Portrait of out Paralympic equestrian Lee Pearson

From the Lesbian and Gay Foundation:

Lee Pearson is often described as the world’s most successful Paralympics dressage rider. He has amassed a total of 27 gold medals since starting Paralympics dressage competitions in 1998. He set an Equestrian world record by being unbeaten at three consecutive Paralympics Games. In 2003, he became the only disabled person to have won a title at the British Dressage National Championships competing against non-disabled riders when he took the 2003 elementary restricted finals.

These are amazing feats for anyone but even more so when you consider that Lee has a condition called arthrogryposis, which means his muscles didn’t grow correctly and he does not have mobility in his ankles or knees and also has restricted movement in his other limbs.

Lee had 15 major operations to straighten his limbs as a child but he has never let his disability get him down and has no plans to have any more operations at the present time.

It has never been a problem for him or others around him however, he wasn’t bullied at school and in fact was Mr Popular and even dated a girl in the year above.. oh how times have changed!

Lee recently became civilly partnered to his other half Mark Latham. He has gone on to win three gold medals at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, U.S.A in October. There seems to be no stopping this man who at just 36 years old has already achieved so much in his life.


Keep reading HERE.

Hate crime vigils organiser brings Olympic torch to Soho

From Pink News:

The organiser of the 17-24-30 hate crime vigils paused with his Olympic torch in Soho yesterday [23 July] to remember victims of anti-gay crimes after running in the official relay in south London.

Mark Healey told PinkNews.co.uk it had been an “amazing day” as part of the relay and that he had run in memory of the victims of hate crimes.

Subsequently, he made the journey into central London with the memento torch given to him by Olympic authorities to pause near the site of the Admiral Duncan bombing.

As the organiser of 17-24-30, Mr Healey was nominated to run with the torch as it made its way through south London yesterday morning ahed of the opening ceremony this Friday.

Keep reading HERE

Trans Olympic hopeful Keelin Godsey tells his story

From Our Group:

On July 21, 2012, I competed at the US Track and Field Olympic Trials in the women’s hammer throw. I competed as the first out female-to-male transgender athlete pre-medical transition. However, this was my second time competing at the Olympic Trials. At the 2008 Trials, I was closeted and placed seventh. This year, however, I was out and placed fifth. I only missed the team by a hair.

The major difference between the Beijing and the London trials was that I was fully, publicly out and everyone knew. My competitors knew. Their coaches knew. Everyone in my field knew. Prior to the games I was inundated with emails and messages, from all sorts of different people about my story and what they thought about it. Dealing with the pressure was a new avenue that I learned to navigate. I trained for 10 years to make the US team. I already had enough pressure on myself to make the team. At the same time, I felt additional pressure to succeed on behalf of the transgender community. Even though there was no direct pressure, I did not want to disappoint all the people who said they looked up to me. I wanted to give them something to look up to.


Keep reading HERE.

Soccer added to Sin City Shootout

We just added Soccer for the 2013 Sin City Shootout Sports Festival!

This brings the total to 8 different LGBT sports taking place.

The West Hollywood Soccer Club will be the sports coordinator for soccer.

Check back September 1st to register and get all the information on your sport.

www.sincityshootout.com/

Martina Navratilova encourages athletes to come out

From Gay Star News:

Martina Navratilova, the world’s greatest ever female tennis star has told Gay Star News that closeted gay athletes should come out.

The lesbian multiple-Grand Slam champion says LGBT athletes who are not open are just ‘too paranoid’, in an interview released by GSN today (27 July) to mark the official start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

There are only a handful of openly LGBT people competing in the Olympics this summer – far less than 1% and sport is often cited as being institutionally homophobic.

Keep reading HERE.

En français / Yannick Agnel, médaillé olympiqe gay-friendly

Têtu.com évoque le numéro spécial "sport", en kiosque :


Il attire tous les regards. Surtout depuis sa victoire dimanche soir en relais avec ses collègues du 4 x 100 mètres, puis celle en individuel sur 200 mètres nage libre. Yannick Agnel, 20 ans, est sans conteste LA star française des Jeux olympiques de Londres. En une saison, le colosse nîmois (1,98 m, 81 kilos), est passé du statut d’espoir à celui de roi des bassins.

Mais avant même le début des JO, le beau nageur avait tapé dans l'œil de TÊTU. Yannick Agnel est en effet en interview dans le dernier numéro (juillet-août). Dans le cadre d’un vaste dossier sur les sportifs friendly, le jeune champion tricolore évoque l'ouverture d'esprit en équipe de France de natation (Frédéric Bousquet a fait la couv' de TÊTU en février 2010), une équipe où l’on n'hésite pas à s’amuser des clichés véhiculées sur la natation, à chambrer les camarades qui posent en sous-vêtements, une équipe où il n'y a aucun tabou.


Le nouveau phénomène de la natation française s’exprime également sur l’homosexualité dans le sport. «Ceux qui sont gênés par l’homosexualité n’ont pas compris grand-chose à la vie en général, déclare Yannick Agnel. Moi, je trouve ça tout à fait normal. Chacun a l’orientation sexuelle qu'il a. Je ne trouverais pas choquant qu'un nageur ou n'importe quel sportif puisse faire son coming out.»


Continuer à lire ICI.

Congratulations Judith Arndt on silver medal in Olympic cycling time trials!

Gay Games Ambassador Judith Arndt has just won the silver medal in the Olympic cycling time trials. Congrats!!!

Welcome Philadelphia Falcons

The Philadelphia Falcons Soccer Club, a member of Team Philadelphia and IGLFA, has just joined the Federation of Gay Games as an associate member.

Welcome Falcons!

FGG/London Angels/Paris Aquatique appeal on ABC News

From ABC News: At the Queen Mother Sports Centre in the heart of London, a group of medal-winning athletes is training for one of the most demanding Olympic competitions-- synchronized swimming. Their sport requires precision, teamwork and stamina.

But no matter how hard they train, no matter how good they are, this team isn't welcome at the 2012 Summer Games, for one simple reason: They're men.

Synchronized swimming was first demonstrated at the Olympics in 1952, and didn't become an official sport until 1984, but then it was only opened to female teams. The Out To Swim Angels are Britain's only male synchronized swimming team. Last month they [with FGG and Paris Aquatique] wrote a letter to the International Olympic Committee and FINA, swimming's governing body, arguing that men deserve to compete in synchronized swimming as well. "There's still this same of sort old mindset. Oh well it's pretty, it's for girls," said team member Ronan Daly. "But no, we want to challenge that and say boys can do this as well." Keep reading HERE.

Pride House in Philadelphia Gay News

A very nice article by Scott Drake on Pride House from Philadelphia Gay News (thanks to Anna Aagenes):


Olympic Pride House welcomes the world

The first Summer Olympics Pride House almost-didn’t happen. When sponsorship funding didn’t meet expectations three months ago, the house was officially scrapped in spite of the enormous success of the first Pride House two years ago at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Olympic speed skater Blake Skjellerup publicly said the support and encouragement he got at the Vancouver Pride House influenced his decision to come out.

More than just a haven for LGBT athletes, the house will have live music from LGBT artists, video presentations from local LGBT organizations and, of course, broadcast competitions live during the games. A banner exhibit of 37 out athletes, groups, discrimination and progress will include Billie Jean King, David Kopay, Greg Louganis, Ian Roberts, Tom Waddell, the Gay Games and OutGames.


Federation of Gay Games vice president for external affairs Marc Naimark recently told PGN via email his hope is to see thousands of Olympic visitors stop by for an exhibit or attend some other Pride House event. Visitors can participate in a bowling night, a youth day, a football tournament during the week and a fun sports day on Aug. 11.

Pride House is only open Aug. 3-12 and, even though there is no scheduled media coverage at this point, Naimark is hopeful that some publicity takes root by the time the house opens. Naimark also said that while it is a haven for LGBT athletes and it would be great if some Gay Games ambassadors such as Greg Louganis came, the primary focus is to engage the general public.

And what about someone coming out during the Olympics? “If an athlete competing in the Olympics were to come out at Pride House, we would be delighted and supportive: But our pleasure would be first and foremost for him or her. Coming out is a liberation, and if we can be part of that, we will have done something good,” Naimark said.

Read more HERE.

Two years ago tonight!

Welcome Cheer San Francisco!

We are pleased to welcome Cheer SF as a member of the Federation of Gay Games.

San Francisco cheerleaders have been part of every Gay Games. As we expand the cheer program for the Gay Games, after the successful experiment in Cologne, we are delighted to have a cheerleading group join us!

Our thoughts to our friends in Cleveland

As you might expect, many people from our host organization and other friends of Gay Games 9 were present at "Dancin' in the Streets". As far as we know, none of them are among the victims of this "accident". From Cleveland.com:

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland police arrested a 34-year-old Lakewood man Sunday evening after he drove his car through a barricade at an outdoor festival on the city's West Side and injured four people, one of them fatally.

All four were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. Two of them were in critical condition Sunday evening, but one of them, Mitchell Andelmo, 27, of Avon Lake, later died.

Timothy Spock was arrested and held on suspicion of operating a vehicle while impaired, among other charges, police said.

The accident happened at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland's annual Dancin' In the Streets festival, an event that raises money for AIDS and HIV awareness. The festival was held on Clifton Avenue near West 117th Street.

31 August 2010 : Opening ceremony of Gay Games VIII

Today's the second anniversary of the opening of Gay Games VIII.Thigs is another opportunity to thank our hosts in Cologne for giving us an unforgettable experience!

Kickstarter for film on same-sex country and western dance

DANCE LIKE NO ONE'S WATCHING is a documentary that explores the world of competitive Country/Western dancing within the gay community.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to watch the video above. As an award-winning filmmaker (Collegiate OSCAR nominated & EMMY winner) whose films have shown all over the world, I am drawn to stories about how people who don't always fit into mainstream culture are able to take elements of that culture and make it their own.

While writing a feature script set within a gay country western bar in Texas (Quick Quick Slow), I discovered “The International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country Western Dance Clubs” and was amazed that something I was writing into my ‘fictional’ work actually existed!

Learn more about this Kickstarter campaign HERE.

Imke Duplitzer, Olympic fencer and activist

From Outsports on SB Nation:

Jul 29, 2012 - Out and outspoken lesbian fencer Imke Duplitzer of Germany starts her round of 64 in women's épée July 30, against Maria Martinez of Venezuela. A veteran of five Olympics, 6'1", 36-year-old Duplitzer was high-profile during the Beijing Games in 2008.

Passionately devoted to human-rights issues, she boycotted the Beijing opening ceremonies as a protest to Chinese communism and its actions in Tibet and Darfur. She said she'd probably spend the time reading a book and having a beer.

"I'm in a different position from other young athletes," Imke told the press in Beijing at the time. "This is my fourth Games. I understand athletes want to march in the opening ceremony because it's a life dream. That's okay with me."

Duplitzer was also one of 40 athletes who signed an open letter to Chinese president Hu protesting human-rights violations in Tibet and Darfur. This open letter and others, along with the resignation of Steven Spielberg as artistic director at Beijing, were all part of a huge international activist flurry designed to pressure the People's Republic of China into the respect for human rights officially required from member nations of the Olympics movement. The idea of athletes boycotting the Games was floated. However, China ignored the protests, and the Games rolled forward.


Keep reading HERE.

Where are the missing gays in London 2012?

From Lesbilicious:

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London will feature 21 athletes who are openly gay or bisexual, and 18 of those are women.

While it is encouraging that there are some gay sportspeople who are out, the number is incredibly, ridiculously, painfully low.

There are 12,602 athletes competing in the Olympic games. According to the 2010 Integrated Household Survey, approximately 5% of the UK population is lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Assuming this figure is representative of other countries, and that sports stars’ are no more or less likely to be queer than the general population, statistically speaking we should expect 609 of the competitors to be lesbian, gay or bisexual.

The list of 21 athletes, compiled by Outsports, only includes sports people who have come out publicly. It doesn’t include sports men and women rumoured to be gay.


Keep reading HERE.

No time to cry victory for women in the Olympics

For the first time an Olympics opening ceremony saw women in very delegation. That's progress... unless it becomes an alibi to cover the continuing repression of women in sport. From the National Post:

CAIRO — Across the world, word that Saudi Arabia would send women athletes to the Olympics for the first time immediately rocketed to the top of websites and broadcasts. In Saudi Arabia’s official media: Not even a hint.

The state-sponsored silent treatment was a lesson into the deep intricacies and sensitivities inside the kingdom as it took another measured step away from its ultraconservative traditions.

While Saudi rulers found room to accommodate the demands of the International Olympic Committee to include women athletes, they also clearly acknowledged that — in their view at least — this did not merit billing as a pivotal moment of reform in a nation that still bans women from driving or travelling without the approval of a male guardian.

“It does not change the fact that Saudi women are not free to move and to choose,” said political analyst Mona Abass in neighbouring Bahrain. “The Saudis may use it to boost their image, but it changes little.”

Even the two athletes selected to compete under the Saudi flag — 800-metre runner Sarah Attar from Pepperdine University in California and Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani in judo — live outside the kingdom and carry almost no influence as sports figures. There is no other choice: Women sports remain nearly an underground activity in Saudi Arabia.

Keep reading HERE.

A look back at Gay Games V AIDS Memorial Quilt display

In 1998 there took place a traveling exhibition of AIDS memorial quilts from different European countries, throughout Europe. The final display was in the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, from 1 to 3 August, to celebrate the Gay Games. At the exhibition were also quilts from non-European countries to see, like in Chile, Mexico, Cuba and Thailand. As reported by Marleen Swenne:

A quilt consists of eight name flags sewn together, each made in memory of someone on the impact of AIDS is deceased. Some name flags are simple and clear, others look busy and seem imbued with personal memories of the deceased. Each name flag is a precious thing. You look at it that the people who stayed behind the flag name with great care and love have put together. Sometimes there is a picture on the canvas and usually there is a name to read. But there are also quilts with no names, like the quilt from Chile. The taboo against AIDS is so great that it is dangerous even for the survivors to put the name of the deceased on the quilt.

The opening day was a cloudy Saturday with constantly threatening rain. The puddles have been vacuumed up as best could be done. After the opening speeches Erik Windhorst plays ‘The Rose’ on his bagpipes. In the background a young athlete tunes her stretching exercises to the mournful music.

There is also a quilt where every passerby can write the name of a loved one who is deceased, and not just people with AIDS. This is the Gay Games V quilt. During each Gay Games such a quilt is created, and it never emains empty.

A ritual that often takes place in quilt exhibitions is the reading of names of the deceased. People of various nationalities were on stage throughout the day to read the names.

Toi is from Thailand. On Sunday he is one of the people reading names. The context is poignant and painful, but as Toi gets ready, he keeps smiling, and walks to the stage where the two Thai quilts can be seen. They are very colorful, almost every name flags have a picture of something or other. A frog. A cat. Fish. A bridge. “That flag is the name of someone who lived on the river. When they started building a large modern bridge, he had to move. He did not, but was forced to leave. We sewed the bridge on his quilt.”

The Chewit Names Project in Nonthaburi, where Toi works, focuses on supporting and enhancing the resilience of people with HIV. There is a telephone helpline, where many ideas and experiences are exchanged. It is also possible to give information to students and prostitutes. Toi: “We have no money for proper medication to do more. Nor do the patients or the government. And there is no insurance. A few people get medication from the hospital. So we focus on other aspects of health care. We do a lot with herbs, massage and meditation. People feel better with. all we can do.”

Toi is a painter, but he can not earn a living. He talks about the Chewitt Project, where art is used as a means to understand AIDS. From this project came the two quilts displayed at Vondelpark. “Making art means that you have a thought process in a very personal way of shaping. We work with students so they can design and make their own educational materials. They use them again for information on their schools and their communities. It is a positive way of working I think: you give your feelings shape, you can express commitment to people with HIV, or show that you sympathize with those who someone with HIV in the family.”

Sunday and Monday were two sunny days when many people viewed the quilts. The names will be read again, endless rows of names. In between music sounds. “Are there really so many people who’ve died, mama?” A child’s voice sounds clear across the grounds. The child’s mother tries to explain to her daughter. The adults, no less impressed, look at all those names and are quiet. A few hundred meters away football players practice for their Gay Games competition. Birds sing, the sun shines. “You must live,” said Toi. And he smiles.

Gay Games VIII in Project Q Atlanta: Jeremy Koziol blocks the score

We missed this series from Project Q Atlanta when it first appeared, but are pleased to share these stories of Atlantans in Cologne for Gay Games VIII:

Among the more than 9,000 LGBT athletes and artists competing in the Gay Games this week in Cologne are about two-dozen Atlantans, including water polo player S. Jeremy Koziol.

The 33-year-old plays with the Hotlanta Soccer Association and is on the roster of the Atlanta Rainbow Trout and its water polo team. We caught up with Koziol (photo) before he left for the Gay Games to discuss gay jocks and his plans to play goalie for the Trout’s water polo squad.

Project Q Atlanta: What’s the most challenging part of your sport?
Koziol: For any sport, the biggest challenge is staying focused for the entire length of the game/match/routine. The physical aspect can be trained for and prepared for, but with the mental aspect, the focus is so more complicated.

Keep reading HERE.

Out to Swim at opening ceremony

Members from Out to Swim performing in opening ceremony of the London Olympics. Nice show!

Sneaking in the gay at opening ceremony

From Gay Star News:



A brief lesbian kiss at the Olympic opening ceremony has sparked praise and fury after it was aired in some of the most homophobic countries in the world.

Devised by Oscar-winning British director Danny Boyle, the opening ceremony yesterday (27 July) featured the first ever televised lesbian kiss which originally aired in 1993.

The kiss was shown in countries such as Saudi Arabia, where it is illegal to be gay. No other gay kiss has ever been shown on television in the Middle Eastern country.

Keep reading HERE.

Derek Liecty Gay Games Scholarships announced on his 80th birthday

Derek addresses his 100 guests

UPDATE: As of 27 July, we have already received some generous donations from friends of Derek and the Gay Games. We're looking for more such donations, to, if possible, create a specific endowment that can fund these scholarships for Gay Games to come.

On 21 July 2012 in Walnut Creek, California, Derek Liecty celebrated his 80th birthday party surrounded by more than 100 friends and family members. Included were three members of the Federation of Gay Games Board of Directors: Gene Dermody, Roger Brigham, and Doug Litwin

Although Derek’s many years of service to the Gay Games movement have been honored before – he is an Honorary Life Member and the 2006 male winner of the Tom Waddell award – additional honors were bestowed upon him on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Derek was presented with a certificate of congratulations as well as a Medal of Honor. In addition, to publicly acknowledge his 20 years of tireless service on behalf of the Gay Games Scholarship Program, the FGG announced the creation of “The Derek Liecty Gay Games Scholarships.” This will take the form of two scholarships for a male and female footballer, Derek’s favorite sport. The first of these scholarships will be awarded for the 2014 Gay Games 9 in Cleveland + Akron. As with all other Gay Games scholarships, these will be administered by the FGG.

Cutting the cake

If anyone would like to donate towards the funding of these two new scholarships, please visit HERE (indicate “Derek Liecty” in the comments section of your donation) or write to scholarships@gaygames.org

Watch the video of this presentation and the announcement of the scholarships:

Scout.com on gays in the Olympics

From Scout London:


The Olympics – a gay affair
LGBT Sport & Fitness
24 July 2012


Jack Cullen looks at what is being done to tackle homophobia in the modern Olympics

[...]

Today, major hurdles are stacked in front of gay athletes. Nearly 80 of the countries taking part in London 2012 criminalise homosexuality, which seems behind the times to us in London but would have been totally alien to the ancient Greek founders of the events.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is demanding the Olympics Committee ban these countries from competing, on the ground that their policies violate the Olympics Charter.

Although this is unlikely to happen, the fight is not lost. To battle homophobia in the Olympics, The Gay Games was set-up in the early 80s by 1968 decathlete Tom Waddell. It is now the biggest non-discriminating sports tournament in the world.

The organisation has several gay sporting heroes on its ambassadors board, including Winter Olympics star Blake Skjellerup (who admitted he didn’t come out before the Vancouver 2010 Games because he was concerned it might affect his sponsorship).

This summer it is running Pride House in Limehouse, which aims to provide a place to
“celebrate sport for all, while uniting members and friends of the worldwide LGBT community”.

The Limehouse base [at CA House] is a step down from the original ambition [of a commercial promoter] to have the second largest Olympic house at this year’s Games.

Organisers [of the original project] blamed a lack of sponsorship, but were undeterred by the set-back and [the new group organising Pride House] insist the downsized Pride House is ready to make a big noise from August 3-7. There will also be a Pride House Festival, running at the venue itself and throughout London from August 3-12.

Gay Games ambassador and world champion power-lifter Chris Morgan told Scout: “The Olympics has a bad track record with acceptance, so it’s important that we support the handful of gay athletes out there.”

Visitors to Pride House will be cheering on the three openly gay Team GB athletes competing in this year’s Games: equestrian Carl Hester, para-equestrian Lee Pearson and Paralympics volleyball player Clare Harvey.

But they’re not the only ones from the LGBT community who’ll be in the spotlight. Commentator Bob Ballard and TV top gun Claire Balding will be among the BBC’s gay anchors.

[...]


Read in full HERE.

A look at the three out US Olympic athletes

From Examiner.com, a look at out US Olympians, with a great quote from FGG co-president Kurt Dahl:


There will be three openly gay athletes representing the United States in the Olympic Games set to take place in London. With the opening ceremony just less than 20 hours away over 12,000 athletes are just moments away from a dream. For top-ranked doubles tennis player Lisa Raymond, WNBA champion Seimone Augustus, and women’s soccer star Megan Rapionoe there may be more at stake. The three LGBT athletes will not only be representing their countries and their sport they will also be representing pride and visions of equality and on a greater level they set out to prove that an athlete is an athlete no matter the ethnic background, gender or sexual orientation.

[...]

As the Nation gathers this weekend for the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London there will be many stories on display including LGBT athletes making an impact on sports and most importantly doing what they love. Kurt Dahl, co-president of the Federation of Gay Games says:

“Being gay is just one part of being a human, and being able to be out in the sport that you really love and enjoy shows how complete a person you are. Coming out really allows a person to do what they love and put everything into it.”

Read in full HERE.

Blake Skjellerup featured in Sydney Star Observer article

Thanks to Blake for talking about his role as Gay Games Ambassador, and for Kate Rowe for speaking to the need for more out active elite athletes to provide visibility for young people. From the Sydney Star Observer:

In 2010, New Zealand’s Olympic speed ice skater Blake Skjellerup did what few elite athletes will ever risk: he publicly came out as a gay man.

What sets Skjellerup apart from other Olympic athletes who have come out though, is that he revealed his sexuality during his career.

[...]

Two years since Skjellerup came out in an interview, he admitted he had not received any backlash or negative feedback for the move.

“The one thing that has changed is that I have a greater support base behind me in terms of people who know about me and my career,” he said.

“I think its important for anybody to just take part and feel like they can do sport. The gay community is extremely under-represented still in sport and I must admit, when I was growing up I had trouble finding someone I could relate to, not just with my sexuality but also in my sport.

“The more people who are out there being open and honest and not afraid to share who it is they are, I think the better because it’s still hard for some people to come to terms with their sexuality. If they have someone to look up to and to relate with, then it makes that journey a whole lot easier.”

Outside of training and competitions, Skjellerup is a Federation of Gay Games ambassador.

Along with Australian Olympians, diver Matthew Mitcham and cyclist Michelle Ferris, the speed skater advocates for the games and encourages people to get involved.

Kate Rowe, Australian/New Zealand ambassador manager for the Federation of Gay Games, said more athletes like Skjellerup were needed.

“For me, it’s very important that we have some younger role models because they’re the future,” she said.

The Ambassadors are not paid for their work but meet community members at events like the Midsumma Festival to stir up interest.

It would have taken a lot of courage to come out as an Olympic athlete, Rowe said, because he has not retired yet.

“With people like Blake and Matthew, who are still elite athletes, they’re almost putting their careers at risk because they know it may affect the sponsorship dollars,” she said.

“I think it is brave and the more people like Matthew and Blake who are prepared to stand up and be themselves and still want to continue in their sport, that’s how the barriers will be broken down.”

The next Gay Games will be held in 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, making the next two years a mighty effort.

[...]

Read in full HERE.

At least two friends of the Gay Games in tonight's Olympics opening ceremony

Jonathan Harbourne, chair of London 2018, and Hannah Quigley of London Cruisers basketball, will both be part of tonight's opening ceremony.

FGG co-president Emy Ritt is currently on staff of LOCOG, the host committee for London 2012, and as such was in the stands at a rehearsal earlier this week. Her report: "You will be wowed. Big wow!"

Will you be watching with friends from your club? Send you viewing party photos to blog@gaygames.org!

Pride House and Out for Sport clubs featured in QX Magazine

Thanks to Gay Games Ambassador Chris Morgan for this heads up!

View the sports pages HERE.

View the entire magazine HERE.

"Against the Rules" exhbition featured at Pride House 2012

European Union to support exhibition on gay sport at Pride House 2012
“’Against the Rules” features sport pioneers at the venue for LGBT people and friends at the London Olympics



Pride House 2012 is a project of Pride Sports UK, in collaboration with the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), the Federation of Gay Games, the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Federation (GLISA), the LGBT Consortium, and Phoenix FC, and aims to offer a welcoming space for all athletes, staff, spectators and friends of London 2012. Pride House 2012 will be open from 3 to 7 August at CA House in Limehouse Basin on the river Thames, with the Pride House 2012 festival continuing in various venues through 12 August, the day of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Lou Englefield, Executive Director of lead partner Pride Sports, explains how the exhibition fits the mission of Pride House 2012: “We want to offer a place for LGBT people and friends to meet, relax, and enjoy the London Olympic experience. But we also want this to be a learning experience and a resource for local and international visitors. An exhibition like ‘Against the Rules’ offers a particularly engaging and inspirational way to contribute to this educational mission.”

“Against the Rules” is made up of 37 panels related to homophobia and LGBT sport, including biographies of athletes like Amelie Mauresmo, Billie Jean King, David Kopay, Greg Louganis, Imke Duplitzer, Judith Arndt, Justin Fashanu and Tom Waddell. The exhibition is presented by the EGLSF with the financial support of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) as part of the project coordinated by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation on "Preventing and Fighting Homophobic Violence in Sport".

Lou Manders, co-president of the EGLSF spoke of the impact of the exhibition: “The exhibition was created several years ago; in 2010 the EGLSF produced an English version, which has since been presented across Europe at a variety of competitions, conferences, and other venues, for both an LGBT and ‘mainstream’ audience.” His co-president Armelle Mazé added: “It’s an effective mix of background information on the history of LGBT sport and individual portraits that inspire and move viewers. We thank Pride Sports for making this display at Pride House 2012 happen, and the European Union for financing this event.”

pridehouse2012.org
pridehouse.gaygames.org

New music video features member of Out for Sport

The London Rollergirls are a member of FGG member Out for Sport. Via Gay Star News:

The Pet Shop Boys’ new video clip for their new single Winner tells the story of Dirty Diana, a transgender member of London Rollergirls

24 July 2012 | By Dan Littauer

The Pet Shop Boys’ new video clip for their new single Winner features the story of Dirty Diana, a transgender woman.

Gay British pop duo, The Pet Shop Boys have been making hits since the 1980s. They released the video for their brand new single Winner just in time for the Olympics, which starts in London on Friday (27 July).

The video features the Rollergirls, an all-women roller derby league, and in particular Dirty Diana.

She’s a transgender woman and new team member who is supported by her fellow skaters.

Keep reading HERE.