s'engageant contre l'homophobie, avec la signature de la Charte contre l'homophobie en 2010, ce que nous avions alors salué. Louis Nicollin avait par la suite également participé au clip contre l'homophobie dans le sport du Paris Foot Gay, ce qui lui avait valu d’être nominé pour le prix Pierre Guénin contre l'homophobie cette année.

Il est fort regrettable qu'à la lumière de cette récompense, qui lui a été finalement retirée hier par le jury de SOS homophobie qui décerne ce prix, M. Nicollin ne se soit pas senti plus concerné par le poids de telles paroles. Sa sincérité ne peut donc qu'être remise en question suite à ces derniers développements, d'autant plus que le club de Montpellier avait signé la charte contre l’homophobie dans le sport.

Malgré les premières réactions de Pierre Guénin et du Paris Foot Gay qui ont tous les deux joué la carte de l'humour face à ce dérapage, Louis Nicollin ne recevra finalement pas le prix Pierre Guénin contre l'homophobie. Nous ne pouvons que nous féliciter de la décision du jury du prix qui en conclut que "l’insulte ou le commentaire à caractère homophobe font hélas bien partie du patrimoine génétique et "culturel" du Président du Club de Football de Montpellier".

Reste à savoir qu’elles seront les décisions de la Ligue de Football, de la Fédération Française de Football et du Ministère des Sports, face à ce dérapage qui met à mal les actions de lutte contre l’homophobie dans le sport, engagées depuis 2 ans. Il ne faudrait pas qu’une fois signée la Charte, les dirigeants des clubs sportifs puissent se permettre de tenir des propos homophobes en toute impunité.


Pour la FSGL,

Alexis Christoforou
Vice-Président chargé de la communication de la FSGL