Keph Senett looks at the problem of women's participation in LGBT sport events

Keph Senett has published a thought-provoking look at the struggles for women's inclusion in LGBT sport, with the example of football at the Vancouver Outgames. The situation was extreme there, but the challenges are faced by all sports events. And the response has to be at a minimum, recognition that there's a problem.

THE GOALKEEPER rocked on his heels, took two half-skips forward and drove 74 minutes of sweaty frustration into the sweet spot. The ball sailed high over the center line. On the pitch below, a cluster of players jockeyed, looking for the angle that might change the game.

I was at this past summer’s International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) North America Cup, a continental soccer tournament that was part of the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA) Outgames. Matches were being decided at Vancouver’s Thunderbird Park, an athletic complex near the University of British Columbia, and though it was only 11:00 a.m., the sidelines were littered with cast-off cleats and jerseys.

Players were hurting. The Cup is an amateur event — there are no tryouts to compete — yet there was an unsettling uniformity to the players. With a single exception, they were all male.

Just weeks before the Cup kick-off, organizers had cancelled the women’s division. Though the remaining competitions were technically open to players of all genders, the web site showed “Men’s Division I and II”.

“What’s the skinny on women’s participation this year?” I asked, as I joined a group of spectators at the goal-side fence.

Keep reading HERE.

Blake Skjellerup takes gold at Vancouver Outgames

Congrats to new Gay Games Ambassador Blake Skjellerup who just earned a gold medal in the mens 20-29 division in the 10k run. Lots more events await at Gay Games 9 in 2014!

Continental Outgames offer some good financial news

Today has seen some good news from both the Wellington Outgames held early this year, and the upcoming North American Outgames.

After suffering serious funding refusals, North American Outgames has received a CAD 75,000 grant from the British Columbia provincial government.

From xtra.ca:

Just 46 days before the start of Vancouver's 2011 North America Outgames, the province announced it'll be supporting the event to the tune of $75,000.

"It just made absolute sense to be able to help them bring this to fruition," said community, sport and cultural development minister Ida Chong at a June 8 press conference in front of the 2010 Winter Olympic cauldron near the Vancouver Convention Centre.

After a long period of wait-and-see, Outgames organizers received a $75,000 funding boost to the event. "It just made absolute sense to be able to help them bring this to fruition," said community, sport and cultural development minister Ida Chong.

The province is supporting the games because organizers pitched the event as internationally inclusive, with health and human rights components, and a roster of over 1000 participants, Chong added. The fact that the Outgames will be held in post-Olympic Vancouver was also a factor in the province's support of the week-long event that kicks off on July 25.

And on the other side of the world, Wellington Outgames announced an expected NZD 75,000 surplus:

The highly-successful Outgames held in Wellington in March have brought in a financial surplus which community groups will be able to apply for.

"While we still have a little way to go before we can release final figures for the event, we can say that the surplus is likely to be greater than NZ$75,000," says 2nd AsiaPacific Outgames Outgames Co-chair David Hindley.

Some of this money will be set aside as seeding finance for the 3rd AsiaPacific Outgames, wherever the event may be held. A grants scheme is currently being developed to allow community groups to apply for money from the balance of the funds.

"The financial strength of the event is largely due to the generosity of sponsors," says Co-chair Virginia Hopkins-Burns. "The Kingdom of the Netherlands provided very significant financial support to the human rights conference, and some other funding bodies also provided cash grants in excess of NZ$10,000 each. Local organisations, including Rainbow Wellington and Gayline Wellington, were also very generous with their cash support."

Analysis of a survey of over 330 Outgames participants also indicates that the event brought a financial benefit of between $1.2 and $1.8 million to Wellington.

A report with final financial details, and details on how community groups can apply for funding, will be published in a few months’ time.