Blake Skjellerup reports from his hometown of Christchurch

From a report in Outsports, which you can read in full HERE, speedskater Blake Skjellerup speaks of what he has discovered on his first trip home since the earthquake that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand:

the cordon in the CBD, it is as if the heart of the city has been ripped out. In the 36 hours I have been in the city, and the small parts of it I have seen, you can tell that the other major arteries and limbs of the city are working hard to keep the city together.

Nerves are on edge, emotions are high, and the lives of some are in tatters. Comfort for most comes in knowing that one day, maybe 6 months to a year, or even longer from now, the cordon will lift, and people will return to the heart of a city that slowly, but surely, will start beating again.

The thing we all share in common is our love of this once- and still-amazing city. The aftershocks will not last forever, but this city will. The people know they owe it to themselves and the city to stay. A home will always remain a home, and no force can change that.

Donations to the New Zealand Red Cross are still welcome.

Some more films of interest at Cleveland International Film Festival

We've learned that we missed some interesting films with a gay interest that will be screened at the Cleveland International Film Festival.


A regular feature of the festival is the "10% Cinema" category, which features favorite films with LGBT content. Find the program for this section HERE.

And alongside these feature films are two programs of short subjects of LGBT interest, "10% Shorts", which include a trilogy of films by director Alain Hain, and Animal Drill, in which a son must prove his manhood to his father by trying out for the basketball team (all in "10% Shorts" program 1)

Anton Hysén interview in The Sun

From an interview with recently out Swedish football player Anton Hysén in Britain's The Sun:

"Statistically, there has to be at least one gay footballer in England. Of course it is sad that people are not honest. At the beginning there were problems with skin colour - this is the same. It shouldn't matter."

Read the whole interview HERE.

UNHRC Statement a major step in the fight against transphobia and homophobia

The FGG is a member of ILGA, whose press release on yesterday's United Nation's statement we reproduce below:


UNHRC Statement a major step in the fight against transphobia and homophobia
22/03/2011

Compared to a similar Human Rights Council joint declaration on this topic in 2006 and to a UN General Assembly Statement in 2008, this Statement establishes as a principle that “no one should face stigmatization, violence or abuse on any ground, and that in dealing with sensitive issues, the Council must be guided by the principles of universality and non-discrimination. This was enabled by the preceding 2008 UN General Assembly Statement, which for the first time inserted sexual orientation and gender identity in the UN interpretation of the Universal declaration of Human Rights, by reaffirming the non-discrimination principle of international law, requiring that human rights apply equally to each human being.

Today’s joint declaration by 84 member countries of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, calling for an end to violence, criminal sanctions and human rights violations against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is a very significant step forward towards international consensus on LGBTI people’s rights, according to ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. ILGA considers the fact that the amount of countries willing to sign on to a declaration like this is approaching a majority of UN members, is a credit to the increased sensitivity of national governments, and the work of international, regional and local LGBTI human rights activists all over the World, particularly the International Coalition of LGBTI organizations that worked together with national governments and provided the information they requested through the process of preparing the declaration.

“We welcome the Statement just read at the UN Human Rights Council and signed by 84 Countries, as a sign of the growing international, cross-regional consensus around the need to protect people persecuted because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Also to engage in a truly universal application of human rights”, said Renato Sabbadini, one of ILGA’s two Co-Secretary Generals, speaking from ILGA’s headquarters in Brussels. According to Sabbadini “The strength of this Statement makes the defence of discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexual, trans and intersex people on the basis of a mistaken sense of “tradition” or “natural order” more untenable than ever. Homophobia and transphobia are more and more acknowledged for what they truly are: the last crumbling pillars of a patriarchal order which belong with other dark pages of our past, like slavery and the Inquisition.”

Conference to focus on centennial of Cleveland's historic West Side Market

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland has edged out competitors -- including London and Toronto -- to host an international conference focused on public markets in 2012.

The Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit group based in New York, will announce today that it has tapped Cleveland as the host city for several days of discussions, events and tours.

The conference promises national and global attention for Cleveland's growing local food scene and the West Side Market, which will celebrate its 100th birthday late next year.

[...]

The eighth International Public Markets Conference could occur shortly before or after Mayor Frank Jackson's annual sustainability conference, intended to focus on local food in 2012, and would be a prelude to the biggest of the West Side Market's birthday events.

Stephen Davies, senior vice president with the Project for Public Spaces, lauded Cleveland's pitch as the best of 20-something applications from potential host cities. The West Side Market and its upcoming centennial were key factors in helping Cleveland beat out finalists Seattle; Charleston, S.C.; along with Toronto and London.

"It was huge," Davies said. "It's one of the most stunning indoor public markets in the country, and there are not many left in the United States. There are some 150 of them, and Cleveland's historically is probably the grandest of them all."

[...]

Spurred by the centennial, Mayor Jackson assembled a commission last spring to consider opportunities and potential improvements for the city-owned market building, market operations and the surrounding neighborhood. The effort, led by the city and Ohio City Near West Development Corp., also includes planning for events leading up to the market's birthday.

[...]

Occurring every few years, the public markets conference attracts market operators, planners, architects and food-policy enthusiasts from the United States and more than a dozen other countries. Past host cities include New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

In Cleveland, participants will stay at a downtown hotel, attend seminars and take daylong tours that could include trips to farmers markets, Amish country, local orchards, farms, dairies and urban gardens.

City Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose ward includes downtown and the Ohio City neighborhood, expects the conference to spotlight the growth of Cleveland's local-food economy and to add momentum to the Market District, the area surrounding the West Side Market. During the last year, a handful of restaurants, stores and small businesses have opened their doors or reserved spaces in the neighborhood, bringing bustle back to empty storefronts.

"Cleveland is in the top echelon of local-food cities," Cimperman said. "This is going to let people know why. The fact that the market will be the microphone to tell this story is really great."

Meet Carlin Yetts, the 700th fan of the Gay Games Facebook page

Since we linked this blog to the official FGG Facebook page a few months ago, we've doubled our number of Facebook fans. Yesterday we topped 700 "likes", and are pleased to tell you more about the guy who put us over that milestone. (If you haven't "liked" us yourself, you'll find us HERE or at gaymes.info/fgg-fb).

Carlin Yetts is an Ohio native, and a wrestler and wrestling coach who plans to compete in Gay Games IX. He writes: "I'm very excited about being number 700, and even more excited about participating in the Gay Games!"

As a resident of Columbus, Ohio, he is keen to put together a host club for the event, and is seeking other wrestlers from the state. If you are a wrestler or are interested in learning to wrestle or in supporting a new club, write us at blog@gaygames.org or look up Carlin on Facebook!

To thank Carlin for his support, we'll be sending him a DVD of Take the Flame, the story of the Gay Games.

"It Gets Better" book now out

The "Its Get Better" project is now a book, available as of 22 March.

Growing up isn't easy. Many young people face daily tormenting and bullying, making them feel like they have nowhere to turn. This is especially true for LGBT kids and teens who often hide their sexuality for fear of bullying. Without other openly gay adults and mentors in their lives, they can't imagine what their future may hold. In many instances, gay and lesbian adolescents are taunted - even tortured - simply for being themselves.

After a number of tragic suicides by LGBT students who were bullied in school, syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage uploaded a video to YouTube with his partner Terry Miller to inspire hope for LGBT youth facing harassment. Speaking openly about the bullying they suffered as teenagers, and how they both went on to lead rewarding adult lives, their video launched the It Gets Better Project YouTube channel and initiated a worldwide phenomenon. With over 6,000 videos posted and over 20 million views in the first three months alone, the world has embraced the opportunity to provide personal, honest and heartfelt support for LGBT youth everywhere.

It Gets Better is a collection of expanded essays and new material from celebrities, everyday people and teens who have posted videos of encouragement, as well as new contributors who have yet to post videos to the site. While many of these teens couldn't see a positive future for themselves, we can. We can show LGBT youth the levels of happiness, potential and positivity their lives will reach if they can just get through their teen years. By sharing these stories, It Gets Better reminds teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone - and it WILL get better.

Gay Games medallists named Cologne sports team of the year

A message from FGG member European Same-Sex Dance Association:

During the live show "Kölsche Sportnaach 2011" on the local TV channel of Cologne, Germany, Caroline Privou and Petra Zimmermann were awarded the title of best sports team of Cologne for the year 2011. Never before had a same-sex dance couple received this type of recognition in a mainstream sports awards ceremony !

Caroline and Petra are the top ranking female couple in Standard (also known as Ballroom dancing) worldwide. In addition to the many international dance titles they have won (EuroGames, Gay Games, Outgames, etc...) they have been given this award in recognition to their dedication to dancesport, their very professional approach and the class and level of dancing never before witnessed in the world of same-sex dancing. They are outstanding ambassadors for the entire "same-sex dance community" around the world.

ESSDA, the European Same-Sex Dance Association, congratulates Caroline and Petra for this wonderful achievement and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to them because this award gives same-sex dancing a place in the (inter)national sports scene!

During the next EuroGames Rotterdam 2011 (the Netherlands), 21 - 24 July 2011, ESSDA will host the first official "European Same-sex Dance Championships" where about 400 same-sex dance couples from all around the world are expected to compete in Latin-American, Standard and Show Dance.

Auf Deutsch / Caroline Privou und Petra Zimmermann: Koelns Team 2010

Von Koelschen Sportnaach:

4. Kölschen Sportnaach am 19. März 2011 im Tanzbrunnen

Die Kölsche Sportnaach ist auf dem besten Weg, sich zu einem zentralen Eckpfeiler des Kölner Sports zu entwickeln. Dies wird sich auch bei der 4. Auflage der Kölschen Sportnaach widerspiegeln. Erneut heißt das Motto „Wir feiern den Kölner Sport und ehren unsere Besten“.

Neben den Ehrungen in den Kategorien „Kölns Sportlerin 2010“, „Kölns Sportler 2010“ und „Kölns Team 2010“ werden auch die „Person des Kölner Sports“ sowie der Nachwuchs im Sportjugend Köln Nachwuchsblock ausgezeichnet. Beeindruckende Showeinlagen, ein großes Kölsches Buffet und ein gemütlicher Ausklang mit Party werden den Abend abrunden.

Wir freuen uns das Projekt der „Person des Kölner Sports“ mit einer Spende von 500,- Euro unterstützen zu können. Doch auch der Nachwuchs soll am Abend der 4. Kölschen Sportnaach nicht zu kurz kommen. Im Sportjugend Köln Nachwuchsblock werden zum einen erfolgreiche Nachwuchssportler für Ihre Erfolge ausgezeichnet, zum anderen wird ehrenamtliches Engagement geehrt und mit einem finanziellen Zuschuss honoriert.

In der heutigen Zeit ist ein Miteinander im Breiten- und Leistungssport von besonderer Wichtigkeit. Und wenn dies auch nach außen sichtbar wird, wie es bei der "Kölschen Sportnaach“ der Fall ist, kann wirklich von einem großen Erfolg gesprochen werden.

Für die kommende Kölsche Sportnaach sind alle Titelverteidiger des Jahres 2010 erneut nominiert. Doch neben den letztjährigen Siegern Britta Heidemann, Max Hoff und den Inlineskater-Hockey-Spielern des HC Köln West haben auch viele neue Gesichter des Kölner Sports den Kampf um die Titel aufgenommen. Es wird sicher wieder sehr spannend.

Und so freuen wir uns alle gemeinsam bei der 4. Kölsche Sportnaach am 19. März 2011 im Tanzbrunnen den Kölner Sport feiern und die Sieger ehren zu können.

Sportliche Grüße

Helmut Wasserfuhr (Vorsitzender StadtSportBund Köln)

Kölns Team 2010
Die Wahl zu Kölns Team 2010 wird Ihnen präsentiert von der KVB.

Kölns Team 2010
Dr. Caroline Privou / Dr.Petra Zimmermann
mit 47% Stimmanteil
folgende Teams standen zur Wahl

Cleveland International Film Festival features movies of interest to Gay Games fans

Among the films you'll find at the Cleveland International Film Festival are quite a few that could interest fans of the Gay Games, including:

Autumn Gold (Herbstgold)
An absolutely charming film that soars triumphantly above all the hackneyed sports movies you’ve ever seen. Five European athletes are training for the 2009 World Masters track and field championships in Finland. They stretch, lift weights, and jog around parks. They explain their dietary plans and reminisce about former wins and losses. Sound pretty ho-hum so far? It’s not. These athletes are all between 83 and 100 years old, and a more astonishing group you’ve never met. Jiri runs up five stories in a minute and then pauses to dole out some wisdom on life. Gabre, an Italian beauty in full make-up and jewelry, throws her discus with her sunglasses perched on her head scarf. Herbert is 90 and runs the 100m sprint. Shot-putter Ilse dances around her living room like she was 45 and not 85. Alfred, a Viennese discus thrower and a designer for 80 years, sketches a nude model at 100. Though they’ve been athletes all their lives — Gabre and Alfred even competed in the 1936 Olympics — their positive attitudes and refusal to slow down are keys to their vitality. Come on, shake a leg and get inspired. (In Czech, German, Italian, and English with subtitles)


A Marine Story
A solitary Marine crosses the dry California terrain on foot, her pack on her back. She’s heading home after leaving the service involuntarily. In A MARINE STORY Alex is a lean fighting machine and a top-notch career officer from a military family. But when her commanding officer heard that she harbored lesbian tendencies, she was let go. Alex is a victim of the nation’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy—repealed last December after 17 years and 13,500 discharges. Separated now from the institution that represents her whole world, Alex settles uneasily back into civilian life. She goes drinking in one of her old haunts, is taunted by some rednecks, and holds her own in a brawl. When Alex accosts some punks robbing a store, her training kicks in and she subdues them. One is a sullen young woman named Saffron who has been in trouble before. Now a judge gives her an ultimatum: jail or the military. When Saffron submits to being trained by Alex for boot camp, she gains a new identity—as one of the few and the proud.

We Were Here
They were there when all their friends were dying. They were the lovers, friends, co-workers, and counselors of the stricken, or even the stricken themselves. They survived the HIV/AIDS scourge of the 1980s, and they lived to tell about it. WE WERE HERE is a hugely affecting piece of filmmaking. Five individuals, all of whom lived in San Francisco prior to the epidemic, relate their harrowing experiences on the front lines. In the late 70s the city was a hotbed of sexual freedom and social experimentation. Soon, of course, mass tragedy struck. With thousands dying of the mysterious “gay plague,” the queer community huddled together to shelter and comfort their own. The interviewees’ stories are not only intensely personal, but also illuminate the much larger themes of that era: the political and sexual complexities, the terrible emotional toll, the role of women – particularly lesbians – in caring for and fighting for their gay brothers. Archival imagery conveys a sense of San Francisco in the pre-AIDS years and a very visceral sense of the horrors of the disease itself.

Cleveland to build new marina at heart of Gay Games IX venues

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer blog:

Boaters looking to make a short stop at Cleveland's North Coast Harbor may soon have a place to call home.

The city, powered by a $1.5 million federal grant and about $500,000 in matching municipal funds, will finally begin work this summer on a 53-slip marina in the harbor, at the southwest corner of the East Ninth Street Pier.

Proposals to give boaters easier access to the doorstep of downtown -- especially the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Great Lakes Science Center and Browns Stadium -- have been talked about for years in the redevelopment plans of more than one city administration.

"We think this is an exciting project that will bring some life to our lakefront," said Port Control Director Ricky Smith. "This is really part of a larger lakefront plan that Mayor Jackson has embarked upon.

"What makes the lakefront attractive is the water and efforts in the past to bring people to the lakefront didn't really address the water this way."

Downtown visitors will see some construction this summer on a restroom, shower and laundry facility that will be built alongside the marina, but neither is likely to open until spring 2012, city officials said.

There are several private, long-term marinas along the waterfront in Northeast Ohio, but this site would offer spots for boats 26 feet long or less and for a maximum of 10 days, though most would probably be for shorter stays, Smith said.

The marina would be open to any boater, even boat owners who have permanent slips from other nearby marinas. The daily cost for boaters to dock at the marina has not been set, a city spokeswoman said.

"This is intended for in-and-out, but we'd also like to put in a longer-term marina in the future and we have plans for a restaurant on the site where the old skate park used to be," Smith said.

The federal money, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant, will be funneled through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Watercraft. The federal agency said the aim was to benefit tourism downtown, estimated to generate more than $1.1 million annually for the Cleveland area, the service said.

"Downtown Cleveland is home to many attractions, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, waterfront museums, entertainment and professional sports venues," said Julie Morin, grant coordinator with the service.

"The transient marina and amenities will attract boaters to the Cleveland area and thus provide an economic boost for the local community."

[...]
"We also hope to be able to bring in some vendors to make it more festive on the pier, more like New York's Central Park or other places," he said. 

High school wrestler follows in footsteps of Hudson Taylor

Via Outsports:

Jonathan Correia is a 17-year-old sophomore high school wrestler from East Providence, R.I. In a sign of support for gay rights, he wore a sticker for the Human Rights Campaign on his headgear during matches and practices this season.

Jonathan was inspired by the same gesture made by then-University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor last season. Jonathan’s then-girlfriend saw the Outsports profile of Taylor and encouraged him to follow suit.

Keep reading HERE.

7 April 2011 / Team DC SportFest

Interested in sports? Looking to join a team this season? Come mingle with the players representing nearly every LGBT sports group in DC’s metro area. It’s the ultimate networking/social event for all current LGBT athletes and interested newcomers. This “open house expo” features registration spaces for 20+ groups and their reps who can answer your questions.

Plus: beer & soft drinks, DJ, unique venue w/ outside deck, and more! Invite your Facebook friends and teammates.

Thursday, April 7 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Room and Board
1840 14th St. NW
Washington, DC

Watchdog for women's participation in Olympic sport on Iranian call for respect of Olympic Charter

French feminist group "Ligue du droit international des femmes", leader of the "Atlanta Plus" Committee, has issued this press release following Iranian complaints about the logo of the 2012 Olympics:

Iran’s calls for IOC to respect Olympic Charter: when will Iran remove the beam from its eye?
Paris, 28 February 2011

After the Iranian protest against the London 2012 logo, the International Olympic Committee must commit to full participation of women in the Olympics, free from religious strictures

Iran has lodged a protest with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the logo of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, claiming the logo is “racist”. We will set aside any discussion of the Iranian obsession with Israel, of which this absurd claim is the latest, and one of the more laughable, example, to focus on the Iranian use of the Olympic Charter to support their accusation.

As reported, Iran claims that the logo does not respect the Olympic Charter: "highlighting the values of Olympic [sic], which ban any sorts of partiality, political, religious and racial measures in this field, may have a leading role to hold London Games better [sic]."

While Iran is correct as to the principles of the Olympic Movement, Iran (and the Islamist countries it claims to represent) is itself in complete contradiction with the Olympic Charter when we consider its own behaviour in the Olympics. Islamist countries, and in particular Iran, are historically (and currently) the most likely to exclude women from an open and free practice of sport, and to impose restrictive garments during competition, on the basis of religious strictures.

Ben Cohen interview in Towleroad

From the Towleroad interview with British rugby player and ally Ben Cohen:

He openly stated that Rugby was ready for an openly gay player just months before Gareth Thomas' momentous coming out and earlier this year shot an anti-bullying video alongside Bravo's Andy Cohen. I spoke to him as he prepares to visit the United States in May for his Ben Cohen Acceptance Tour.

SP: You've recorded a couple of anti-bullying videos with words of support toward suicidal or bullied young people. What would you say to those who are doing the bullying?

BC: I say simply stop and think. What is that person were to finish their life because of you. How would that feel? Also, bullies often have issues of their own – why else would they do it. Maybe they need to face their issues.

SP: Have you yourself ever been the victim of a bully?

BC: Not in the true sense of the word but I have been the victim of the media at times – goes with the territory, but it is still not nice. You have to say to yourself "Don’t take it personally" but thats not easy –especially when the claims made about you are unjust. It’s frustrating.

SP: You're touring the USA this summer with your "Acceptance Tour 2011" to combat homophobia. What sparked the idea for the tour?

BC: For some years now we have been receiving messages and emails from people all over the world with some heart wrenching stories. I really felt that I wanted to do something about it and I felt that I could. The video I made sparked off all sorts of things really, as well as emotions in me as a sports figure and as a Dad, so we started thinking about what we could do. Then we received an invitation to go to a sports bar in New York. And then a proposal from a Gay/Gay Friendly rugby club in Atlanta at the same time. We work with Geoff in Florida who just came on the team to help Jill with the Calendar, but then became involved representing my work in the USA and he has been linking up ever since pulling everything together. Exciting times!


Read more HERE.

Is "out" the new "in" in sports?

By Roger Brigham, Bay Area Reporter
Published 17 March 2010
Reprinted with permission

Over the years, the stories blur together as their authors fill in the blanks of seemingly templated scripts. "(Name here) revealed this week he is gay, becoming the first active athlete in (pro sport here) to publicly disclose his homosexuality."

Last week, Swedish pro soccer player Anton Hysén became the latest professional athlete on a team to inform news media he is gay, coming out in an interview with the Swedish soccer magazine Offside . His disclosure came less than a week after Steven Davies, a British rising star in international cricket, became the first active athlete in that sport to come out.

Hoorays and salutations from colleagues and management alike have greeted both athletes. Promises of support have been made. Joy reigns. But is this headline news? At what point do events cease to be salutary milestones and become tiny type footnotes, expected steps on an evolving path?

Darl Schaaff: down and far from out!

Friend of the Gay Games Darl Schaaff, seen here at Gay Games VIII, playing the victim to Trevor Storrs, has just had hip replacement surgery. We hear he's recovering well, and hope that he will soon be back to tip-top shape!

Latest issue of SportsFriendly magazine available online

In the third issue of SportsFriendly, available online HERE, you'll find a special section on football, including interviews on reformed homophobic president of Montpellier Louis Nicollin, former French international and activist for equality Lilian Thuram, and Yoann Lemaire, emblematic victim of homophobia in football.

Also in this issue, a comparison of Paris gyms, and news from the FSGL and its member clubs.

Ben Cohen supports the UK LGBT Sports Charter

Find the Facebook page for the Charter at www.facebook.com/lgbtsportscharter

An interclub weekend at the FSGL: Carnaval Interlope and Aquafolies

Tonight FSGL member club Les Gais Musette is organizing its 14th "Carnaval Interlope", a gender-bending costume ball that hearkens back to the great balls of the 1920s, at the Elysée Montmartre. More info HERE.

And tomorrow, FSGL member clubs will face off against Paris Aquatique in the annual "Aquafolies", a sort of "It's a Knockout" in a pool. More info HERE.

SkySports coverage of Sheffield Eagles "Homophobia: Tackle It" match

Watch the video HERE.

Nike supports anti-discrimination measure in Nashville

From change.org:


Last night, Nashville's Metro Council decided to delay a final vote on an anti-discrimination measure that would require most contractors and vendors with the city to adhere to a non-discrimination policy that includes protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The delay in the vote isn't a bad sign: turns out that many Metro Council members were just absent from the meeting because their children are on spring break from school.

But it does mean that there will be at least one more Metro Council meeting -- currently scheduled for April 5 -- before a final vote will happen.

Yesterday, Metro Council members got a letter from one of America's corporate leaders, Nike, urging them to extend the city's anti-discrimination laws to vendors and contractors. The letter came from Orson C. Porter, Nike Inc.’s U.S. director of governance and public affairs, and was sent to Councilman Mike Jameson, who is an original sponsor of the expanded anti-discrimination legislation.

"By supporting this measure, you support the guiding principle that every American deserves a chance to compete and prosper on a level playing field," Porter says in the letter from Nike. "At Nike, we believe diversity and inclusion is about respecting our differences, leveraging our strengths and maximizing opportunity for everyone."

Continue reading HERE.

Can the Olympics increase mass participation in sport and physical activity?

In an article entitled "England Finds 2012 Olympics Don’t Spur Exercise", the New York Times looks at the potential failed promise of a "legacy" from the 2012 Summer Olympics in the form of increased participation in sport and physical activity among the general population of Britain. From the article:

Physically active people may be enticed to become more active or to try a new sport, said Mike Weed, a professor of sport in society at Canterbury University. Those who were formerly active may be encouraged by the Olympics to renew their participation, he said. This is known as the demonstration effect.

But what this phenomenon does not do, Dr. Weed said in a telephone interview and in a recent paper, “is have any effect whatsoever on those who have never participated in sport.”

The average person may feel a disconnect from elite athletes, he said, while the most sedentary might be put off by perceived pressure to lose weight and become more active. This seemed to be borne out in recent interviews conducted with weekend warriors in Manchester.

“The Olympics are up here and we’re down here,” said Asha Solanki, 30, who works in marketing and participates in martial arts. “It seems unachievable. How many people do you know who do the 400-meter hurdles?”

Among the missions of the International Olympic Committee is "sport for all". There is funding, a commission, and an annual conference, in which the FGG participated for the first time last year. Buit are the Olympics the best way to promote sport for all? From our point of view, the Gay Games movement has been much more successful at encouraging participation in sport:

• by offering those reluctant to participate in mainstream sport due to homophobia a safe place to play and compete
• by sending a message, in particular to gay men, that gays can be athletes
• by creating inclusive events that allow athletes of all levels to compete together

If a country wants to promote increased participation in sport, how about hosting the Gay Games?

Can LGBT sports events bring change to the South Pacific?

From the Sydney Star Observer:

Wellington Outgames volunteer Ken Moala may live on Queensland’s Gold Coast, but he has dreams that extend much further into the Pacific. Having lived in Samoa for 30 years before moving to Australia, he believes the Asia Pacific Outgames would be the ideal way to challenge anti-gay and anti-sodomy laws that are still law in many Pacific island nations.

“My vision is that we will hold our own Outgames in the Pacific,” he said. Samoa does have the facilities to stage the event, and the people are remarkably warm and accepting. So long as it didn’t threaten the culture and we respect the society and its cultural framework, it could be a great success.”

Moala believes the Outgames could be the ideal way to respectfully challenge those laws in the Pacific that actively discriminate against gays and lesbians. “I am one of the co-founders of the Pacific Sexuality Network (for Fa’afafine), so I understand how it could be done,” he said. “I started volunteering at the Sydney Gay Games in 2002 when I led a delegation of 25 athletes through the stadium. That’s what started to get me thinking, so I volunteered for the Cologne Gay Games last year as well to start to see how the event runs. I’ve fallen in love with the games, with the way it brings people together to share their stories, their success and to network. I feel enriched when I participate, and I think it would bring great joy to the community in the Pacific.”

Keep reading HERE.

GLSEN Sports Project launched to promote safe schools

From the website of "Changing the Game", the newly launched GLSEN Sports Project headed by Pat Griffin:

The Sport Project’s mission is to assist [primary and secondary] schools in creating and maintaining an athletic and physical education climate that is based on the core principles of respect, safety and equal access for all students, teachers and coaches regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression and integrating these efforts into overall school plans to ensure a safe, respectful school climate and culture.

Among the members of the GLSEN Advisory Board are familiar names to friends of the Gay Games, including Gay Games Ambassador Brian Sims, Outsports' Cyd Ziegler, photographer Jeff Sheng, and several members of Our Group, including Jenelle Devits and Andrew Langenfeld.

And among the project's "All Stars" you'll find other Gay Games Ambassadors, including Billie Jean King, Billy Bean, and John Amaechi.

Find the "Changing the Game" website HERE.

Progress in fight against "corrective rape" in South Africa

News from change.org on the work of our friend Ndumie Funda. Thanks to the many members of the Gay Games family who have helped. The fight continues!


In late November, thousands of us were horrified by ‘corrective rape’, the increasingly common South African hate crime in which men rape lesbian women to 'turn' them straight or 'cure' them of their sexual orientation.

A tiny group of lesbian activists hiding out in the townships of Cape Town called us to action, and in the 100 or so days since, tens of thousands from 163 countries around the world join in to demand action on 'corrective rape', making it the largest Change.org campaign of all time.

It is with great pleasure that I announce, we won!

Earlier today, those same township activists walked into the halls of South Africa's Parliament and convinced some of the most powerful officials in the country to agree to the long term, sustained engagement of various government arms and civil society groups to research, develop and implement a national action plan to tackle 'corrective rape' and the intersecting issues of gender-based violence, anti-LGBTI violence and hate crimes.

In short: we demanded that the South African government take 'corrective rape' seriously, and they have agreed to do so... and then some!

VICTORY!

Here's how it all went down:

At first, those of us organizing the event were worried, as our plans to bus in hundreds of supporters for a rally were doused by a public transportation strike which debilitated the city.

But much to our surprise, more than 100 grassroots activists from across the city and the far off townships managed to find their way, and a sizable, inspiring rally of support for the 'corrective' rape campaign was held outside Parliament ahead of the meeting.


Various representatives of different activist groups and coalitions then went into Parliament for the long promised first meeting with senior officials at the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, who flew to Cape Town for the meeting.

Ndumie Funda, the one-woman founder of Luleki Sizwe who started the campaign, began by delivering the record-breaking 170,000 signatures of support from people in 163 countries around the world. She then presented a written statement calling on the ministry to embark on an inclusive, long term and sustained process of taking action against 'corrective' rape, exactly what they ended up agreeing to.

Continue reading and view photos HERE.

LGBT sport is for everyone: an example from the Wellington Outgames

A great story from the Wellington Outgames that appeared in stuff.co.nz:

She's not gay, but when Kirsten Cameron saw the chance to compete on the world stage at the Asia Pacific Out Games, she leapt at the chance. The results speak for themselves – the 38-year-old marketing consultant has smashed three world masters swimming records this week.

Cameron has been swimming competitively only since she was 30, and first represented New Zealand at a masters swimming champs in 2006. This week she has broken global records for her 35-to-39 age group in the 400-metre, 800m and 1500m events. In yesterday's 1500m event she shaved nine seconds off the former record, with a time of 17 minutes, 24.75 seconds.

Cameron is straight, with a partner of six years, but has several gay friends and said the thought of competing in the "gay games" didn't faze her in the slightest.

Keep reading HERE.

Video from first "Donasports" event last year

We wrote earlier about Panteres Grogues' Donasports plan, a weekend of sport aimed at increasing women's participation. The event is this weekend, but here's a look back at the first edition last year.

Vancouver softball players say "It Gets Better"

Softball players from Vancouver's Mabel League speak out in this video for the "It Gets Better" project.

Visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

Gay athletes in Ypsilanti

For those who don't know, Ypsilanti is a city in Michigan, and the home of Eastern Michigan University.

Founders of SAGA, the LGBT student athlete group at EMU have put together a video for Our Group student athletes explaining how they got started.