Out in London 2012

We're working on a definitive list from various sources (including you!) on out athletes, coaches and officials at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Find the page on our Pride House 2012 pages HERE.

7 September 2012 / Last days for early-bird discount for Brussels Games!

20 July is the deadline for early registration discount!

COME AND PLAY WITH US AT THE BRUSSELS GAMES!

Find all info HERE.

From 07-09 September 2012 Brussels Gay Sports (BGS) is organising a weekend of Fun & Fair Play in the capital of Europe. Join us for some exciting sports tournaments (Volley, Swimming, Badminton and Tennis) or work out in our different Fitness Taster Workshops and Hiking. All levels welcome.

Volley - Swimming - Badminton - Tennis - Fitness Workshops - Hiking - Futsal
After the physical effort there's plenty of time for relaxation: on Saturday evening (08 Sept) we organise our infamous Brussels Games Party (at a new location this year!). This party is open to the general public, so invite your friends. There's no better way to get to know over 500 athletes and even more locals, than with a Belgian beer.

Buy your pre-sale Party ticket online here (10€ instead of 12€ at the door)
To round off the weekend in style you can sit down and replenish the lost calories at a leisurely Brunch on Sunday morning (09 Sept). There's plenty of coffee available, in case you would need it. Just as last year, we would love to show you a bit more of Brussels than only the sports & party venues. So we organise a free guided Gay Tour of Brussels on Sunday afternoon (reservation required).

All that included in the full tournament price (or buy items seperately)
Registration online on this site will open April 2012


Flying to Brussels for the Brussels Games?

You're coming from abroad? Then we are pleased to announce that Brussels Airlines is your Preferred Carrier for the Brussels Games 2012. It extends 15% discount on available b.flex economy+ and b.light economy fares from Europe to Brussels.

How to book?

Go to www.brusselsairlines.com, and after having chosen your dates and cities of departure and destination, click the option "I have a promocode". In the box displayed, type 11117496

When to book?

Book until 07 September 2012 and travel between 04 – 12 September 2012.

Extra info?

Discounts are valid only on flights operated by Brussels Airlines, and including the following flights:

- From Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart to Brussels vv on Lufthansa

- From Vienna to Brussels vv on Austrian Airlines

- From Zurich, Basel to Brussels vv on Swiss International Airlines

- From Ljubljana to Brussels vv on Adria Airways

- From Zagreb to Brussels vv on Croatia Airlines

- From Warsaw to Brussels vv on Lot Polish Airlines

- From Lisbon, Porto to Brussels vv on Tap Air Portugal

15 September 2012 / Team DC's Night OUT with United pro soccer

News from Team DC:



United Night OUT
Saturday, September 15 at 7 PM vs. the New England Revolution

Pro soccer at RFK Stadium in one of the United's final home games that could have important playoff implications!  The third annual United Night OUT is hosted by the Federal Triangles Soccer Club.  More about them can be found at www.federaltriangles.org.  Stay tuned for pricing and ticket information.

Federation of Gay Games announces results of first phase of Gay Games X site selection

Contact: Dennis Snyers, Officer, Site Selection, Federation of Gay Games
Email: fggbids@gaygames.org


Federation of Gay Games announces results of first phase of Gay Games X site selection
Amsterdam, Limerick, London, Orlando, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo qualified to bid.

San Francisco, CA - (18 July 2012) The international Federation of Gay Games (FGG) announced today the results of the first phase of bidding for Gay Games X. Seven cities on three continents expressed an interest in bidding by submitting a response to FGG’s Request for Information. Among those responding were the first potential bids from Latin America.

The seven cities are: Amsterdam, Limerick, London, Orlando, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

Officer for Site Selection Dennis Sneyers expressed the pleasure of the FGG in receiving so many expressions of interest, and of such high quality: “The FGG has never received seven expressions of interest, and these RFI responses go well beyond a simple expression of interest. This is the first time we have used a preliminary step of a Request for Information, and we are very satisfied with this procedure which allows for potential bidders to learn more about what the process entails. Bidding is long, demanding, and has a cost that any interested party needs to take into account. After a review of the responses, we consider that all bidders are able to continue the bidding process.”

FGG co-president Kurt Dahl added: “We consider the choice of a host for the Gay Games one of the Federation’s most important tasks. We wish the bidding groups courage as they take the next steps in this process. Only three of these groups will make it to the site selection meeting in late 2013 in Cleveland, the host of the next edition of the Gay Games in 2014 [www.gg9cle.com], where FGG member organizations will choose one of them as the host of Gay Games X.”

The next step in the process is the release of the Request for Proposal document which details the requirements for bidders’ documents, which will be due in February 2013. Sneyers noted: “We are confident that we will have the satisfying and challenging task of choosing among a number of highly qualified bidders. We will have a first contact with bidders at our annual general assembly in August in Sofia, Bulgaria, where potential bidders have been invited to attend an information session.”

View the bidders’ responses and follow news of Gay Games X bidding at http://2018.gaygames.org.

For information about the Federation of Gay Games, visit www.gaygames.org.
The ninth edition of the quadrennial Gay Games will be held in Cleveland + Akron, OH 9-16 August , 2014. For information about Gay Games 9, Cleveland 2014, visit www.gg9cle.com.

Paris gay rugby club welcomes TV personality

Benoît Dubois hosts a segment on a reality TV magazine in which viewers set him a challenge. This week his challenge was a practice with les Gaillards parisiens, the FSGL gay-friendly rugby club.
View the segment (in French) HERE.

Welcome to the FGG's latest member, NCAFFL "Cleveland Rockers"

The Federation of Gay Games is delighted to announce its latest member, the North Coast Athletics Flag Football League, aka "Cleveland Rockers":


The NORTH COAST ATHLETICS FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NCAFFL) / CLEVELAND ROCKERS seeks to promote the positive social and athletic enjoyment of American Flag Football. The CLEVELAND ROCKERS are a group of men and women who enjoy American football in all aspects: watching, cheering, and playing. We come together to play to promote the best of camaraderie. Our focus is to provide a positive, social, welcoming environment through the team characteristic inherent to American football while capturing the athletic and competitive nature of flag football.

We play weekend games in the Fall and the Spring and all are welcome to join and play, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or skill level. The NCAFFL sends a representative team, the CLEVELAND ROCKERS, to various national and regional GLBT/S tournaments including SynergyFest in Cleveland the last weekend of April, the annual Spring Pride Bowl in Chicago during Pride Weekend, and the Gay Bowl hosted by the National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) during Columbus Day Weekend.

"Changing the world around us through music"

Val, a participant at GALA 2012, shares her experience:

As a member of Windy City Performing Arts all-inclusive women’s choir, Aria, I was able to attend the GALA Festival this month in Denver, CO — an event held every four years by the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses to support LGBT choruses around the world. As their mission statement proclaims, as member choruses, we believe “in the power of music to change lives. That there is unity in diversity, that the diversity of our associates strengthens us all, and that all people are welcome to the stage. That we can sing together with respect and understanding, and in so doing, we offer community, hope, inspiration and healing….” While I was beyond stoked for my own choir’s performance in the most breathtaking concert hall I had every performed in, I had no idea how deeply I was going to experience each of the points of that mission statement by week’s end.

Keep reading HERE.

LeVar Arrington says the first out NFL player will be a hero

Via Outsports: On his Washington DC-based radio show with Chad Dukes, former NFL Redskins player LaVar Arrington discussed an NFL player coming out of the closet, in response to Outsports' article highlighting 12 NFL players who wouldn’t care. Arrington retweeted dozens of responses he got, and he said that player would be held up as a “national hero”. Listen below:

Segment 1: says he will support a gay teammate

Segment 2: Teammate support

Segment 3: Callers talk about the topic of gay players and coming out

Segment 4: Gay athletes in the locker room

Segment 5: Discussion of gay athletes in sports

Segment 6: More on the discussion of gay athletes in sports

Esera Tuaolo interview in Windy City Times

Esera Tuaolo with Grinnell College football players
after a speaking engagement

Ross Forman of the Windy City Times interviews Esera Tuaolo about his arrest on domestic violence charges:

Ultimately, everything was dropped and dismissed—Esera Tuaolo was found not guilty.
However, the impact of just the domestic-violence charge against the openly gay former National Football League (NFL) player has had an impact as large as Tuaolo's 6'4", 290-lb. frame, turning the past two years into "an absolute nightmare," he said recently in an exclusive interview.

Two summers ago, Tuaolo was arrested in Minnesota, charged with three misdemeanors and given a domestic abuse-related no-contact order with the victim. Tuaolo was released on $2,000 bail after his arrest.

"What happened was that I got into an argument/fight with my boyfriend at the time," Tuaolo said. "Things escalated and we got into a fight for personal reasons."

Keep reading HERE.

"Tons of gay couples" among Olympic athletes?

From PinkNews:


In Australian gunman competing at the London Olympics has said it is ‘stupid’ he and his wife are not allowed to share a room while ‘tons of gay couples’ representing Australia can.

Russell Mark said the couple was being penalised for opposing the Australian Olympic Committee’s ban on sleeping pills and for his wife’s appearance in a bikini on the cover of a men’s magazine.

The AOC, which Mark criticised, has said that it is not its responsibility but that of the shooting delegation which rooms in the Olympic Village the couple occupy.

Mr Mark further complained that while he and his wife were not allowed to room together, gay athlete couples could, although there are no known gay couples representing Australia at the Olympics.

He said: “The stupid part of this, which I have argued to them, is that there are tons of gay couples on the Olympic team who will be rooming together so we are being discriminated against because we are heterosexual.

Keep reading HERE.

KZN LGBT Recreation leads Durban church aerobics marathon... and prays for and end to homophobic crime

On 14 July 2012, the Apostles Church in Durban organized an aerobics marathon at the Durban Ice Rink. Among those taking part were members of FGG member organization KZN LGBT Recreation. Petros Duma, deputy chair of KZN LGBT Recreation, works closely with the pastor of the church for the church's sports program. As an experience aerobics instructor, he was in charge of the whole marathon event

Petros took this opportunity to lead the attendees in prayer for an end to the homophobic murders and violence afflicting South Africa. As the motto of KZN LGBT Recreation say: "Education through Sports = Unity".

We take this opportunity to ask you to sing Allout's petition against corrective rape HERE.

London 2012 host committee supports Pride House 2012

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Lou Englefield, Director, Pride Sports UK
Email: lou@pridesports.org.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)7949 604610
Web: pridehouse2012.org
[pdf of letter at: http://gaymes.info/locogph2012]


London, 16 July 2012

London Olympic Committee expresses support for Pride House 2012
Chief Executive Paul Deighton sees the venue as part of LOCOG’s commitment to diversity and inclusion

Pride House 2012 has received a warm letter of support (see below) from Paul Deighton, Chief Executive of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr Deighton writes: “As part of the legacy of the Games, we hope that our work across Diversity and Inclusion will have raised the bar for major sporting events and helped to increase the profile for [the] LGBT community in sport across the world. Hosting Pride House offers London and the UK a unique opportunity to present itself as a cosmopolitan and inclusive city and country which welcomes the world’s diverse communities and creates a safe sporting environment for LGBT athletes.”

Pride House 2012 is a project of Pride Sports UK, in collaboration with the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation, the Federation of Gay Games, GLISA International, the LGBT Consortium, and the Pride House Foundation 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, Pride Sports UK Executive Director, stated: “ Pride Sports has been working with LOCOG for the past three years on a variety of projects to improve the inclusion of LGBT people in organised sport. This message of support from Paul Deighton for Pride House, along with the ongoing support from Diversity and Inclusion Director Stephen Frost, is a great boost as we try to meet the challenge of relaunching Pride House in a limited timeframe.”

Armelle Mazé, co-president of the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation, described the Olympic connection to one of the highlights of Pride House 2012, the exhibition entitled “Against the Rules’. The exhibition, supported by the European Union, presents the history of LGBT sport through profiles of pioneering athletes: “Among those profiled are many Olympians, including of course Tom Waddell, the founder of the Gay Games, diver Greg Louganis, and others. Their Olympic status adds impact to the message of their life stories, and we are pleased to be able to present these portraits here during the Olympic Games.”

Marc Naimark, Federation of Gay Games Vice President for External Affairs, has been the lead contact between the FGG and LOCOG: “Our relations began thanks to Lou Englefield, and have been very productive. The FGG supported LOCOG’s launch of the rainbow Olympic pin, and their calls for LGBT volunteers and volunteer trainers, which have been quite successful. Just last weekend the FGG adopted language on diversity and inclusion in the operations of our host committees inspired by LOCOG policy. Of course, there is still a long way to go at future Olympics. For example, the FGG wholeheartedly supported the inclusion of a comprehensive LGBT page in the 2012 Olympics athlete guide, and this hasn’t happened. This would have been a great way for LGBT athletes to know they are not alone”

Paul Brummitt, Secretary of the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, said: “The Olympic movement proclaims the practice of sport as a human right. Pride House is a call to make that human right a reality for all, whatever their gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We want to welcome staff, suppliers, and volunteers from LOCOG to come and be part of Pride House 2012. We also hope to see representatives from the major international sporting bodies at Pride House. It will be an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can help to improve inclusion.

Scheduling for Pride House 2012 is in progress, and suggestions are welcome. Pride House 2012 welcomes all offers of help, whether financial, in kind, or for volunteers.

For more information about Pride House 2012, contact Lou Englefield: lou@pridesports.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7949 604610
Web: pridehouse2012.org


Letter of Support from the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) for Pride House 2012

At LOCOG, we are delighted that Pride House will be taking place during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have aimed to make diversity and inclusion a key differentiator of our Games, celebrating the many differences among the cultures and communities of the United Kingdom and around the world. LOCOG is committed to embed equality throughout the organisation and ensuring that the London 2012 Games are truly inclusive.

As such, we are delighted to be taking part in the World Pride this Summer and would like to offer our support to all the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other athletes and individuals who will be involved and wish the organisers of the House the very best of luck in delivering a successful venue.

As part of the legacy of the Games, we hope that our work across Diversity and Inclusion will have raised the bar for
major sporting events and helped to increase the profile for LGBT community in sport across the world. Hosting Pride House offers London and the UK a unique opportunity to present itself as a cosmopolitan and inclusive city and country, which welcomes the world’s diverse communities and creates a safe sporting environment for LGBT athletes.

With kind regards,

Paul Deighton
Chief Executive


Lead partner:
Pride Sports, a social enterprise for the development of LGBT sport: pridesports.org.uk

Supporting partners:

EGLSF, the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation, bringing together over 300 European LGBT sports: eglsf.info

“Against the Rules”, the EGLSF exhibition on LGBT sports pioneers: gaymes.info/againstherules

FGG, the Federation of Gay Games, the governing body of the Gay Games, the largest international sport and culture event open to all: pridehouse.gaygames.org

Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association, the governing body of the World Outgames: glisa.org

LGBT Consortium (the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Voluntary and Community Organisations) is a national specialist infrastructure and membership
organisation that focuses on the development and support of LGBT groups, organisations and projects: lgbtconsortium.org.uk
LGBT London, an online portal for LGBT Londoners with information about local LGBT organisations: lgbtlondon.com

Pride House Foundation, a foundation to raise awareness about homophobia in sport, encourage healthy and active lifestyles and promote diversity and inclusion on a global scale: pridehousefoundation.org

14 September 2012 / Team Muenchen Sportfestival and PantereEsports tournaments

Once again tournaments collide, with the weekend of 14-16 September seeing two major tournaments in Munich and Barcelona...

Munich’s gay and lesbians sports club Team Muenchen e.V., invites you to join our Gay and Lesbian Summer Sport Festival 2012. The event will take place on the weekend of September 14-16, 2012.

REGISTER NOW on www.sommersportfestival.de/ssf/ .
...
We offer tournaments in badminton, bowling, soccer (7 by 7 and women only!), sport-climbing, sport-shooting, table-tennis, volleyball (men), as well as workshops in aerobic, kickboxing, yoga.

SAVE THE DATE and register now for Sept. 14th to 16th, 2012 - We are looking forward to see you in Munich.

---

After the Tennis tournament the weekend of 6-9 September, the weekend of 14-16 September will see the main PanterEsports tournament.

Sports on offer include: Basketball (men/women), Squash, Volleyball (men), Swimming, Soccer (men), Syncronized Swimming, Running.

More info HERE.

16 July 2012 / Olympic torchbearers: Gideon Meade TODAY

We're looking again at LGBT Olympic torchbearers and their nomination stories:

Gideon Meade of Brighton, age 54
Carrying the Flame through Chichester
Carrying the Flame on 16 July 2012

Gideon's nomination story
Gideon is the founder of BLAGSS - Brighton Lesbian and Gay Sports Society. In 1997 he had a vision to set up BLAGSS to provide an inclusive and supportive sports and social group for the city's gay and lesbian community. Membership is open to all, but the vast majority of our members are either gay or lesbian, and join to play sports and socialise with like-minded people. In 2011 BLAGSS has grown to have 500+ members and covering more than 15 different sports. Without Gideon BLAGSS would not be what is today a thriving club that holds over 200 events over the year, including entry into Brightons Pride Parade, and helping out with the Stoneawall walk, held in Brighton each year.

16 July 2012 / Olympic torchbearers: Jason Saw TODAY

We're looking again at LGBT Olympic torchbearers and their nomination stories:

Jason Saw of East Sussex, age 42
Carrying the Flame through Arundel
Carrying the Flame on 16 July 2012


Jason's nomination story
Jason is a humanitarian. He cares for people in a way that I have never seen before. He leads a project called MINDOUT which aims to tackle mental illness in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans community, based in Brighton. He meets people who are often in desperate need and provides advocacy, support and advice to them. He specialises in suicide prevention and as a result is a lifesaver. He recently ran the Brighton Marathon in aid of his charity and raised a small fortune. He gives up so much of his spare time to help other people and I have been privileged to witness this first hand. Bearing the torch would be such an amazing thing for him, his charity and those who suffer from mental illness and would be incredibly representative of the long way we have all come in trying to remove the damaging stigmas of being LGBT and suffering from a mental illness and Jason has my nomination.

Focus on Cleveland+Akron: Positively Cleveland's LGBT guide

Among the partners united to produce Gay Games 9 in 2014 is Positively Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland convention and visitors bureau.


More on Positively Cleveland:

Positively Cleveland is an award-winning, DMAI-accredited destination marketing organization. Tradeshow Week recognized our president, Dennis Roche, as one of the top CVB leaders in the nation in 2009. Recently we’ve also earned the 2009 Facilities and Destinations’ “Top Destination” award, Corporate and Incentive Travel magazine’s “Award of Excellence for Outstanding Service to the Meetings and Incentive Travel Industry,” Successful Meetings’ prestigious Pinnacle Award (for the 18th year in a row) and a 2010 Meetings and Conventions Gold Service Award. We promote the region to convention and meeting planners and to leisure travelers. Positively Cleveland was one of the first convention and visitors bureaus in business in the nation.

Research shows that tourist destinations depend heavily on marketing efforts. Positively Cleveland is the only organization that promotes the entire region to this audience. Our marketing efforts for leisure tourists mainly include public relations (story placement) and online advertising: web ads, social networking and search engine optimization. We also advertise in magazines that target specific audiences.

A history of bidding for the Gay Games

Site selection meeting, Cologne 2009

FGG Honorary Life Member has just published a history of bidding for the Gay Games on the IGLA website:

The site selection process for Gay Games X in 2018 is under way and final selection will take place next year. Already, expressions of interest to bid have been submitted from Limerick, London, Orlando, Paris and Rio de Janeiro ahead of the initial 15 July 2012 deadline.

The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) will send a Request for Proposal (RFP) to all city groups that meet the deadline. The RFP is the main bid document, outlining many of the requirements for hosting the Gay Games. Groups that are still interested in bidding after reviewing the RFP are invited to attend special information sessions at the FGG’s annual meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria over 19-22 August.

I will write more about the Federation’s site selection process in a future column – it is, after all, one of the group’s most important responsibilities every four years. For now, here is a brief timeline and look at the various city groups that have bid for past Gay Games.


1982 and 1986 – Gay Games I and II – San Francisco

Vancouver representatives were already in conversations at Gay Games I with San Francisco Arts & Athletics about hosting the event, but SFAA decided to hold the second edition again at home to improve some of the logistics issues. Vancouver stayed in close touch with SFAA, though, and at the closing ceremony of Gay Games II was announced as the next host.


Keep reading HERE.

Thanks to Walgreens!

Durng the GALA Choruses 2012 Festival in Denver, Windy City Performing Arts (Aria Women's Chorus and Windy City Gay Chorus) performed "Thankful" in front of Walgreens drugstore in downtown Denver's 16th Street outdoor mall.

Wallgreens is based in Chicago, and was a brave sponsor of Gay Games VII.

John Amaechi interview: truth is not quite as strange as fiction

A writer is set straight by Gay Games John Amaechi:
(Read more on the writers blog HERE and HERE)

My idea was to write a piece about a fictitious gay NBA basketball player on the threshold of coming out of the closet. The timing seemed right as sports talking heads (1, 2, 3) and NBA power brokers are suggesting the first pro athlete playing a team sport in America will imminently be calling that press conference.

Of the 7billion human beings ambulating around our planet, there is a single leading authority on this subject, John Ekwugha Amaechi. In 2007, four years after retiring from his NBA career, John publically declared he was gay. He is the only NBA player, past or present, to come out of the closet.

John is a six-foot-nine-inch homosexual and black Englishman who played basketball in the NBA for five years. The summation of those attributes alone makes him an outlier. But there are more: he has donated millions to philanthropic causes in his hometown, received the Order of the British Empire civilian medal for being a guiding light against social inequality, and holds a PhD in psychology.

Three seconds into our interview it became evident that, as far as John was concerned, I was dead wrong about my assumption that just around the corner a pro athlete would be popping out of the closet.

Keep reading HERE.

Gay Games 9 goes west!

Kevin Brauer (TC), Tom Nobbe (GG9), Tony Smith (TC), Rob Smitherman (GG9), Sonjya Jaquez Lewis (FGG and TC), Dirk Breiding (GG9)

Representatives from Gay Games 9 are in Denver to meet with FGG member Team Colorado and with the board of the International Gay Rodeo Association to finalize plans for rodeo at Gay Games 9.

In Hungarian / EuroGames 2012 videos from HIR TV

Interviews with participants (some in English) and scenes from opening ceremony

Basketball practice for EuroGames 2012

Volunteers talk about their lives and their work for EuroGames

Video from Budapest Pride which shortly followed EuroGames, and where the presence of thugs and police protection indicate how much a challenge these EuroGames were.

A better solution for gender in sport

From the New York Times:

The International Olympic Committee’s new policy governing sex verification is expected to ban women with naturally high testosterone levels, a condition known as hyperandrogenism, from women’s competitions, claiming they have an unfair advantage. I.O.C. officials portray this as a reasonable compromise in a difficult situation, arguing that the rules may be imperfect, but that sports are rule-based — and that the rules should be clear.

We agree that sports need clear rules, but we also believe that the rules should be fair and as rational as possible. The new policy, if it is based on testosterone levels, is neither.

So what is a better solution?

First, at the very least, female athletes should be allowed to compete throughout any investigation. Suspending them from competition once questions are raised violates their confidentiality and imposes sanctions before relevant information has been gathered.

Second, when it comes to sex, sports authorities should acknowledge that while science can offer evidence, it cannot dictate what evidence we should use. Scientifically, there is no clear or objective way to draw a bright line between male and female.

Testosterone is one of the most slippery markers that sports authorities have come up with yet. Yes, average testosterone levels are markedly different for men and women. But levels vary widely depending on time of day, time of life, social status and — crucially — one’s history of athletic training. Moreover, cellular responses range so widely that testosterone level alone is meaningless.

Testosterone is not the master molecule of athleticism. One glaring clue is that women whose tissues do not respond to testosterone at all are actually overrepresented among elite athletes.

Keep reading HERE.

Pride House 2012 to welcome all during 2012 Olympic Games

The Federation of Gay Games is happy and proud to be part of this project! Spread the news, and if you can, visit Pride House 2012 in London!

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Lou Englefield, Director, Pride Sports UK
Email: lou@pridesports.org.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)7949 604610
Web: pridehouse2012.org

London, 11 July 2012

Pride House 2012 to welcome all during London 2012 Olympic Games
A gay-friendly venue to relax, to learn, to share, along with dozens of associated sporting and leisure events

Pride Sports UK, in collaboration with the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation, the Federation of Gay Games, GLISA International, the LGBT Consortium, and the Pride House Foundation, is pleased to announce Pride House 2012, 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, with the Pride House 2012 festival continuing in various venues through 12 August, the day of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Pride House 2012 will celebrate sport for all while bringing together members and friends of the worldwide LGBT community to view live screenings of London 2012 and discuss relevant topics related to LGBT sport. The varied programme will also include live music from local LGBT organisations, exhibits, and video presentations, as well as an associated sports programme, including a Football v Homophobia football tournament.

Featured as part of Pride House 2012 will be an exhibition provided by Pride Sports UK and the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF) entitled “Against the Rules’, presenting the history of LGBT sport through profiles of pioneering men and women athletes.

Lou Englefield, Pride Sports UK Executive Director, stated: “Pride House 2012 will provide a welcoming space for all, from Olympic athletes to recreational sports enthusiasts and spectators. Our aim is to welcome everyone to learn more about the vibrant LGBT sport movement while celebrating the London games.”

Emy Ritt, Federation of Gay Games Co-President, added: “With the opening of Pride House 2012, we continue to build on the legacy of 1968 gay Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell, founder of the Gay Games, the largest international sporting event open to all. We are pleased that Pride House 2012 will showcase LGBT sport and culture and the many clubs and organisations that have been created as a result of the first Gay Games in 1982.”

Olympic speed skater and Gay Games Ambassador Blake Skjellerup stated: “My visit to Pride House during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics was a major influence on my public coming out, and the support I received after doing so was overwhelming. Yet there is still a lack of LGBT based role-models in sport. I believe it is important for everyone, and especially young people, to see that no matter whom you are or where you come from, you can still succeed and reach your highest levels. The legacy from the London Pride House 2012 for future Olympic Games will make a difference!”

Paul Brummitt, secretary of the Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA International) expressed his satisfaction with the project: “Pride House 2012 will be a showcase for local clubs, as well as regional and international events such as the World and Continental Outgames, the Gay Games, and the EuroGames.”

Chad Molleken, chairman of the Pride House Foundation, stated: “Pride House 2012 will continue to build on what began in Vancouver, bringing together the entire community and allies. The Pride House Foundation aims to increase the number of role models in sport by supporting athletes, sports organisations and educational initiatives beyond 2012.”

Scheduling is in progress, and propositions are welcome. Pride House 2012 welcomes all offers of help, whether financial, value in kind, or volunteers.

For more information about Pride House 2012, contact Lou Englefield: lou@pridesports.org.uk
Tel: +44 (0)7949 604610
Web: pridehouse2012.org

Lead partner:
Pride Sports, a social enterprise for the development of LGBT sport: pridesports.org.uk

Supporting partners:

EGLSF, the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation, bringing together over 300
European LGBT sports: eglsf.info

“Against the Rules”, the EGLSF exhibition on LGBT sports pioneers:
gaymes.info/againstherules

FGG, the Federation of Gay Games, the governing body of the Gay Games, the largest
international sport and culture event open to all: pridehouse.gaygames.org

GLISA International, the governing body of the World Outgames: glisa.org

LGBT Consortium (the Consortium of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered Voluntary
and Community Organisations) is a national specialist infrastructure and membership
organisation that focuses on the development and support of LGBT groups, organisations
and projects: lgbtconsortium.org.uk

LGBT London, an online portal for LGBT Londoners with information about local LGBT organisations: lgbtlondon.com

Pride House Foundation, a foundation to raise awareness about homophobia in sport,
encourage healthy and active lifestyles and promote diversity and inclusion on a global
scale: pridehousefoundation.org

Chris Morgan's Gay Games VII diary: 6 July 2006

Gay Games Ambassador Chris Morgan shared his experience at Gay Games VII in Chicago in 2006.

Thursday 6th to Thursday 13th July, Acclimatising:

I've already been in Chicago for a whole week, acclimatising and adjusting my body clock. Training is going well. Quad's gym in Boys Town is an amazing facility, with a great atmosphere and equipment for bodybuilders and power lifters.

I'm already calling upon valuable experience gained at the World Championships in Atlanta in 2004, and so far things are looking good. My body clock has turned around nicely and my energy levels are highly reasonable.

Earlier in the week... I attended the offices of Chicago 2006 and witnessed first hand the commitment of the Gay Games staff and volunteers. The whole place was buzzing with excitement, everyone is working extremely hard to deliver the Games on time.

To see these wheels in motion is truly ... inspirational.

4 August 2012 / Liverpool FC to take part in Liverpool Pride

The motto of Liverpool FC is "You'll never walk alone", well suited for their decision to walk with LGBT people and friends in this year's Liverpool Pride. From Gay Star News:

Liverpool FC has announced they are to march in the city’s gay pride festival, making them first premier league club to show open support for LGBT pride.

The team is captained by England FC’s Steven Gerrard and players will march with the Liverpool Ladies side under a banner displaying the club's crest. The team will also be selling club merchandise to raise money for pride.

Liverpool FC recently worked with Liverpool Pride on the Football v Homophobia tournament, hosted at the club’s academy earlier this year. The aim of the tournament was to end any association between football and homophobia.

Keep reading HERE.

A look back to an athlete's blog from Gay Games VI

Steve, a tennis player from San Diego, was a bit of a pioneer, writing a blog of his trip to Australia to participate in Gay Games VI. Follow his experiences each day as he arrives in Australia, competes in Sydney, and enjoys the sights down under. From the blog's home page:

Track the progress of one Team San Diego tennis player as he puts forth his personal best competing in Gay Games VI, Sydney 2002: Under New Skies. In this online journal, I'll share news, views, experiences, photos...whatever occurs to me. And you'll be able to follow my match-for-match progress as I attempt to take home the gold for San Diego in the C- Division singles and mixed doubles tennis events and in the Poetic Justice poetry slam of the Gay Games VI Sport & Cultural Festival. I'll add entries to this journal on a regular basis and will occassionally e-mail those on my list reminders as the updates are available.

"Sports play strong role in gay rights"

From an article with a great headline that lets the reader down, but is still worth reading:

In June, [Pat] Griffin joined about 30 other leading activists at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon for the company’s first-ever summit to combat bullying and anti-gay bias and discrimination in sports.

“Athletes are leaders of a school and are highly visible role models,” Griffin said. “It’s a no-brainer to take a stand against that kind of thing for most people, certainly not all.”

Last week U.S. women’s soccer player Megan Rapinoe publicly acknowledged that she is gay in advance of growing coverage of this month’s London Olympics. The information added Rapinoe to the notable list of active female athletes who have made similar disclosures.

Griffin noted that the relative lack of coverage for women’s sports and existing biases about female athletes remove much of the impact that the same disclosure would have from an active male athlete in a major U.S. team sport. Still, it’s one more step in the right direction.

“I have more hope than I ever have had that we will change the culture of sport to make it a great place for everyone,” Griffin said. “There are so many more people who think this is an important issue and are actively involved in an effort to challenge homophobia in sport. It used to be a few lonely voices in the wilderness, but not anymore. The rate of change is just accelerating.”

Read in full HERE.

Welcome to Hot Helsinki!

The FGG is very pleased to welcome a new member, HOT Helsink (hot.fi).

HOT Helsinki was founded in 1997.
The Association seeks to support sexual and gender minorities in training athletes. HOT organizes training opportunities and places where athletes are able to operate openly as themselves.


For the moment, HOT is active in Helsinki and Tampere. The club is still growing, and may expand in future to other cities.


The most popular sports in the club are aerobics, futsal, volleyball, ice hockey and badminton. Other sports include swimming, cycling, roller skating, dancing, skiing, skiing, baseball, bowling, climbing, athletics, yoga, and Shindo. HOT welcomes visiting athletes to join them when in Finland!

HOT's main focus is on recreational sport, but they have also participated in many competitions, including:

EuroGames in Budapest (2012)
EuroGames in Rotterdam (2011)
Gay Games in Cologne (2010)
World Outgames in Copenhagen (2009)
EuroGames in Barcelona (2008)
EuroGames in Antwerp (2007)
World Outgame in Montreal (2006)
Gay Games in Chicago (2006)
EuroGames in Utrecht (2005)
EuroGames in Munich (2004)
EuroGames in Copenhagen (2003)
Gay Games in Sydney (2002)
EuroGames in Hanover (2001)
EuroGames in Zurich (2000)
IGLA championships in Paris (2000) and Toronto (2001)
Gay Games in Amsterdam (1998)

In addition, HOT athletes compete in non-LGBT national and international competitions in volleyball, swimming, hockey, and badminton.

14 September 2012 / Team Muenchen Summer Sports Festival

A message from member organization Team Muenchen:

Munich’s gay and lesbians sports club Team Muenchen e.V., invites you to join our 6th LGBTIQ Summer Sport Festival 2012.

The event will take place on the weekend of September 14-16, 2012

REGISTER NOW on: www.sommersportfestival.de/ssf/

We offer tournaments in

badminton
bowling
soccer (7 by 7 and women only!)
sport-climbing
sport-shooting
table-tennis
volleyball (men)

as well as workshops in

aerobic
kickboxing
yoga


SAVE THE DATE and register now for Sept. 14th to 16th, 2012

We are looking forward to see you in fabulous Munich, Germany.

Outsports finds that younger NFL players are open to gay teammates

Thought-provoking reporting from Outsports:

Football players have long been cast as some of the most homophobic men in our culture. Sports, and in particular the NFL, is branded as the last closet because of that perception. Looking in from the outside, the evidence seems to be prevalent. We’ve never had an openly gay player in the NFL, and only a handful of former players have come out after they retired. Various football players over the last decade have shared anti-gay thoughts in the media. Even allies in the sport have said an athlete would have a very hard time coming out in the NFL because of the environment.

Yet when Outsports attended the NFLPA Rookie Premiere events in Los Angeles last week, we were met with a gay-positive attitude from every player we talked to; And some warmly welcomed us with open arms. A dozen different men from various teams, both rookies and recently retired, each expressed support for gay athletes. Many shared personal experiences involving gay friends, family members, and even a gay former teammate. These aren’t third-stringers we talked to. These men are NFL stats leaders, national champions and high draft picks. They are the past, present and future leaders of the NFL.


Keep reading HERE.