Blake Skjellerup tells LGBT athletes to not be cowards and to come out

Ursula Holl

A provocative post from out speed skater Blake Skjellerup on Hypervocal.com:

Right now there is a little German gay boy sitting in his room, wondering how he can be gay and make it into the professional world of sports. That used to be me, just with out the German part (although I am a fan of Wiener Schnitzel). Yes, I know Wiener Schnitzel is Austrian, but I liked the pun.

To be honest, I am a little tired of featuring items that do not emit a positive message. I would quite like to be writing about rainbows and unicorns, as they are magical and beautiful. However, as this is an issue close to my heart, again this week I need to highlight the struggle that is LGBT human rights.

Before today I had never heard of Ursula Holl, a professional football (soccer) player for the FCR 2001 Duisburg club, which plays in the German Women’s Football League. Holl is also a member of the German National Women’s team. She’s also a lesbian. That’s irrelevant to her football career, but it’s relevant to this article.

Holl is married, her sexuality positively accepted across the board, and she is the only international female football player to be married to a woman.

Speaking candidly with German news source Bild (it’s in German, I had someone translate for me), Holl said “If I had not married, I would not have gone public with my homosexuality. This is my private affair. But the step to become married was consciously made. Therefore, I have no problem with everyone knowing. And furthermore,” she says grinning, “I have a wife that I need not hide.”

“I think it is problematic that gay players should come out,” referring to her male football colleagues. “The more you disclose about your personal life, the more vulnerable you are. And the fans in the stadium can be very, very cruel. These public hostilities would be difficult to bear…I would not advise any football player to come out.”

If I had the opportunity to ask Miss Holl a question, I’d ask her whether she believes cowards make good athletes. In the world of sport you cannot lack the courage to endure dangerous or unpleasant things. Pressure, pain and defeat are just some of the many characteristics one most overcome to be a successful athlete.

Adversity motivates. The world of sport is full of heckling, sledging, and abuse. I doubt when Gareth Thomas takes to the field and hears the word “faggot” or “homo” he runs back to the locker room crying. I am sure the comments only spur him to want to obliterate the opposing team even more.

I do not wish to attack Miss Holl for her comments. She is not being homophobic or attacking a group of individuals. She is merely stating her opinion as a fellow athlete, a fellow homosexual. Wherever the stigma of having to hide who you are because of your sexuality came from, that time is now over. There is no shame in being harassed or insulted for what you truly are. Own it. Use it. I am a homo, a faggot, butt pirate, pillow biter; I take no shame in that. Thank you, genius spectator, for stating the obvious.

Keep reading HERE.

Gay Games medal-winning formation dance group reach semi-finals on UK TV dance contest

From WelshIcons.com:

Swansea born Adrian George has beaten thousands of other hopefuls to a place in the live semi-finals of TV talent contest Got to Dance on Sky1.

Adrian George is a member of Guyz in Sync, the UK’s only all-male Latin and Ballroom formation dance team. The semi-finals featuring just the top 28 acts start on 30th January 2011. Guyz in Sync will be on screen in the second semi-final on 6th February 2011.

Guyz in Sync are twelve dancers aged 27 to 50 from various professional backgrounds who first came together to compete at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) sports event World Outgames 2009 in Copenhagen. In their first competition they took the Gold medal. In August 2010 they brought home the Silver from the Gay Games Cologne, retaining their title as the world’s best all-male Latin and Ballroom formation team. Got to Dance is their first major step towards bringing the exciting world of same-sex Latin and Ballroom dancing to a broader public.

Below, their performance at the Gay Games VIII Unity Ball

"Subtle" homophobia in recruiting for women's college sport

From ESPN The Magazine:

On homophobia and recruiting
Coaches will use a subtle vocabulary to qualify certain programs; it's become pollution

On every top recruit's college visit, there comes the moment of the final pitch, when the head-spinning hoopla finally gives way to the business of basketball, when the high school girl steps away from the rah-rah of all the games and the ego-stroking of all the VIP intros to sit down with the head coach. During one teen's big moment, a heart-to-heart with Iowa State's Bill Fennelly, the decorated coach of 23 years sang an insistent refrain. "He kept drilling that 'this would be a family,'" says the player, who asked not to be named. "'You should come here,' he said, 'because we're family-oriented.'"

To the recruit, those seemingly comforting words cloaked a deeper meaning. Two of the four schools she was considering were purported to employ lesbians on their staffs. Her stop in Ames, in fact, was on the heels of a trip to one of those allegedly "gay programs." There, coaches avoided discussing anyone's off-court lives. Iowa State, in contrast, pushed the personal hard. "They threw it out constantly," says the player, who became a Cyclone. "'Iowa has morals, and people who live here have values, wholesome values.'" The implication, to her and to another former Cyclone who confirmed her account, was that at other schools, "there's something going on you don't know."

The messaging continued after she joined the Iowa State squad and started to help recruit younger players. Coaches told all the Cyclones to emphasize their "environment" to any visiting recruits: married head coach, straight assistants, kids running underfoot. "Tell them we're family- oriented," the player recalls. "According to the coaches, it needed to be said."

Why, exactly, depends on whom you ask. Gay rights activists, coaches and players speak at length about what they see as a longtime and underhanded recruiting tactic in women's sports: Pitches emphasizing a program's family environment and implicit heterosexuality are often part of a consciously negative campaign targeted at another program's perceived sexual slant. In a survey of more than 50 current and former college players, as part of The Magazine's seven-month look at women's basketball recruiting, 55 percent answered "true" when asked if sexual orientation is an underlying topic of conversation with college recruiters.

Keep reading HERE.

After uproar at firing of lesbian coach, Belmont University adds sexual orientation to anti-bias policy

From Inside Higher Ed:

Change of Heart at Belmont
January 27, 2011

When Belmont University faced an uproar over the ouster of a lesbian coach in December, administrators insisted that they did not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. But critics noted that though the university's anti-bias policy prohibited several types of discrimination, sexual orientation was not on the list.

On Wednesday, the university announced that its board has changed the policy and that henceforth, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation would be officially barred. Further, the university added a new preamble to its anti-bias policy stating that Belmont is a Christian university and that the university strives "to uphold Christian standards of morality, ethics and conduct."

Many colleges affiliated with Christian denominations that question sexual relationships outside of heterosexual marriage do not include sexual orientation in their anti-bias policies; the same is true for many nondenominational Christian colleges with ties to such denominations. (Belmont was for many years affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention and today calls itself "a student-centered Christian community with a rich Baptist heritage.")

Keep reading HERE.

W języku polskim: Gejowska "Olimpiada" 2014 w Cleveland, USA

From Gej Centrum:

Gay Games IX, czyli Gejowska Olimpiada odbędzie się w Cleveland, stanie Ohio, USA. Ostatnio słyszeliśmy wiele kontorwersji wokół imprezy. Wszytsko z powodu tego, że firma zajmująca się organizjacą imprezy w Ohio, Cleveland nie mogła się dogadać z Komitetem Głównym Gejowskiej Olimpiady. Ostatecznie Komitet zdecydował, że Gay Games odbędą się Ohio i będą organizowane przez inną lokalną instytucję.

Gay Games to największa sportowa i kulturalna impreza na świecie, w której borą udział sportowcy i artyści LGBT. Pierwsze zawody odbyły się w San Francisco w 1982 roku. Podobnie jak na zwykłej olimpiadzie, podczas ceremoni zapłonie olimpijski znicz.

Jak dotąd Gay Games odbyły się w San Francisco, Vancouver, NewYork, Amesterdam, Sydney, Chicago i Kolonii. Oryginalnie Gay Games miały nosić nazwę Gejowskiej Olimpiady, za czym zaprotestował Komitet Olimpijski USA, pozywając do sądu Komitet Gay Games. Ustalono, że nazwa “Olimpiada” jest zrezerwowana wyłącznie dla Igrzysk Olimpijskich. Niektórzy sugerowali, że za protestem kryła się homofobia, ponieważ nazwa Olimpiada nie jest zarezerowowana wyłącznie dla Igrzysk Olimpijskich ale także dla Olimpiady Specjalnej. Jednocześnie niektórzy argumetują, że Międzynarodowy Komitet Olimpijski jest znany z obrony nazwy, która ma się kojarzyć tylko z tą wyjątkową imprezą.

Out gymnasts at Temple University in Philadelphia

Dash Sears, photo Scott A. Drake

A tip of the hat to Gay Games Ambassador Brian Sims for pointing out this story from Philadelphia Gay News:

Out gymnasts reach new heights at Temple

One local college sports club is turning the stereotype about the intersection of gays and sports on its head.

Gay athletes are certainly no oxymoron at Temple University, whose 21-member men’s gymnastics team contains three out students.

While each of the trio — junior Evan Burke and sophomores John Gaffney and Dash Sears — had a unique coming-out experience, they all agree that the environment of the team and the university allows them to flourish.

Keep reading HERE.

Interview with future MBE Aslie Pitter, founder of Stonewall FC

From the London Evening Standard:

Black, gay, bullied: a footballer's journey to honours at the Palace
David Cohen
27 Jan 2011


"Can you imagine," said Aslie Pitter, "what the comments might have been had the linesman in this week's football sexism row been an openly gay man? I mean, I would bet anything that the off-air comments would have been just as derogatory, if not far worse."

Pitter was speaking to the Standard after having his suit fitted for his upcoming visit to Buckingham Palace, where he will receive his MBE for tackling homophobia in football and for his work with Stonewall FC, the country's first gay team, founded 20 years ago.

"I'm often asked, 'Have things improved in football since 1991?'" he said. "The answer is: how many openly gay players do you see in the Premiership today? There are none. Zero. Think about that. Apart from Justin Fashanu - who only came out at the end of his career and whose footballing brother John disowned him - there has been nothing. Rugby, in comparison, has made tremendous strides. Gareth Thomas has come out as gay, as have others, but football is stuck in the Dark Ages.

Keep reading HERE.

Hightlights from UK LGBT History Month program

This is a selection of sports-themed events from the first two weeks of LGBT History Month in the UK. Find the full calendar and more about these events HERE.

Manchester/Salford: The Official Northern Launch of LGBT History Month 2011 - Evening Reception
Formal reception to celebrate the Launch of LGBT History Month. Confirmed speakers inlclude LGBT Academic Patron, Professor Martin Hall, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford, Sarah Williams, Equality Manager for the Rugby Football League and John Amaechi, the first openly gay NBA Basketball player.
Date Thursday, 27th January 2011
Times 6.00 - 7.30pm

*FULLY BOOKED* QUEER QUESTION TIME
Description
*Please note. This event is now fully book with an extensive waiting list*
BBC Radio 4's EVAN DAVIS hosts what promises to be a "convivial but edgy" public debate to mark the beginning of LGBT History Month in Southwark, covering this year's LGBT History Month theme, "Tackling homophobia and transphobia in the world of sport", as well as a broader discussion on LGBT issues.
Your panellists will include:
MATTHEW PARRIS - Former MP, Times columnist, author and broadcaster.
JOHN AMAECHI - retired NBA basketball, psychologist, educator, and political activist.
SUE SANDERS - LGBT activist and co-chair of Schools Out.
Other special guests to be announced.
Submit your questions before the night to askqqt@gmail.com
Date Tuesday, 1st February 2011


The Brief Encounter: Darren Ollerton of The Justin Campaign
Description
Speaker meeting, open to all, organised by CAGS in the series The Brief Encounter. The speaker will be Darren Ollerton of The Justin Campaign as part of LGBT History Month. See http://www.cags.org.uk/brief.htm
Date Tuesday, 1st February 2011

Norwich: Exploring Gender Roles, Stereotypes, and Bullying within Sport and P.E.
Description
Exploring Gender Roles, Stereotypes, and Bullying within Sport and Physical Education
Dr Rock Braithwaite (EDU)
This interactive presentation examines the gender ideologies and connections to movement based environments. Activity and discussion will focus on the ways in which prevailing gender ideologies constrain achievement in sport and physical education contexts. Potential solutions are explored to establish gender equity.
Date Wednesday, 2nd February 2011

London: Trans People Accessing Sport Art Project
Description
Gendered Intelligence have collaborated with community arts organisation ActiveArt to deliver an art project for young trans and gender variant people aged 13 - 24 years.
The project will consist of 5 workshops throughout January and February 2011, culminating in a public exhibition at the end of February.
We will be looking at the following themes to create a collaborative piece of art to be used for social change:
- Barriers to sport for trans and gender variant people.
- Celebrating trans people in sport.
- What does sport mean for you?
Date Saturday, 5th February 2011
Date Saturday, 12th February 2011

Cambridge United Football Club supports LGBT history month
Description
CUFC and Cambridge Fans United are supporting LGBT history month as part of their 'Kick it Out' campaign. There will be stalls of information about LGBT history month inside the stadium
Date Saturday, 5th February 2011

Nottingham: Monday Badminton with Badminton Social
Description
Badminton Social is a gay-friendly group which meet every Monday to socialise and play badminton. It attracts people of all levels of badminton ability. Monday night sessions involve playing people in a variety of doubles games. It's an opportunity to meet new people, make friends and get some exercise.
Date Monday, 7th February 2011

London: Artist and Activist Seminar: BiGS Against Homophobia (LGBT History Month)
Description
Screening of Brighton Bandits (Ian McDonald, 2007), followed by a discussion with the film maker.
Brighton Bandits is the first ever in-depth documentary about a gay football team. It debunks the myth that gay men don't play football. Brighton Bandits captures the passion for football in the gay community and allows the players to emerge as people with bold and poignant stories to tell. Sprinkled with humour and pathos, Brighton Bandits moves rhythmically between thought-provoking views to football action. With no commentary and no musical score in the film, the voices of the players and the sounds of the pitch keep it raw and real.
Date Monday, 7th February 2011

Nottingham: Tuesday 5-a-side with Nottingham Ball Bois FC
Description
Nottingham Ball Bois host a 5-a-side football kick-about every Tuesday evening at 8pm.
The emphasis on Tuesdays is on fun, and we have a wide range of participants of all ages and abilities - from experienced players to people new to the game. Tuesday 5-a-side is supported by Sport Relief, administered locally by Nottinghamshire Community Foundation.

Ballbois past, present and future are welcome, but if you are planning to come along please mark yourself as attending at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122848957784093
Alternatively, and especially if you are a newcomer to Tuesday 5-a-side, please use the contact details at http://www.nottinghamballbois.com/index.php/events/details/155-tuesday-5-a-side.html and someone will look out for you when you arrive.
Date Tuesday, 8th February 2011

Nottingham: Seminar: Homopobia in Sport and Issues in LGBT Sport
Description
Presentation from Nottingham Ball Bois FC as part of the Nottingham Trent University Sports Seminar Series. The presentation will examine homophobia in sport; the role of gay sports clubs and the teaching of LGBT issues in sports education. Attendance is free, but please email info@nottinghamballbois.com to reserve a place.
Date Wednesday, 9th February 2011

News from Queer Comrades: Sports Illustrated China features LGBT sport!

From our friends at Queer Comrades comes amazing news about the Chinese edition of Sports Illustrated:

Dear all,

Some great news from China! The new edition of Sports Illustrated China
dedicated its cover and a 9 double-page spread to LGBT and sports. All of
our Queer Comrades teammembers were featured in the article, which gives
large attention to the Gay Games. Deng Fangmin (who received a scholarship
for the Cologne Gay Games) received the most attention, but also Wei
Jiangang and me, Stijn, (we both were invited as journalists to cover the
Gay Games) were interviewed and photographed for the issue.

We made a [video] news item on the LGBT issue of the magazine, which you can watch
here: http://www.queercomrades.com/news/sportsillustrated/

Sports Illustrated is a pretty big Sports Magazine in China, just as in the
US. We're confident that the report will go a long way in promoting the Gay
Games and other LGBT Sports events to the public in China.

With kind regards,
All the best,

Stijn Deklerck
Producer
Queer Comrades

While we're talking about Sports Illustrated China, a few months ago they also republished the US edition's feature on Gareth Thomas. For readers of Chinese, they can find that story online HERE.

Focus on Cleveland+Akron: ASICS U.S. Open Wrestling Championships

U.S. Open Wrestling Championships will take place from April 7 to 10 at Public Hall, Cleveland Convention Center. The nation's top wrestlers in the three Olympic styles of men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman will compete at Public Hall. The Men's FILA Junior National Championships include the nation's top athletes who are 17-20 years old, competing in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling.

More info HERE.

Take advantage of close-out prices for IGBO 30th Anniversary merchandise

FGG member International Gay Bowling Organization (IGBO) celebrated its 30th anniversary last year in Columbus, Ohio.

Their special anniversary merchandise is still available at their online store, at close-out prices.

You can purchase, for example, a polo shirt worth USD 40 for only USD 10!

To visit the store, click HERE. 

John Amaechi to speak at Global Sports Forum Barcelona

Officially supported by the City of Barcelona, the Global Sports Forum Barcelona, 9-11 March, is an exchange platform attracting a wide range of personalities from the world of sport. Thanks to its unique emphasis on the position of sport at the heart of modern society, the Forum is a place where people come together and debate issues, the aim being to highlight sport in all its dimensions: economic, social, political and cultural.

Among the featured speakers is Gay Games Ambassador John Amaechi, who joins speakers from sports organizations and the media, and athletes including Jonah Lomu and Mia Hamm. Read John Amaechi's profile on the GSFB website HERE.

The Global Sports Forum Barcelona offers a warm welcome to:

* Sport federations, clubs and organisations
* Former and current athletes
* Political leaders and government representatives
* Representatives of local bodies
* Business leaders
* Marketing and sponsorship decision-makers
* Foundations, NGOs and charity organisations
* Health experts
* Academics and education stakeholders

En français: La FSGL sera présente au premier salon LGBT à Lille

SALON LGBT DES 29 & 30 JANVIER 2011 A LILLE
Salle municipale du Gymnase
(7 Place Sébastopol 59000 LILLE)
Entrée : 2€
(reversée intégralement à la LGPLille, organisatrice de l'événement)
Horaires :
Samedi 29 janvier : de 11h00 à 18h00
Dimanche 30 janvier : de 12h00 à 18h00

Infos ICI.

More on the University of Denver panel discussion on "Invisible Athletes"

From the University of Colorado's student newspaper, Duclarion.com:

At a discussion about issues facing gay and lesbian athletes on Thursday night in the Driscoll Ballroom, panelist David Farber said the aim of all-gay sports organizations, like Denver's GForce Hockey Club, is to make openly-gay athletes fully accepted on traditional teams.

"The end goal is for our organizations to not have to exist anymore," he said.
Farber described a time in the future when openly-gay athletes would be seamlessly integrated into their sports at all levels, from youth to pros.
At this point, he said, a combination of straight and openly-gay athletes on professional teams would be natural, and all-gay organizations would not be necessary for athletes to feel fully accepted on the playing field.

"You can be gay and play sports; these things aren't mutually exclusive," he said.

Keep reading HERE.

Athlete Ally reaches 1300 pledges: how about you?

AthleteAlly.com was created by HUDSON TAYLOR as a resource to encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports, regardless of perceived or actual sexual-orientation or gender identity or expression.

As of today, 13,000 people have taken the Athlete Ally pledge.You can take it HERE.

 “I created the Pledge so that we, as an athletic community, can take proactive steps to end homophobia in sports. When we inspire entire teams and athletic departments to commit to a new standard of athletic integrity, we will change the environment in locker rooms and on playing fields. Adding your name to the growing list of supporters is the first step to make a difference.”

— Hudson Taylor

University of Denver hosts panel on "Invisible Athletes" featuring Patrick Burke

More info HERE.

And listen HERE to Glenn Witman of G-Force Hockey and Patrick Burke on the Outsports podcast, where they spoke of the hockey team's mission of overturning stereotypes in sports and Burke's role in battling homophobia.

FGG participates in Agora du sport

A quote from gay tennis player Bill Tilden is featured in the Museum: "Tennis is more than a sport: it's an art, like the ballet"

The annual Agora du sport conference was held last week at the French National Tennis Museum at the Roland Garros tennis center. The conference was an opportunity to share experiences on a variety of themes. Among the subjects, a session on women in sport, where one of the rare women to head a male sports club (the handball club of Ivry, near Paris), spoke of her pessimism as to the evolution of sports institutions that remain boys clubs. Other speakers, such as French tennis star Nathalie Dauchy, spoke of the impact the lack of media attention has on women's sports. FGG representatives spoke of the custom in LGBT sport of having male and female tandems for key positions, a solution which interested many, but seems difficult to reconcile with current French law (which nonetheless favors in theory gender parity).

One of the participants made a call for action in favor of women's sport at an international level, calling on the International Olympic Committee to enforce its policies and protecting athletes from the intrusion of religion in sport, citing the example of the Iranian girls' team participating in the recent Youth Olympics, who were allowed to compete with their heads covered, contrary to established principles and rules.

Focus on Cleveland+Akron: ASICS University & FILA Cadet National Wrestling Championships

ASICS University and FILA Cadet National Championships will take place on April 20-23 at University of Akron's Louis and Freda Stile Athletic Field House. ASICS University athletes are 18 to 24 years of age and will feature some of the nation's top wrestlers from college wrestling programs and the U.S. Military team. FILA Cadet Nationals will feature many of the best high school wrestlers in the United States ages 15 to 17.

More information HERE.

Registration for IGLA 2011 Hawaii now open

The 2011 championships of FGG member organization International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics (IGLA) will take place from July 6-10 in an amazing place, this year: Honolulu, Hawaii!

More info and online registration are available HERE.

All Gay Games Amazon shops now on this blog

Links to all our Amazon stores (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr) are now available on this blog, along with a selection of featured products. Click HERE.

Search Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr

When you begin your search of your local Amazon site on our search boxes, any purchases you make generate commissions for the FGG! Find the boxes HERE.

Frontrunners run in February in Paris and Sydney

On Sunday 13 February Frontrunners Paris will hold their traditional Course de la St Valentin, which features couples running in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont while holding hands. The race has a limit of 600 runners, so sign up now! More info HERE.

And on Saturday 19 February, Sydney Frontrunners will be holding their annual Little Black Dress Run, a fun/draiser (see video below). More info on registering HERE. 

John Amaechi to appear at launch of UK LGBT History Month

From the website of UK LGBT History Month:

The BBC's Evan Davis, presenter of the Today Programme on Radio 4, helps to launch LGBT History Month 2011 in Southwark with Queer Question Time at Southwark Council's Tooley Street headquarters on Tuesday 1 February 2011.

MC Stewart Who? will open the evening at 7pm with a performance from the Pink Singers.

This will be followed by Queer Question Time at 7.30pm. Evan will chair an hour-long public debate with a panel of 5 local, national, and international LGBT icons and commentators, including Matthew Parris (writer, broadcaster and Times columnist), Sue Sanders (LGBT activist and co-chair of Schools Out), John Amaechi (psychologist, New York Times best-selling author and former NBA basketball player), and Angela Eagle MP (Westminster's first out lesbian). A fifth panelist will be announced closer to the time.

This is the seventh year that LGBT History Month has been marked across the UK. It is an annual celebration of the lives and achievements of the LGBT community, with a special theme this year of "tackling homophobia and transphobia in the world of sport". Queer Question Time will cover this topic as well as broader issues facing the LGBT community.

Queer Question Time
1 February 2011 - 6pm
Southwark Council, Atrium
160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2TZ
Refreshments will be served. Admission is free but advance booking is strongly advised as places are limited.
To book your place contact Helen Laker on 020 7525 0848 or Helen.Laker@southwark.gov.uk

Auf Deutsch: Kaya Yanar als Farrad auf Gay Games VIII

Comics Kaya Yanar and Paul Panzer take on the roles of a TV crew from Al Jazeera at Gay Games VIII.

Author Jeff Commings reads from his autobiography "Odd Man Out: True Stories of a Gay Black Swimmer"

In the first book to tell the true story of a gay African-American swimmer, Jeff Commings writes about his teenage years and most of his 20s, when he was afraid to live openly as a gay man among friends and family. Though he was a member of several USA Swimming national teams and competed in two Olympic Trials, his fear of rejection from those he loved and respected severely affected his life socially and athletically.

Commings was the first African-American to win a gold medal in swimming at the Olympic Festival and was the first African-American swimmer to compete at the Pan-American Games, but he went through his swimming career feeling like he was just like everyone else - except when it came to his sexuality.

In ODD MAN OUT: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, Commings reveals intimate details of his life, many of which have never been made public. But this book is much more than the story of a man’s journey to discover his place in a world he feared would shun him. It’s also the story of a black swimmer who rose to elite status when he saw very few on pool decks with his skin color.

Buy this book at our Amazon.com store below, or get a signed copy HERE.

Amazon.com:

Register for IGBO annual tournament and meeting in Toronto

From the website of the host of Federation of Gay Games member organization International Gay Bowling Organization's annual tournament:

Toronto is honoured once again to have been selected to host an IGBO event. In 1991 we hosted the IGBO Annual and in 1997 we hosted IGBO Mid Year with both events being deemed fun for all.

For 23 years Toronto has hosted the Maple Leaf Classic annual bowling tournament with great success. We are proud to say that committee members, past and present, and many more volunteers have come forward to be part of the IGBO Annual 2011 Committee. This will make us a strong committee with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to host the 31st IGBO Annual Tournament.

Register HERE.

Billie Jean King compares professionalization of women's softball with women's tennis

From a post by Gay Games Ambassador Billie Jean King on the current status of women's professional softball:

Women's softball has been removed from the Olympics beginning in 2012 and it has definitely changed the future of the sport. Now, a new professional league has surfaced. National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) is the name of the league and it needs the stars of American softball to make it work. Seems like a perfect opportunity, doesn't it? Play on the national team and play professionally. It's been done in many sports for years.

But just as we faced opposition 40 years ago, so are our softball stars. Jessica Mendoza, along with other members of the Olympic team, including Natasha Watley, Cat Osterman, Monica Abbott, Caitlin Lowe, Lauren Lappin, Andrea Duran and Vicky Galindo, are asking the same question we asked in 1970 -- "why can't we do both?"

Jessica and her teammates have to choose between the national team and a professional league and they have opted to play exclusively with the NPF. They are sticking together, standing side-by-side. Jessica Mendoza is a leader and she, like her teammates, is very passionate about the future of their sport, and the opportunity of their chosen profession. They are making tough decisions.

If everyone works together it will work out. We may have disagreed with the USTA 40 years ago, but now we enjoy a very productive relationship with the organization. The softball players have a difficult road ahead and this generation will not reap the real benefits, but they will lay a strong foundation for those generations who come after them. These women are being brave and considerate of those who will come after them.

Read in full HERE.

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr:

Football v Homophobia 19 February 2011

On February 19th 2010, The Justin Campaign launched Football v Homophobia – An international day opposing homophobia in football, which provided an opportunity for individuals, communities and teams the world over to communicate their disapproval of homophobia in football and celebrate football’s diverse following under the banner of Football v Homophobia.

We intend that Football v Homophobia on Feb 19th will become the one day out of each year where individuals, community groups, teams and clubs all over the world can express their disapproval of homophobia in football by celebrating under the banner of Football v Homophobia.

We hope that you can express your support for the day next year and ensure that this initiative significantly changes how LGBT people are perceived and treated in football.

Remember you don’t have to be a football fan or sports group to back the campaign! Impacting on homophobia in football will communicate a zero tolerance attitude to homophobia in any shape, or form, across the world.

More info HERE.

Info on Linday England's photo shoots for Football v Homophobia 2011

From Just a Ball Game?:

This year if you live in Manchester, London or Paris you can be part of a EURO TRI-CITY 24 hour event 15/16th of FEB. Come along in your football colours (or any sports colours) and join in the photo shoots.
Raise the FOOTBALL v HOMOPHOBIA banner and raiser awareness.


Below are the details of the Manchester, London and Paris meets.


15th Feb Manchester.. Vanilla
39-41 Richmond st, m1 3wb

Vanilla will host the first photo shoot event from 7pm-11pm.
You can call in for a drink and raise you glass in honour of Justin Fashanu and help out to raise the banners, flags, shirts and other football colours (and sports colours) to raise awareness of homophobia in football and also celebrate LGBT history month.
I am planning a group picture for around 8pm with the banner and then folk can have whatever sort of football v homophobia related picture they want for the rest of the evening whether they stay all night or just 5 mins.
Its hoped also that we will show the 40 min film Brighton Bandits.
We will give everyone flyer's and posters and stickers to take away with them to use on 19th at their own team event, club , uni/ student meet or workplace to recognise F v H day. we will give out T-shirts and footballs as prizes. The England flags will be signed to pass on to football authorities and government as a petition asking them to take action against homophobia in football.
As Vanilla is the women's venue we want as many girls and trans folk to attend the event.

Next day 16th i will transport the banner to London for a 9.30/9.45 am meet and photo shoot at 10am, it's more than likely the event will take place outside the TUC headquarters on Great Russell ST. in London. We will recognise F v h day and LGBT history month.
We have asked the GEO if we can do the photo shoot outside no10 or Westminster with David Cameron or the sports minister.(we will be told by 31st Jan if this is too happen.
If this fails we will have the photo shoot outside TUC headquarters with TUC leaders union staff and Football authorities and representatives from the LGBT community, we will be handing out flyer's etc to the public etc once again.

An hour later i will head off on Euro star to Paris for the final photo shoot at 6pm (so as to be inside the 24 hour deadline) at either Stade de France or Eiffel Tower along with friends from Paris and hopefully members of the Paris Foot Gay football team. Again we will raise the banner and fly our colours for Football v Homophobia.

Watch Greg Louganis on Oprah this Tuesday

Keep your eyes out for Gay Games Ambassador Greg Louganis on Oprah this Tuesday 25 January! The theme is "'Coming out' on The Oprah Show: 25 years of unforgettable guests". From the website:

In a landmark interview, an iconic athlete told the world he's gay. Now, Greg Louganis is back. Plus, the world's only openly gay prince has big news.

Amazon.com:

Amazon.ca:

Amazon.co.uk:

Amazon.de:

Amazon.fr: