From Jeff Kagan: See Gene and John run

From Out in the Locker Room, Jeff Kagan's blog archive of his LGBT sport journalism:

Picture it: New York City, 1953. President Eisenhower is in the White House, the Korean War is just coming to an end. I Love Lucy dominates the airwaves as the most popular show on television, and an 18-year-old Elvis Presley just recorded his first song. American life is as picturesque and pleasing as a Norman Rockwell painting.

While life seemed so “carefree and gay” for most, there were many who couldn’t be as carefree and gay as they wanted to be. Being a gay American in that era meant hiding your sexual orientation from your family and your employer. It was in 1953 that President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450 which mandated “sexual perverts” be fired from federal jobs. At that time, homosexuality was defined a disease, and gays were portrayed in public service films (one was titled Boys Beware) as having a “sickness that was not visible, like smallpox, but no less dangerous and contagious.” It would be another 20 years before the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Regardless of the discrimination and openly accepted condemnation, gays and lesbians persevered, living their lives in the underground and somehow managing to get by.

At age 24, John Kiley left his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, and came to the United States, settling in New York City. He secured a job with the Australian government as a writer with the news and information bureau, a precursor to the current Australian tourism department.

One warm evening in June 1953 John was having drinks with a friend at Lenny’s Hideaway, a basement bar on 10th Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in the West Village when he struck up a conversation with a young, dark-complexioned man named Gene Silbert. A friendship commenced, and soon grew to be more than friendship. Neither could have imagined the future they’d have together.

Keep reading HERE (it's very cool!)

Federation of Gay Games supports the appeal for 2012 Olympics free of gender discrimination

The FGG is pleased to support the appeal of the "Atlanta Plus" committee, joined by a number of other organizations, for Olympic Games free from discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. The Federation of Gay Games has signed the appeal entitled "Justice for Women":

Universality of the Olympic Charter
The Olympic Games will open in London on 27 July 2012

“The Olympic Movement has always been about more than just a sporting competition” (IOC President)*.

The only Law that governs the Games is the Olympic Charter based on universal values which each member of the Olympic Movement swears to observe (Olympic Oath).

The Olympic Charter proclaims:
• A goal: ‘to contribute to building a better world’ (Chapter 1, Rule1.1)
• Universal fundamental ethical principles, such as: ‘Any form of discrimination [including gender discrimination] is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement’ (Principle 5)
• A commitment to equality: ‘implementing the principle of equality of men and women’ (Chapter 1, Rule 2.7)
• Neutrality in sport: ‘No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted on any Olympic sites, venues or other areas’ (Chapter 5, Rule 51.3)

Implement The Olympic Charter!
Where cultural and/or religious traditions govern political institutions and social mores, women are still subject to constraints linked to gender stereotypes and taboos.
In the stadium, under the same law, wearing similar attires, women athletes share with men the joy of exertion and striving for the highest goal.

Read more about this appeal in the brochure HERE.

14 January 2012 / Wrestlers Without Borders heading to Vegas for Sin City Shootout

LOS ANGELES, 9 January 2012 – Wrestlers Without Borders (WWB) will celebrate its 20th anniversary this month at the multi-sport Sin City Shootout in Las Vegas, with a inaugural freestyle tournament, WWB's first-ever grappling clinic, and the induction of four LGBT wrestling pioneers into the Hall of Merit.

The wrestling weekend is being coordinated by Southern California Wrestling Club's Chris Lorefice, a WWB delegate to the Federation of Gay Games. WWB and SCWC are partnering to run the wrestling events. "We expect about 20-25 wrestlers, and so far the organization from the Sin City group has been great," Lorefice said. "We are expecting a great event in Vegas."

The new tournament is named the Runyon Wrestling Classic, in honor of the late Pete Runyon, founder of SCWC. It is expected to draw around two dozen athletes, on par with the debut for most club tournaments.
Former SCWC coach Mike Rio, a gold medalist in Gay Games II, will be inducted into WWB's Hall of Merit posthumously. Joining him in being honored will be: Rochelle Robinson, San Francisco, 1998 Gay Games and U.S. Nationals champion; Michael Ognibene, New York City, three-time Gay Games gold medalist; and Albert "Ace" Rocek, San Francisco, three-time Gay Games gold medalist.

In addition to the Saturday freestyle tournament and awards ceremonies, the weekend will feature a grappling clinic on Sunday. Grappling, along with beach wrestling and Greco-Romans, are forms of wrestling which future Gay Games hosts have the option of adding to their freestyle tournaments.
"Grappling is swiftly growing in popularity with younger wrestlers because of the growth of mixed martial arts," said WWB Chairman Roger Brigham. "We felt the Gay Games program would be more appealing for some wrestlers if they had the option of competing in other forms that are more popular in some areas or are showing strong growth."

Wrestling was approached in 2010 to become part of the Sin City Shootout. After SWCW and WWB explored member interest and organizational options, the decision was made to join in the fun. WWB member Metro Wrestling Club, which normally holds its annual tournament on that weekend, moved its tournament date so wrestlers could have the option of competing in both events.

"We were delighted to have the opportunity to be in the shootout because of the ability to offer a very, very low cost tournament and to be able to control our expenses and tournament management," Brigham said. "This grassroots model looks to be a solid experiment in allowing events to grow in size organically as the market demands without incurring large-scale expenses. Softball will be about 100 times the size of wrestling tin terms of participation, but both will be equal in the ability to combine fun and competition."

For more information or photos, contact Chris Lorefice HERE.
The WWB Don Jung Hall of Merit may be found online at HERE.

New Cleveland aquarium to open in January

From Ohio.com:

CLEVELAND: A little bit of Key West with its mangrove swamps is coming to Northeast Ohio. A touch of the Amazon will be added with piranhas, known for their razor-sharp teeth and appetite for meat. There will also be live corals, thanks to a Summit County man. And a heavy dose of aquatic life from North American coastal waters.

You will also find giant sea horses, alligators, catfish, snakes and octopuses from around the globe among the more than 5,000 mostly watery creatures representing more than 100 species on hand.

Welcome to the new Greater Cleveland Aquarium. The $33 million facility is scheduled to open Jan. 21 in the FirstEnergy Powerhouse on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland’s Flats entertainment area. It is being developed by a New Zealand company Marinescape and Jacobs Entertainment Inc. The aquarium, still under construction, is the New Zealand company’s 23rd aquarium that it has designed and built. It will be its first in North America with all of its other facilities in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

The first fish for the aquarium arrived on Dec. 21 and additional shipments are expected in the coming weeks. The biggest feature in the new aquarium is a 500,000-gallon saltwater tank filled with 15 sharks, plus rays and eels. The tank is 10 feet high and up to 70 feet long.

Keep reading HERE.

Magic Johnson on fighting AIDS and homophobia via rappers

 From an interview in the Huffington Post (Canada) with Magic Johnson:


How do you think you have personally been able to affect how people with HIV and AIDS are treated by others?

First of all, Elizabeth Glaser helped me. She was dying of AIDS at that time and she said to me as she was dying that she wanted me to become the face of the disease and to go out and really effect change in terms of the discrimination. So that's what I decided to do.

I started in the [George H.W. Bush] White House but they were not doing enough. So I quit and decided to do my own thing and I’ve been able make headway block by block, community by community. I've been to 300 high schools and colleges speaking about HIV and AIDS, 300 churches to rally their community about what needs to be done.

Last but not least, I learned a lot from the white gay community because they had gotten their community, rallied them, educated them and did a wonderful job about driving the numbers down. That is the best approach that I've seen; it's been the most effective. So what we try to do in our community is bring those results to us. So I'm working hard to continue to educate minorities about HIV and AIDS and we've got to band together. We're too fragmented right now, but if we can do that, we're going to do well.

As a hip-hop fan, you realize that homophobia is still an issue everywhere, but especially in the black community. When people are scared to talk about it, that's how the disease spreads. So what have you been doing to get that risk reduced?

What we're trying to do is reach out to the hip-hop community because they have power — power with their voice, power with that mic in their hand and power with the lyrics that they sing. I have a lot of friends in that industry and so what we're trying to do is rally them to get behind the cause, deliver the message to these young people that HIV and AIDS is big and it's not going anywhere. They can make a difference right away by speaking out, because they have a big fan base.

So we're finding out that a lot of them want to be involved; they're just looking for a group like ours to latch onto and be a part of it. We haven't really had any push-back from the hip-hop community.

Mayoral inauguration in San Francisco has a definite gay angle

On 8 January in San Francisco's Beaux-Arts City Hall rotunda, Ed Lee, the city's first elected Asian-American mayor was inaugurated.

The ceremony was purposely a low-key affair for the 43rd mayor in San Francisco's history, in keeping with the city's financial woes. After the swearing-in ceremony, Lee and his family spent more than an hour shaking hands and posing for pictures with well-wishers in his office.

Marking a true bit of local history, five former mayors were in attendance (see accompanying photo): Gavin Newsom, Willie Brown, Art Agnos, Frank Jordan, and Dianne Feinstein.
A number of local organizations were invited to perform during the inauguration ceremony, including two of the City's most venerable LGBT musical organizations. The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus filled the rotunda with their voices. Following them, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band played three selections: "What I Like About You," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," and "California Dreaming."

Read more HERE.

10 February 2012 / Team Sydney Mardi Gras Sports Festival

Presented by Team Sydney , this annual event is back and bigger than ever! Showcasing sports tournaments, competitions and social days, there is sure to be something for everyone - athlete or not! Visit the Team Sydney Mardi Gras page HERE for details on all events!

The Sports Festival 2012 contains a diverse range of sporting and fitness focused events for all entry levels.

Amazon's Women Tennis - Sydney Women's Amazon Tennis Club is hosting their 3rd Annual Mega Social Tennis Hit. All ages and abilities welcome!
Australian Sailing and Cruising Club Annual Regatta - a 5-race sailing series held on one day on Sydney Harbour (Rushcutter's Bay).
Bears Sports Day and Picnic - test your prowess against bear and cub competitors!
Bentstix Pink Hockey Championship - a fun and competitive round-robin hockey tournament for men and women.
Different Strokes Dragon Boat Racing - Social Paddle/BBQ - find out about Australia's fastest growing sport with this fun social paddle.
Freezone Introducing Volleyball Day - a safe and friendly introductory volleyball session.
Freezone Volleyball Mardi Gras Tournament - top volleyball competition with a focus on fun and participation.
GLMA Self Defence Workshop - this free event is for untrained GLBTI community and local residents to build their safety confidence and awareness
Same-Sex Salsa Workshop - have fun, make new friends and get fit at this workshop that will teach you some simple but sexy dance floor moves!
G-Squash Mardi Gras Tournament - an outstanding day of competition with a round-robin squash tournament
Harbour City Wrestling - Mardi Gras Wrestling Tournament - held a week before the Parade, this wrestling tournament is open to spectactors and participants
Southern Cross Outdoor Group Burning Palms - a beautiful day walk through Sydney's palm forests and along beaches.
Little Black Dress Run - a hilariously fun 4km fun run! Frock up and prance around the park while raising money for charity
Mardi Gras Fun Run - join Sydney Frontrunners for a 5km walk/run around Centennial Park
Sydney Rams Tenpin Bowling Tournament - a fun night of social and competitive ten pin bowling.
Sydney Rangers Five-a-Side Football Tournament - the only gay football tournament of its kind in Australia!
Sydney Spectres 3-on-3 Basketball Competition - provides all members of the community an opportunity to partake in an organised basketball competition
Sydney Spokes Find Love on 2 Wheels - join Sydney Spokes for three Festival bike rides.
Sydney Swingers Golf Tournament - an annual competition for the golf enthusiasts
Team Sydney Annual Tug of War - who will dig their heels in at the annual Tug of War at Mardi Gras Fair Day?
Tennis Sydney's Mardi Gras Championships - a grand slam event, this is the biggest gay and lesbian tennis tournament in the Southern Hemisphere!
Unbiased Bowling Do It on the Grass - a series of 3, 6 end games of lawn bowls for players of all levels.

"The rise of the gay sports bar"

An interesting article in The Classical, including a consideration of the notion among some gay men that interest in sport is a "betrayal" of gay identity (h/t Outsports):

I grab a seat near the entrance at Nellie's, Washington DC's top gay sports bar. The walls are covered in vintage felt pennants and flickering high definition televisions. Above the door, situated below the Penn State and MSU banners and between a Washington Capitals pennant and an American flag, is a signed color glossy of Madonna. “Good luck, Nellie's,” the handwritten inscription reads.

The giant projector screen is tuned to the Veterans Day matchup between Michigan State and North Carolina. In terms of all-American pageantry, the event is unbeatable: an outdoor basketball game held on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, the Nimitz-class carrier that had the honor of dumping Osama Bin Laden's lifeless, bullet-ridden body to the sharks just six months earlier. President Obama is in attendance, wearing a slick leather bomber jacket, and the audience is loaded with Navy and Marines. At the bar, a server mock-humps an amused regular before carrying off a tray of empty beer bottles.

Mostly, Nellie's feels like your usual sports bar—only bigger and more tastefully decorated (there's no sponsored beer company paraphernalia, a point of pride for the owner). The crowd is a motley crew. At the table in front of me, a group of bald, bearded, and extremely ripped men in tight T-shirts are ordering their first round. To my left, a lanky male hipster has his arm around his girlfriend while they peruse the menu. Behind me, a pair of hefty, middle-aged guys with no necks wearing beaten-up jeans and stained shirts plow through a bucket of fries. As the President and his wife take center court to deliver a tribute to the nation's fighting men and women, the waiter behind me gasps. “She's so gorgeous!” he says.

Nellie's is the most prominent member of the burgeoning gay sports bar scene, but it wasn't the first.

The last decade has seen an explosion of gay sports bars in America's large cities: Crew in Chicago, Gym Bar and Boxers in New York, Woofs in Atlanta, Sidelines in Ft. Lauderdale, and more.

These bars are a coming out party for a long-standing subculture of out fans—and athletes—that have been trapped between competing stereotypes for decades. And on the business front, their success is undeniable.

Keep reading HERE.

Just one reaction to racist Liverpool FC...

From BBC Sport, a reaction to the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra affair:

Kick It Out's Lord Ouseley has labelled Liverpool "hypocritical" over their handling of Luis Suarez's eight-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra.

Liverpool players wore T-shirts in support of Uruguayan Suarez - a move Ouseley has called "dreadful".

Lord Ouseley also said Reds striker Suarez's apology was "lamentable".

The anti-racism campaign 's chairman said: "Liverpool need to take a hard look at themselves. Suarez's attempt at a belated apology is lamentable."

Keep reading HERE.

Washington Blade looks at a successful year for DC sports groups

From the Washington Blade:

It was another incredible year for the Washington LGBT sports community. We continue to grow and are one of the largest and most organized LGBT sports communities in the world.

There were many things to celebrate in 2011 such as the District of Columbia Aquatics Club traveling to Honolulu where members won the large team title at the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatic Championships. It was the 10th time they have claimed the trophy. Next they’ll head to Reykjavik, Iceland to defend their title in June. Swimdcac.org.

Keep reading HERE about D.C. Strokes Rowing Club, Stonewall Kickball, D.C. Gay Flag Football League, D.C. Sentinels, Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League, D.C. Front Runners, Washington Renegades, Federal Triangle Soccer Club, Lambda DanceSport, and more.

En français / Reportage de TF1 sur l'homophobie dans le sport

Sport et homophobie : où en est-on ?

Assez exceptionnel, ce reportage de TF1 (mais c'est Claire Chazal la présentatrice, alors...). On y voit notamment Yoann Lemaire, Philippe Liotard, et Fabien Bou. On voit également une séance de sensibilisation destinées aux éducateurs sportifs. Très bien !

Gay Games supporter James Hormel publishes memoirs: "Fit to Serve"

Hormel speaking at the opening ceremony of Gay Games VII

James Hormel, diplomat and philanthropist, a friend of Dr Tom Waddell and the Gay Games, has just published his memoirs. Here's the Amazon description:

This is the memoir of James C. Hormel — a man who grew up feeling different not only because his family owned the Hormel “empire” and lived in a twenty-six-bedroom house in a small Midwest town, but because he was gay at a time when homosexuality was not discussed or accepted. Outwardly he tried to live up to the life his father wanted for him—he was a successful professional, had married a lovely woman, and had children—but as vola-tile changes in the late 1960s impeded on the American psyche, Hormel realized that he could not hide his true self forever.

Hormel moved to New York City, became an antiwar activist, battled homophobia, lost dear friends to AIDS, and set out to become America’s first openly gay ambassador, a position he finally won during the Clinton administration. Today, Hormel continues to fight for LGBT equality and gay marriage rights. This is a passionate and inspiring true story of the determination for human equality and for attaining your own version of the American Dream—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without exception.
20 full-color photographs.

---

We encourage you to read a great interview by Tracy Baim in the Windy City Times HERE.

Celebrity chef Michael Symon planning for a new restaurant in Cleveland

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, news about plans for a new restaurant from celebrity chef Michael Symon, who is credited as helping to "save" the restaurant scene in Downtown Cleveland. He is the chef and owner of number of restaurants in the Greater Cleveland area, including his flagship Lola, Lolita, Bar Symon, and The B Spot.

"I was fooling around on Facebook and it kind of went crazy," said celebrity chef Michael Symon of his announcement of a new Cleveland-themed restaurant.

Symon asked his followers on the social-media site to share their thoughts on a new concept he'd been pondering, dubbed the S&P Kitchen, Bar and Smokehouse. It quickly gathered more than 400 comments.

The possible menu includes perch sliders, venison pot roast and a duck polish boy.

"There's no timetable for an opening," said Symon from his home. He has this week off from shooting ABC's "The Chew" in New York. "There's no location yet. It's just that Cleveland has always given us such big hugs. We want to give Cleveland a big hug back. We want this restaurant to embody all that Cleveland stands for in terms of food, beverage and music."

Keep reading HERE.

EGLSF photo competition: win entries to EuroGames 2012!

The European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF) invites you to submit your photos from LGBTIQ sporting events. Sport plays an important role in our lives, and for this reason, we would like to celebrate and share your experiences with others. To take part, just send your high resolution sport-related photos to the email address media@eglsf.info before the 31st of January 2012. Let these snapshots show us all your amazing sporting experiences! Our judges will select the top ten photos and these lucky winners will receive complimentary tickets for the 2012 EuroGames, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary June 27 - July 1, 2012. The winners will be announced, at the latest, 3 weeks after the closing date. What are the terms and conditions of the competition?

- The photos have to be sports-related and have been taken in Europe within the last 10 years. - Bare minimum resolution of submitted photos is 1,632 x 1,224 pixels (2.0 Mpixel rating); a higher resolution is desirable. - The format of the photos can be JPG, TIFF, RAW or BMP. - One photo attached to an email constitutes an individual entry. - There is no limitation on the number of submitted entries. - The author’s name and the EGLSF’s member club s/he plays for must be provided along with each entry. - Authors (including winners) can choose to have their name published or remain anonymous. - The authors must agree to give all rights to EGLSF for their submitted photos, including full copyrights (for the uses of EGLSF). - The authors must ensure they have their subjects’ permission to submit the photos in which those people are recognizable. We look forward to receiving your images!

Gay Games 9 seeks volunteers for marketing, advertising and PR

The Marketing Committee for Gay Games 9 is looking for highly-motivated Marketing, Advertising & Public Relations to volunteer. Put your skills to work for a great cause and help Cleveland + Akron host, organize, promote and present Gay Gays 9, which will be held from August 9-16, 2014. Positions include Graphic & Web Designers, Copywriters, Video Producers & Editors, and Public Affairs, Social Media, and Marketing Managers.

Depending on the role, you don't need to be based in Northeast Ohio to contribute!

Please send your resume to Jennifer Downey at jdowney@ambiance.com or Michael Varvaro at michaeljvaro@aol.com to inquire.

25 May 2012 / Vorspiel Badminton Tournament in Berlin

Welcome to Berlin 2012!

Welcome to the VI. International Gay & Lesbian Badminton Tournament by Vorspiel Badminton, May 25–29, 2012 in Berlin! Below is the preliminary programme, more details will follow. Please note that competitions will be held on 3 days. If you register for the maximum of 2 events, you will have one free day to discover Berlin. The farewell brunch is on Tuesday.

Programme

• Friday, May 25: Registration
• Saturday, May 26: Competitions
• Sunday, May 27: Competitions & Women's Night
• Monday, May 28: Competitions & Player's Party
• Tuesday, May 29: Farewell Brunch

Subject to change. The detailed competitions schedule will be published in the tournament brochure, available at registration.
Details

Events: Singles / Doubles / Mixed
Each participant may register for one or a combination of two competitions.

Competiton Levels: A / B+ / B- / C+ / C-
Some levels might be pooled, depending on the number of registrations for each event.

Registration Fees: Price includes party & brunch tickets, packed lunch on competition days, shuttlecocks, tournament T-shirt and more!

• Payment until February 29, 2012: Players: 60 € · Company: 45 €
• Payment after February 29, 2012: Players: 65 € · Company: 50 €

All info HERE.

Outlook Columbus looks at Cleveland

Michael Daniels of Outlook Columbus writes of his junket to Cleveland:

Recently, when my husband Robbie and I had the chance to visit Cleveland on a press trip, we had expected to see a few things we hadn’t before, take in the museums that we’d previously missed and kick back a bit for the weekend. We’d been to Cleveland – or so we thought – many times before, visiting friends, performing or supporting local GLBT events – but we weren’t prepared for the depth and breadth of cultural and entertainment options.

We had visited, but had yet to discover, Cleveland.

All that changed when Positively Cleveland (the CLE equivalent of CMH’s Experience Columbus) and the absolutely amazing Lexi Hotchkiss (our tour guide and all around bestie for the weekend) set up an itinerary that we won’t soon forget.

We drove in – it’s only a couple hours, plus or minus, after all – and our first stop was the A Christmas Story house (www.achristmasstoryhouse.com). Yes, you remember, Ralphie and his cohorts, bunny suits, BB guns, leg lamps. The house is recently restored, and it doesn’t have to be Christmastime to enjoy it. It’s also interactive – so hide under the sink, put on the array of hats, go fall down and flail in the neighbor’s yard; it’s not only accepted, it’s encouraged. The gift shop and museum have everything imaginable, and it’ll take you back to the first time you saw the film. Or the last 24-hour marathon you saw of it on Christmas day.

We then navigated our way to University Circle (www.universitycircle.org), the most densely-packed cultural neighborhood in America. [...] And so we eventually arrived at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens (www.cbgarden.org). It was cold. It was misting rain. We’d been lost for an hour. Suddenly none of that mattered. The gardens are spectacular, both interior and exterior. We spent as much time as we could outside, admiring the rose garden and the herb gardens and planning what our future planting plots would look like. Eventually, we gave in to the cold rain and went inside, only to experience an amazing array of exhibits in the CBG’s glasshouse, and a striking bonsai show in the atrium.

A walk literally across the street and we were at the Cleveland Museum of Art (www.clevelandart.org). We never expected what we found – it was like someone had created a satellite of New York’s Met and dropped it in Cleveland. Room after room of sculpture, artifacts and paintings. We expected to spend an hour – we spent three and only left because we were exhausted. Not to be missed: the Dali and Warhol collections, and the 5-piece series of Apollo and the Muses. Spellbinding. If you go to Cleveland for no other reason than to visit this museum, you’ve made a good choice. It’s also one of the world’s few remaining major art museums still offering FREE admission.

Having now discovered that Euclid Avenue will take you from anywhere to anywhere in Cleveland, we traversed it back across town, admiring the recycling bins and green-technology buses, to our hotel – on the lake and in walking distance to the next day’s activities. A quick nap, shower, and we were in the car with Lexi and off to the most stunning Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland (www.ritzcarlton.com). There an amazing staff entertained us, including Hollie Ksiezyk (we can’t pronounce it either – call her Hollie) the catering manager, lesbian activist, and member of the Gay Games 2014 committee (www.2014gaygamescleveland.com), along with many of her colleagues from both the Ritz and the Gay Games. We’re proud to be on board as sponsors and advocates for the Games and look forward to working with the committee to make them the most well attended Games in history. We also were treated to meeting Ritzy Rainbow Duck (friend him on Facebook), and have been carting him around awaiting the perfect photo op!


Keep reading HERE.

Congratulations to Helen Carroll and Pat Griffin, Outsports' persons of the year

From Outsports, some great news about two friends of the FGG:

You’d be hard-pressed to name two people who have collectively had a stronger impact on the gay-sports movement than Pat Griffin and Helen Carroll. These two pioneers have been working toward equality for the better part of 30 years. They’ve visited high schools. They’ve talked to colleges. They’ve waged legal campaigns. They’ve educated educators. And with more incredible work in 2011, our readers have named these two women our “Persons of the Year.”

In 2011 alone, Griffin launched GLSEN’s Changing the Game project, which is bringing tools to end homophobia in sports directly into K-12 sports programs; Carroll, who heads up NCLR’s sports project , has taken a lead roll on the project’s advisory board. Together the women published what has become the NCAA’s de facto policy on trans-athlete participation. Their behind-the-scenes work is unparalleled in this world; Much of what happened in 2011 can be traced in some way to the work these two women did in previous years. And their guidance to us here at Outsports has been invaluable.

The dynamic duo won by the proverbial landslide, garnering 53% of the vote, a testament to their work in what has been dubbed the “gayest year in sports.” High School bloggers and ‘It Gets Better’ teams tied for second with 11% each. Rick Welts and the Golden State Warriors, who together executed what might have been the single-most important moment of the year, earned 10%. Sean Avery received 9% of the vote, and Anton Hysen got 7%.

Read in full HERE.

17 January 2012 / Agora du sport in Paris

For the third year in a row, the FGG will be represented at the Agora du sport, a forum on sport and society that will be organized for the second time this year at the Tenniseum, the tennis museum at Rolland Garros, the site of the French Open.

• Topics of particular interest this year include:
• Does sport have values?
• Is sport a mirror of society?
• The role of sport in forming young people

FGG VP for External Affairs Marc Naimark and Copresident Emy Ritt will be representing the Federation, where they will meet and exchange with academics, businesspeople, athletes, journalists and officials present at the event.

Some recently published photos from last year's Agora:

Forbes declares Cleveland's University Circle as one of the US's prettiest neighborhood

From Forbes:

With a symphony orchestra, an art museum, a natural history museum and planetarium, and a botanical garden, Cleveland’s University Circle offers a wide and exciting array of ways to pass the time, enjoy some high-end food, or consume world-class culture, all within a walkable area of town that features three notable colleges. “People from the neighborhood kick off summer with Parade the Circle, a cool mishmash of people wearing artfully made costumes and paper-mache masks,” says Williams. “It is beautiful any time of year, but I was there last October, and the fall color was astounding.”

Eurogames Team-Up Conference at Frankfurt Xmas Tournament

From the latest newsletter of the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation:

Team-up Conference



A group of aproximately 20 members gathered in Frankfurt during the Xmas Tournament to discuss strategies of support to the organisers of EuroGames 2012 in Budapest. Here’s a short summary of the results of the meeting:

- FRIGO presented an update of the organisation of EG2012 and the team involved. As there will be no public funding for any of the planned activities, the largest part of the costs has to be financed by revenues from registration fee. The major challenges in this context are: get as many registrations as soon as possible and make sure that the payments of the registered persons are done as soon as possible. At the moment around 500 persons have registered but only 10% have payed yet. This causes serious cash-flow problems. - FRIGO plans a decentralised paneuropean fundraising event during the weekend of 24-25th February 2012. The idea is to organise several fundraising parties in different places in Europe and link them via livestream. Details will follow soon via the EGLSF members list. - FRIGO invites all EGLSF-members to use the banners and graphics that are available on their website for the sake of making publicity for EG2012. - Pan Idraet has sponsored travel expenses for its members of up to 2.800€ for all volunteers that support EG2012. Out of this project a professional security manager, who was in charge for this domain during WorldOutgames in Copenhagen, has visited Budapest and elaborated a detailled analyses of the security situation. The result is that the security situation in Budapest 2012 is expected to be no different from any other city in Western Europe. A short summary of this report shall be published via the EGLSF members list. - Artemis Sport Frankfurt announced that its board decided to dedicate the sum of 1.000€ to foster early registrations among their members. Artemis-members that register early will get a reimbursement on their registration fee. - IGLA will organise and finance a demonstrational water-polo match with an All-Star-Team during EG2012.

- IGLFA has organised a football tournament in Budapest in order to evaluate the capacity of the local team to organise large tournaments. The result was very positive. The tournament was apreciated by its participants. Especially the italian teams have expressed their full support in doing publicity among the LGBT sports scene in Italy i.e. by launching a press-campaign in the italian LGBT press. - GLEA announced a 1.000€ donation to the EG2012 swimming competition. - Pan Idraet and EGLSF will check possibilities to make a credit card payment system available to FRIGO in order to facilitate payments of registered members. This is not an exhaustive list of all support activities that have been engaged, but only those that have been announced and/or discussed during our meeting. The main challenge for the EGLSF family will be now to encourage our members to register and when they did so to encourage them to pay their registration fee. This is also good news, as it means in revanche that if we manage to foster participation, the organisers consider that they will be able to mange the technical organisation of EG2012. Registration There are 18 sports to choose from: Badminton, Basketball, Bridge, Chess, Cycling, Dance, Football, Handball, Hiking, Petanque, Roller derby, Swimming, Synchronized swimming, Table tennis, Tennis, Track and field, Volleyball and Wrestling. Apart from sports, there are also cultural events, parties and conference planned Participants may also register as visitors, solidarity supporters or volunteers. Budapest awaits you during June 27 and July 1, 2012 for the 14th EuroGames!

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WEB: www.eurogamesbudapest.hu
FB: www.facebook.com/eurogames2012
TW: www.twitter.com/2012eurogames

From Jeff Kagan: Not everybody's saying "It Gets Better"

From Out in the Locker Room, Jeff Kagan's blog archive of his LGBT sport journalism, a look at the It Gets Better program, those that have contributed, and those who are conspicuous by their absence:

One year ago, sex columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video with his partner Terry Miller in response to the suicide of Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old high school student who faced seemingly unending ridicule and torment by fellow students for being gay. Savage felt there needed to be a way to communicate directly to troubled LGBT teens who were dealing with bullying, in most cases related to their actual or perceived sexual orientation. He and his partner Terry Miller created a 9-minute video and placed it on YouTube. In the video the two openly spoke about homophobic issues they faced in their youth, but more importantly, how much better their lives became after high school.

Within the first two months of Savage’s video being posted, nearly 10,000 people recorded their own videos giving thousands of LGBT teens a reason to carry on with their lives and look forward to the future rather than dwell on the not-so-good-present. “It gets better.”

Celebrities, politicians, activists and people of all walks of life soon added their own stories via personal videos, sharing experiences and giving testimony to how their lives had improved since high school. The stories came from within the gay community, but also from many straight allies who offered words of support and encouragement. Even President Obama recorded a video telling LGBT teens,“It will get better.” He continued, “More than that, in time you’ll see that your differences are a source of pride and a source of strength. You’ll look back on the struggles you’ve faced with compassion and wisdom.”

Visibility by the gay community in entertainment, fashion, politics and many other fields has become quite the standard in the past few years, however, the one area which has yet to breach the “pink barrier” is the wide world of professional sports. Sports are generally considered to be the final frontier on dealing with homophobia and acceptance of the gay community. Of the four major sports leagues in the United States (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL), there has yet to be a single athlete to come out of the closet while still actively playing the game. The few who have come out did so after retiring, many citing fear that their sexual orientation would create problems with their career and their lives as professional athletes.

Keep reading HERE.

More on the efforts of (male) sports leaders to tell (female) athletes that (female) athletes aren't real women

The Los Angeles Times looks at the efforts in boxing (and badminton) to impose a sexist image of what women athletes should look like. We recall the real Olympic tradition of athletes competing nude...

The first competitors won't step into the ring in London for seven months but already a controversy has broken out over women's participation in the Olympic boxing tournament.

Only this time it has nothing to do with a woman's right to fight.

The battle now has shifted to what the women should wear, with some members of the International Amateur Boxing Assn. — the governing body for the sport — urging the boxers to don skirts instead of the baggy shorts they've been wearing.

"This is absurd," complained Patricia Manuel, a former national champion from Long Beach and an Olympic hopeful at 132 pounds. "To put fighters in skirts to label them as women is incredibly outdated. It seems to me sexist."

The Badminton World Federation took a similar stance this month after a marketing firm advised officials that the sport needed to look more feminine to attract fans and sponsors. At its meeting in New Zealand the BWF called for women to ditch the shorts and sweat pants they have traditionally worn and "dress nicely" to "promote the image of badminton," according to Paisan Rangsikitpho, deputy president of the executive board.

"Women should wear women's clothing," Rangsikitpho said in summing up the board's ruling. "BWF wishes all players to be more fashionable and good role models."

Keep reading HERE.

"2011 was an ideal year for a pioneering gay athlete to emerge. So where were they?"

Commentary from Howard Bryant in ESPN The Magazine (h/t Steve Buckley):

AS 2011 GIVES WAY TO 2012, "don't ask, don't tell" has disappeared from the military, gay adoption is commonplace, Houston and Portland have gay mayors, and same-sex marriage is legal in half a dozen states and counting. Meanwhile, numerous athletes and coaches have told me they couldn't care less if a teammate were to come out, suggesting now is the time for openly gay players in mainstream team sports.

So why are we still waiting? It's been more than a decade since former No. 1 tennis player Amelie Mauresmo said she was gay, six years since WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes did the same. More recently, Portland State basketball coach Sherri Murrell, NBA team executive Rick Welts, Oregon State softball coach Kirk Walker and Boston Herald sports columnist Steve Buckley all disclosed their homosexuality while still active, to generally positive reaction. Yet no openness movement has followed. No active male athlete in any of the major leagues has followed the path of Mauresmo and Swoopes. It's a reminder that quite some time has passed since sports stood progressively ahead of the rest of the country, when Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey and Happy Chandler integrated baseball in 1947 -- before the military, hundreds of school districts and thousands of churches.

But as it did 65 years ago, sports can lead again by welcoming -- encouraging, in fact -- the arrival of male gay athletes into the mainstream, by fortifying individual courage with comprehensive support. The NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB have added sexual orientation protections to their CBAs. Unfortunately, David Stern, Gary Bettman, Roger Goodell and Bud Selig have yet to back that up by forcefully advocating for openly gay players in their sports, and that's a huge reason it hasn't happened.

Keep reading HERE.

Andrew Langenfeld on list of "Top 10 Israeli Guys of 2011"

Andrew came to notice to Israeli blog Size Doesn't Matter thanks to his video blogs from the World LGBTQ Youth Leaders Summit, where he represented the FGG. He's now been named one of SDM's 10 "Top Israeli Guys of 2011".

14 January 2012 / Team DC Night Out at the Wizards basketball game

Night OUT at the Wizards vs. the Philadelphia 76ers
January 14, 2012, 7PM Verizon Center

Tickets are only $20 and available at Nellie's Sports Bar or HERE.

Happy new year from the TIP Paris International Tournament

News from the EGLSF on their work with European institutions

From the latest newsletter of the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation:

For years now EGLSF has had participatory status in the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg (France), now covers virtually the entire European continent, with 47 member countries. Founded on 5 May 1949 by 10 countries, the Council of Europe seeks to develop throughout Europe common democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.

In 2007 some of these countries agreed to work more closely in the field of sports. This resulted in the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sports (EPAS) now consisting of 34 countries. The EPAS has a Consultative Committee that advises the Governing body. Again due to good work of Ben Baks (now honorary member of EGLSF) EGLSF has from the start of EPAS been a member of this consultative committee. Other members include UEFA, the European Olympic Committee and ISCA.

In March of this year EGLSF copresidents Lou Englefield and Lou Manders took part in the yearly meeting of the consultative committee in Paris. With the active help of the executive board of EPAS and the support of members in the Consultative Committee, EGLSF managed to get “tackling homophobia in sports” as main theme of EPAS in 2012.

This means EGLSF will organise three activities in 2012 with support of EPAS:

• The conference, with the presentation of the handbook of good practises, before the AGA in Split is the first activity where EGLSF is main contractor. 
• ENGSO (also member of the Consultative Committee) will organise training for youth how to deal with homophobia in sports. This event will take place during EuroGames 2012 in Budapest. EGLSF will co-operate with ENGSO. 
• In October 2012 EGLSF will organise with partners the yearly EPAS International Conference in The Netherlands.

We are very proud we have established a good partnership with EPAS resulting in multiple events in 2012 all over Europe.

Together with other initiatives as the EGLSF program funded by the EU and the FARE activities in 2012, EGLSF will take the lead in developing a safe environment for LGBTQ athletes all over Europe.

Convention Center, cultural facilities, on the way in Cleveland

Gary Singh in MeetingsFocus.com looks at facilities on the way in Cleveland:

Hard Hat FAM
Clneveland; Sept. 14-16, 2011
by Gary Singh

Cleveland is unusually awash in many large-scale projects, with the brand-new $465 million Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center emerging from the ground up, the 70,000-square-foot Greater Cleveland Aquarium soon to open in the old Powerhouse building, and its East Flats going through a gargantuan, $275 million redevelopment.

What’s more, the historic Higbee Building is currently being transformed into the $350 million Horseshoe Casino, the first casino in Ohio.

Meeting planners and journalists recently attended a tour of the new projects, plus some current hotels, to see the transformation firsthand. MEETINGS FOCUS EAST also stopped in at the Cleveland Museum of Art near University Circle, as well as the future location of the $26.3 million Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Mayfield Road. The former is currently undergoing a massive reconstruction project while the latter is scheduled to open in fall 2012.

If planners desire to taxi an airplane directly from the Cleveland Hopkins Airport into the International Exposition Center (I-X Center), rest assured, it can be done. Although FAM attendees didn’t get to do that, the 2 million-square-foot facility was mighty impressive nonetheless.

Originally a facility manufacturing bombers during World War II, the building later served as a plant for manufacturing tanks. Today, it remains one of the largest trade show facilities in the US. It also houses the country’s largest indoor Ferris wheel. As it continues its 25th anniversary season, the I-X Center plans to invest another $25 million to $35 million over the next few years.

At the future site of the new Convention Center and Medical Mart, construction crews were obviously experienced at giving detailed tours. They supplied all FAM attendees with hard hats, fluorescent yellow construction vests and goggles for the grand tour. Safely outfitted, the group of 30 traversed the landscape of steel beams, palettes, forklifts, dust, mud, hoses, pumps, girders and machinery. A sonic menagerie of construction sounds exploded from every corner of the scene.

The Medical Mart will be one of the world’s only facilities targeted specifically to the medical and healthcare industries, and will feature an exhibition hall, conference facilities and state-of-the-art technology. The entire complex, which is shooting for LEED silver-certification, will open in fall 2013.

Locals seemed ecstatic that a new convention center had finally broken ground, as the old convention center was outdated and dying a natural death. In fact, it didn’t even have wired Internet access or cell phone reception.

In the West Bank of the Flats, the FirstEnergy Powerhouse building will soon be home to the new 70,000-square-foot Greater Cleveland Aquarium. The first phase includes 42 tanks integrated into the historic building to create an underwater environment.

As FAM attendees toured the construction, again with hard hats, workers pointed out old signage remaining from when the building was used as a nightclub. Sitting along the Cuyahoga River, the Powerhouse building is just one component of the Nautica Entertainment Complex, which includes a banquet facility and an outdoor concert amphitheater on the river. Marinescapes, a New Zealand-based designer of walk-through aquariums, is teaming with Jacobs Entertainment to build out the facility. The first phase is scheduled for completion this year.

As if that wasn’t enough, a monumental development project is geared for the East Bank Flats. A complicated real estate endeavor with over 20 investors, the plan is to erect a brand-new Starwood Aloft boutique hotel by 2013, which would anchor a $275 million project connecting the East Bank of the Flats with the Warehouse District. The ambitious plan includes retail, entertainment, a 1,200-foot boardwalk, a three-acre riverfront beach and 10 acres of public parks.

And what would all of this be without a place to literally roll the dice? The Cleveland Horseshoe Casino wasn’t viewable yet, but tourism bureau officials had nothing but praise for the idea. Ohio voters green-lighted the project two years ago and the casino should open next year in the historic Higbee Building, famously portrayed in A Christmas Story. The next phase of the project will eventually see the casino extending all the way to the bank of the Cuyahoga River.

The Ritz-Carlton provided dessert and the rest was history. The hotel includes more than 19,000 square feet of meeting and function space and 12 well-appointed meeting rooms, including three permanent boardrooms. Certain areas are also graced with artifacts from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
Only in Cleveland would one see a Gibson Flying V guitar hanging on the wall in a Ritz-Carlton executive concierge area.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!

Some things we're looking forward to in 2012: Success for events like the Sin City Shootout in Las Vegas, the Ladies Eurovolley Tournament in Paris, and Eurogames 2012 in Budapest... A great Pride House and many out athletes at the London Olympics... The launch of registration for Gay Games 9... The start of the bidding process for 2018... Landmark anniversaries of many FGG member organizations.... The celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Gay Games at the 2011 FGG AGA in Cleveland... Growth for our member organizations and the LGBT movement