See Matthew Mitcham at Sydney Mardi Gras fair day

Stop by the Telstra stand at the Sydney Mardi Gras fair and say hi to (and take a picture with... he loves it) our friend Matthew Mitcham!

En català: Dia Internacional de Lluita contra l'homofòbia en el futbol

Dumenge 20 de febrer, 12h00
Ciutat Esportiva Municipal
VALL d'HEBRON-TEIXONERA
Coll i Alentorn, 16, Barcelona

El nostra Club Esportiu Panteres Grogues, futbol masculí i futbol femení, organitzem el proper dia diumenge 20 de febrer a les 12h a la Ciutat Esportiva Municipal VALL d'HEBRON-TEIXONERA a Barcelona, el partit contra la homofòbia en el futbol.

El partit s'emmarca en el dia internacional contra la homofòbia en el futbol, que es aquell mateix cap de setmana (19 de febrer), i en la memòria del jugador angles de futbol Justin Fashanu, i dins dels actes que cada any celebrem en diverses dates senyalades en el projecte marc de visibilització i lluita contra tot tipus de discriminació per raó de l'orientació sexual o identitat de gènere.

Aquesta iniciativa s'adhereix a la campanya internacional The Justin Campaign: www.thejustincampaign.com i compta amb el recolzament de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona i la Generalitat de Catalunya.

Per tot, ens agradaria comptar amb totes i tots vosaltres en aquesta data tan assenyalada.

Team Colorado hosts second SportsFest

2nd Annual Colorado LGBT SportsFest
Presented by FGG-member Team Colorado of the Rockies and The Center

Celebrating friendship, solidarity and fair play in the LGBT Community
June 11 & 12, 2011
Congress Park, Denver, CO

In addition to celebrating the vibrant LGBT sporting community of Colorado, our 2nd annual event will help usher in PrideFest 2011: June 18 & 19, 2011.

Last year's inaugural SportsFest featured men and women's grass volleyball, flag football, swimming, rugby, kickball, biking, running and classic car exhibition! We're looking to make the 2nd annual event even more incredible!

More info coming soon!

13 Aug 2011: PrideMeet by SF Track and Field is back!

 

Registration for the Pride Track and Field Meet hosted by SF Track and Field opens soon: keep an eye out HERE.

Pride Sports sponsors Manchester forum on homophobia in football

From kickitout.org, info on an event co-sponsored by FGG-member Pride Sports Manchester:

Footballers, governing bodies and campaigners will descend on Manchester next week for a free conference debating homophobia in football at Sale’s Waterside Arts Centre.

On Thursday February 24, former Manchester City and Oldham Athletic star Earl Barrett and BBC pundit Mark Bright will spearhead a panel of guests to discuss the scope, scale and history of homophobic abuse in the game.

The event comes as part of the game’s commitment to LGBT History Month, running throughout February, where a range of activity celebrating gay and lesbian involvement in sport, is taking place.

Ex-England international Barrett, now working for Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion campaign, said: “During my playing days, challenging discrimination was mainly focused around racism. When I think back to what players such as Danny Wallace and John Barnes had to experience, things have certainly moved on.

“Nowadays, narrow-mindedness still exists on the terraces, in the boardroom and in the studio, as we’ve seen recently, and homophobia is a problem the game is slowly getting to grips with.

“There are no openly gay players, homophobic chanting exists, and so we need to dig deeper to examine why professional football remains unwelcoming to this community.”

Barrett and Bright will be joined by former Charlton Athletic winger and Professional Footballers Association (PFA) representative Michael Bennett, Jason McCauley from Village Manchester and Lou Englefield of Pride Sports.

Kicking off at 7pm, entrance is free and all are welcom

New out student-athlete blog

From Outsports:

What do you do when you’re a gay high school track athlete and members of an opposing relay team say that “fags can’t race track”? Or when your coach says to a teammate, “You wouldn’t want to get beaten by some random homo”? These happened to Craig Cassey Jr. and he decided to write about it.

Craig is a senior at Penncrest High School in suburban Philadelphia and the latest openly gay high school athlete to start a blog. “Craig’s Gay Word” is a how-to guide on dealing with being an openly gay athlete, written with wit, style and great insight. His recent three-part post on “homophobic slurs and slang” is brilliantly done and well worth your time.

Keep reading HERE, and find the blog HERE.

CDG Brasil has big plans for LGBT sport in Brazil!

CDG Brasil, the Brazilian LGBT Sports Committee, will hold the “SÃO PAULO CUP” gay volleyball tournament in April in Sao Paulo. Some 90 athletes will compete in the tournament, which benefits from official support from the city of Sao Paulo.


This is the first event of the year for CDG Brasil, which will also organize a meeting for gay volleyball in the city of Campo Grande in Mato Grosso do Sul, about 1000 km from the city of Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo held the second edition of the international Latin America gay volleyball tournament in November 2009, which included the participation of 16 teams coming from Canada, Cuba, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Brazil. In 2010, CDG hosted the first edition of national LGBT volleyball league (UNILIGA), with eight teams competing.

This year, CDG Brasil intends to hold dozens of events throughout Brazil, in particular volleyball tournaments that attract large numbers of spectators. CDG also aims to increase participation of Brazilians in the next Gay Games, and to host international events aimed at the LGBT community and Latin world.

Em portugues: Representante do CDG Brasil faz campanha sobre futebol gay

From CDG Brasil:

Nosso atleta representante da seleção de futebol Denílson Freitas gravou um video onde foi convidado pela Campari para contar a sua história no desporto.

Na ocasião, o atleta relata um breve depoimento sobre sua carreira no esporte. É muito interessante. E o melhor: a abertura desta empresa para com a diversidade, desejando em sua campanha inserir um membro da comunidade LGBT Brasileira. Um marco na história do segmento.

Parabéns Denilson que seu relato sirva de inspiração para outros atletas saírem do armário e mostrar que futebol é coisa de homem de de mulheres, independente de sua orientação sexual ou outra condição.

FSGL member club wins first victory in discrimination case

We have reported before on Les Gais Musette, the DanceSport club of FGG-member Fédération sportive gaie et lesbienne (HERE and HERE). We are pleased to inform our readers that Les Gais Musette have won a first victory, with the report from the HALDE, the French national authority against discriminations, that found that there was illegal discrimination, and which has presented the case to the state prosecutor for action.

Victoire des Gais Musette à l'autorité contre les discriminations

Du site de l'avocate Caroline Macary:

PREMIÈRE VICTOIRE DANS LE DOSSIER QUI OPPOSE LES GAIS MUSETTE À L'ASSOCIATION COEUR ET JARDINS

Saisie par l'association LGBT « Les Gais Musette » d'une réclamation concernant le refus de prestation de services opposé par l'association Coeur et jardins, en raison de l'orientation sexuelle des membres de l'association, la HALDE a décidé, dans une délibération n° 201122 du 31 janvier 2011, de transmettre le dossier au Procureur de la république aux fins de poursuites pénales pour discrimination à caractère homophobe.

L'association « Les Gais Musette », qui a pour objet d'organiser des activités de loisirs afin de lutter contre les discriminations, notamment fondées sur l'orientation sexuelle, a pris contact avec l'association Coeur et Jardins qui anime un lieu susceptible d'accueillir un stage de danse. L'association LGBT s'est vue refuser la location au motif que « l'homosexualité ne correspond pas aux énergies et à l'éthique que nous développons ». Stupéfait par cette réponse, les responsables de l'association LGBT ont décidé de saisir la HALDE, dans la mesure où ce refus de prestation de services, fondé sur l'orientation sexuelle, est prohibé par les article 225-1 et 225-2 du code pénal.

Dans sa délibération, la HALDE a donné raison à l'association « Les gais Musette » et a considéré que le refus opposé par les animateurs de l'association « Coeur et jardins » constitue un refus de prestation de service fondé sur l'orientation sexuelle prohibé par le code pénal.

LA HALDE a décidé de transmettre le dossier au procureur de la république pour que des poursuites soient engagées.

Cette délibération montre en premier lieu que la persévérance de l'association « Les Gais Musette », qui ont entendu poursuivre jusqu'au bout leur démarche de lutte contre les discriminations homophobes, a été récompensée par une délibération qui prend clairement le parti de la lutte contre l'homophobie.

Cette délibération éclaire sur l'expertise spécifique de la HALDE sur les questions de discrimination, ainsi que sur sa capacité à apprécier, en toute indépendance, la complexité des affaires qui sont portées devant elle.

Cette expertise, ce savoir faire spécifique, et cette indépendance sont pourtant menacés par le projet de loi sur relatif au Défenseur des droits, une « super-structure » nommée directement par le président de la République et qui a vocation à absorber les compétences de la HALDE, de la CNDS, du Médiateur de la République et du Défenseur des enfants.

Cette fusion-concentration, décidée pour des raisons purement budgétaires, vient heurter de plein front la nécessité d'assurer un traitement spécifique et indépendant de la lutte contre toutes les formes de discriminations, en particulier l'homophobie.

2012 Olympic schedule published: when can I watch Matthew Mitcham dive?

The schedule of events for the 2012 Summer Olympics has just been published. You can find it HERE. The Telegraph has published a list of key people to watch, including our own Matthew Mitcham:

Opening Ceremony – Day 1, Fri July 27: The show will focus on British history and culture, but spotting overseas royalty, celebrities and heads of state – the latest count expects about 150 – is part of the fun at the most coveted session of the Olympic Games.

Rafael Nadal – Day 2, July 28: The world No 1 loves the Olympic tennis tournament, not just for his Beijing victory, but for the comraderie in the athletes’ village. Most of the biggest names in tennis will appear as the Olympics continues to gain greater credence in the sport. The early round matches are a prime opportunity to see some quality match ups at a reasonable price.

Ian Thorpe – Day 2, July 28: The man with size 17 feet, 'Thorpedo’ has announced his comeback for the London Olympics. The Australian is going to concentrate on the 100m and 200m freestyle relay events, but he could make a return to his longest event, the 400m freestyle on July 28.

Michael Phelps – Day 5, July 31: The greatest swimmer in a generation will not attempt to repeat his 2012 haul of eight golds, but he will still be a formidible force. His schedule may not be confimed until just before the Games, but he is likely to drop the gruelling 400m individual medley. His pet event is the 200m butterfly, the final of which is on July 31. Phelps said London may be his last Olympics.

Nastia Liukin – Day 7, Aug 2 The US gymnast and defending all-round Olympic champion will be up against a new generation of gymnasts after announcing a few months ago she was continuing in the sport. Liukin, the daughter of the former Soviet Olympic gymnasts Valeri Liukin and Anna Kotchneva knows all about tough competition though, with her US rival Shawn Johnson also back in serious training.

Usain Bolt – Day 9, Aug 4: This will be the low-cost option of seeing the fastest man on Earth, when he competes in the first round of the 100m in the early session. But for the must-see experience of watching Bolt take on the other sub-10 second speedsters like Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay, the men’s 100m semi-finals and finals will be held during the evening of day 10.

Kenenisa Bekele – Day 10 Aug 5: The Ethiopian world record holder for the 5000m and 10,000m will race in the longer distance on Aug 5 and the 5000m on Aug 11.

Yelena Isinbayeva – Day 11, Aug 6: The Russian pole vaulter was the first woman to break the 5m barrier and is going for her third consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Caster Semenya – Day 14, August 9: The South African has been cleared to continue competing at international level despite lingering controversy about her gender and any benefit she may have over her competitors. The 80,000 strong crowd may have divided feelings about her participation and Semenya’s performance will be under intense scrutiny. The semi-finals for the 800m will be held on Aug 9 and the final on Aug 11.

Matthew Mitcham – Day 16, Aug 11: The effervescent Australian diver is the defending Olympic champion in the 10m platform and is one of the few openly gay athletes. He will be up against the Chinese technical masters of the sport.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James – Day 17, Aug 12: International superstars Bryant of the LA Lakers and Miami Heat’s James are the headline names in the US 'Dream Team’ basketball squad preparing to defend their gold medal. The draw for the preliminary rounds will not be determined for some time but the gold medal match, on Aug 12, is highly likely to feature them.

February 19: Team DC Casino Night fundraiser

Saturday, February 19 at 9:00pm
at Buffalo Billiards
1330 19th Street, NW
Washington, DC

Join your fellow LGBT athletes for Casino Night Fun. Try your luck…$10 entry gets you chips to play Poker and Blackjack. Fabulous prizes. Or enter Billiards Tournament ($10 entry) with chance to win $100 first prize. Free Darts & Shuffleboard play. Food + drink specials.

Prizes include 2-night stay at Intercontinental Barclay NYC during Pride weekend with theater tickets to “Pricilla Queen of the Desert” ($1000 value)!

BENEFITTING: TEAM DC and participating LGBT sports clubs, including: Federal Triangles Soccer Club, DC Aquatics Club, Washington Wetskins Water Polo, DC Strokes Rowing Club, Capital Area Rainbowlers, DC Gay Flag Football League, and DC Ice Breakers (Social Skating).

10 years... 10 effervescent events for Cheer LA: Bronze at Gay Games VIII

"10 Years ... 10 Effervescent Events" - Although the first Gay Games were held 1982, it wasn't until 28 years later that Cheer Los Angeles – and our sister squads in the Pride Cheerleading Association – finally had a chance to prove our "medal" at this international athletic competition. In 2010, Cheer LA returned from Cologne having won the first-ever Gay Games medal awarded for cheerleading: A bronze in pom. And, although we won a total of two medals, the number we were most proud of was $4,000 – the amount we raised for HIV Cologne [AIDS Hilfe] and the Gay Games Scholarship Fund during our time in Germany.

Em portugues: Mato Grosso do Sul sediará o 1º Encontro de Voleibol GLS da região Centro-Oeste

From CDG Brasil:

Mato Grosso do Sul, sediará em Campo Grande nos dias (21, 22, 23 e 24 Abril-2011) o 1º MEETING MS 2011 DE VOLEIBOL INDOOR LGBT, que será disputada na categoria adulto. A competição é realizado pelo Governo de Mato Grosso do Sul através da Fundesporte e tem o apoio da Prefeitura Municipal de Campo Grande por meio da Fundação Municipal de Esporte (FUNESP), Federação de Voleibol de Mato Grosso do Sul (FVMS) e CDG BRASIL – Confederação de Desporto Gay do Brasil.

Poderão participar do 1º MEETING MS 2011 DE VOLEIBOL INDOOR LGBT – Equipes compostas por (Gays, Bissexuais) e heterossexuais simpatizantes como uma alternativa de combate à homofobia e à discriminação, promovendo a cidadania e o respeito aos direitos humanos através do esporte.

A competição tem como objetivo promover a troca de experiências entre os participantes do evento e de promover a integração entre a comunidade LGBT, estimular a prática do desporto, como instrumento de sociabilização e de confraternização dos atletas.

A competição garantirá ao campeão e ao vice o direito de disputar a UNILIGA – Super Liga Gay de Voleibol do Brasil, desde que estes preencham os pré-requisitos para participar da principal competição entre as Equipes Gay do Brasil.

A Realização de jogos serão nos períodos matutino e vespertino, e às partidas serão realizadas no ginásio do Guanandizão localizado na Rua do Touro s/nº. A Comissão Organizadora oferecerá alojamento para as equipes de outros Estados e cidades do interior participantes do Evento.

As inscrições serão limitadas e para maiores informações as equipes interessadas em participarem do evento deverão entrarem em contato pelo telefone (67) 8406-5245 / 9908-9456 ou no MSN: nandodovolei@hotmail.com / Twitter: @nandodovolei / Skype: wilson.anderson.de.almeida

Auf Deutsch: Lesbische Basketballerin aus Paris /En français: Entretien vidéo avec Florence, basketteuse parisienne en préparation pour Cologne

Happy Valentine's Day!

Image courtesy JM

We are keen to hear from readers who have a love story related to the Gay Games or LGBT sport and culture. Did you meet your partner in your sports club? At a previous Gay Games? What's the most romantic experience you've had at the Gay Games?

We'd like to hear from you so we can share your story! Write blog@gaygames.org for more info.

(Thanks to my own Valentine for the nifty picture.)

Video: Paris Aquatique at Gay Games VIII Pink Flamingo

Jenelle Devits tells her story as a student athlete on Our Group blog

From the blog of student athlete organization Our Group:

I remember I was 12 years old when I had my first same-sex crush. I played on a travel soccer team. The best player on our team happened to be very pretty. I remember realizing this crush and not knowing what it meant. I cried hysterically in my room that night thinking, “I can’t be gay!” My mom came in and asked me what was wrong. I told her that I thought I had a crush on my teammate. She sat down and told me that it probably wasn’t a crush, but perhaps I was “jealous” of how good she was or how pretty she was. My mom then said it was ok and that I should get some rest. I remember thinking she was wrong.

More than 10 years later I now know that she was wrong.

It wasn’t until high school that I realized I wanted to date girls. Unfortunately, I was internally homophobic and rejected that realization. However, my senior year I let go of my belief that being interested in the same-sex was somehow wrong or immoral. I let go of my fear that people would judge me or hate me. I no longer cared.

Being an athlete was crucial to this enlightenment. I was surrounded by friends, some of whom were also interested in girls, and teammates who were supportive. I was involved on a team that was inclusive and respectful. Looking back, it was actually my teammates and friends (most of whom are still my close friends) that helped form my confidence to be myself.

This carried over into college. My freshman year I walked onto a Division I women’s basketball team. Luckily, I was not the only “out” LGBT person in the locker room. In fact, I had an “out” head coach. The environment that she created was welcoming and inclusive. She made sure that respect was the number one ingredient in our team. I still believe that respect is key to a great TEAM.

Keep reading HERE.

Brendan Burke's legacy, a look back one year after his untimely death

From the Toronto Sun:

There will be a day, a historic day, when there will be an openly gay player in the National Hockey League.

A big part of that day will belong to Brendan Burke.

Fifteen months ago, the 20-year-old student-manager of the Miami University (Ohio) hockey team publicly declared his homosexuality, supported and embraced by his family, which includes dad Brian, the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and his team.

A year ago Saturday, after just a couple of months of living in a new world unburdened by his secret, Brendan Burke died in a car crash on a snowy highway in Indiana.

It's hard to imagine the courage it took for a 20-year-old kid in the macho world of hockey to go public with the secret, to be at the leading edge in declaring his sexuality in an unfriendly culture.

It's a decision with which at least a couple of current NHLers have struggled, according to gay Olympic swimming champion Mark Tewksbury, who counselled the players.

Patrick Burke, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers and a law student, marvelled at his brother Brendan's decision to come out.

"How many 20-year-olds are the first to do anything?" Patrick said. (Brian Burke deferred to Patrick for an interview on the anniversary of Brendan's death.)

"To be that comfortable with themselves and confident and courageous to try to lead the charge for, in a lot of ways, a controversial issue ... I mean, how many 20-year-olds are willing to do anything like that? How many 30- or 40-year-olds are willing to do anything like that?

"Him being the first, we had no sense of what the risks might be, what the ups and downs might be. It was just kind of one of those things where this could help people, so he was going to do it."

So, a year after Brendan Burke's death, are we any closer to seeing the first openly gay player in the NHL?

His goal was to at least start the discussion, to show other gay people in hockey they were not alone, to make straight people understand their game was shared. He achieved his goal.

"He felt like the time had come for people to talk about it," Patrick said.

"He knew he wasn't an NHL player. He knew he wasn't going to change everything by himself. He's in a family that loves and supports him, he's with a hockey team that loves and supports him and there are people out there who aren't (loved and supported). Those people deserve and need to feel safe."

Is the NHL ready for an openly gay player? It would be naive to think there isn't more than one.

Keep reading HERE.

A look back at Gay Games VIII: "Never have I felt such a strong sense of community"

From the travel blog "Look at Me Ploise":


What a week it has been! Not only is Cologne a beautiful, vibrant city that accepts all people, it hosted one of the most spectacular events I have ever been to. My sole purpose of attending the games was to have a raging week of socialising and supporting my mates but also to give my good old buddy Kirstyn Feeney a kick start to her 10 week Europe adventure. I couldn't have kicked her any harder.

We spent the first day sight seeing- walking about the city and getting our bearings. The cathedral was the first stop, easy considering it was right next door to our hotel. We climbed the endless staircase to the top to overlook the city; walked along the Rhine River and soaked up the sun.

After a lazy day we decided to get involved in the Games and start watching some events. Most of our mates competed in track events (400m, 800, 5000m, 5km and half marathon) so as a result I can still hear the gun shot ringing in my ear. Suran brought home 3 gold medals, representing the UK and New Zealand proudly. Julia won a silver in the 5km for the UK and the Aussies (Jim and Jen) brought a gold and a silver home for the steeple chase and the 30km cycling road race. Well done team!

The whole week was about participation and never have I felt such a strong sense of community. Everybody was extremely encouraging and supporting, no matter who you were and where you came from. Some people put themselves at risk just to leave their home country in order to get to the Gay Games. It's sad and almost incomprehensible that some nations are still so behind on human rights and equality for all humans. But that didn't put a downer on the week.

Aside from the sports, everyone was there to have a good time, which is where I brought home the gold for team Australia. The funny stories are priceless and have had us in stitches all week but I am going to keep them off here as they are better shared over a beverage.

2014- Gay Games Cleveland here we come!

Thanks to all my mates who made the week one never to forget. I know Kirstyn met some fantastic people and is looking forward to some recovery time back in London. Love ya flops!

Slideshows of Rainbow Symphony Cologne with music performed at Gay Games VIII

Prelude:
Rainbow Flag:


Thanks to Alwin Muelcher!

A look at ICONS Diversity Football Cup in Milan

On January 29, 2011 in Milan took place the first edition of the "Diversity Cup." The occasion was the celebration of equality and the elimination of prejudices against gays but also against foreigners, both of which are at times serve as a scapegoat for the ills of society.

The organizers have shown that that message is not acceptable nor true and organized a great day of celebration playing football.

The competition was organized ICONS (Initiative Against Homophobia in Sport) and supported by FARE (Football Against Racism in Europe) and FGG member IGLFA (International Gay Lesbian Football Association).

Somet 12 teams from all over Italy took part in the tournament, including The Sunugal composed of Senegalese players living in Milan, Brasitalianos (a group of Brazilian and Italian players), Milan teams Kingkickers, Black-Angel-Team Rome, Revolution Boga Bologna and Florence, as well as the gay clubs LeMobile, IMA FOOTBALL The Hunters and to list the Italian team who declare themselves heterosexual but are gay-friendly, last but not least the FT GoDaDo Milan, as the two teams of ICONS Football, in which gay and straight players have been playing together for some time without problems.

Who won? In the final of the highest level, the crew of the Black Angels beat the team of Rome Kingkickers Milan on penalties, with the well-earned cup for the 3rd place going to Brasitalianos.

But the absolute winner was the sport, tolerance and equality in football!

More info and photos HERE.

En français: Reportage sur la natation synchronisée chez Paris Aquatique

Un reportage vidéo sur l'équipe de natation synchro de Paris Aquatic, club member de la FSGL et de l'IGLA:

New documentary on LGBT student athletes

From a review of Out for the Long Run, a documentary on young LGBT athletes, which features Gay Games Ambassadors Greg Louganis and Billy Bean, in Compete Magazine:

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words is a feature length documentary worth? For a number of U.S. gay athletes – two high school seniors, two college freshmen and a former high school student no longer playing sports, as well as the families of these athletes, a couple of adult Olympic Gold Medalists, three coaches, several straight teammates and one entire high school population – the answer is “priceless.” These are the very real life cast members of the feature documentary, Out for the Long Run. Following a year in the life of these courageous high school and college student athletes who have come out to family, friends, classmates and coaches, it tells their personal stories in a way that honors their varied experiences of being “out” athletes.

Reading a Los Angeles Times article three years ago about the courage it takes young athletes to come out is what prompted Tragoidia Moving Pictures founder, Scott Bloom (a high school wrestler in his own right) and his partner, Larry Diamond, to make the Out for the Long Run documentary. While work as a professional freelance editor for feature documentaries, situation comedies, film trailers and reality television pays the bills, Bloom’s true passion is filming features such as this one that advocate for the GLBT community. In his words, filming incredible and in spirational stories of people is what feeds his soul.

While the documentary isn’t all filled with horror stories, it’s also not all sunshine and sweetness. There is, in particular, a painfully honest yet touching conversation with the father of one of the college athletes about his struggle accepting his son’s sexual orientation. For all members of the GLBT community, coming out is an im portant rite of passage that finally allows you to be honest with others about who you are. But that honesty also leaves you vulnerable. Coming out can carry with it heavy physical, mental and emotional penalties that often lead to drug and alcohol addictions, even suicide, in an attempt to escape the pain. Yet not being honest about who you are is its own particular prison of silence. It requires you to live a lie, to be eternally uncomfortable in your own skin so that others can continue being comfortable in theirs without requiring them to change their awareness of others.

Keep reading HERE.

Focus on Cleveland+Akron: This weekend in Cleveland+Akron: MC Escher at the Akron Art Museum

From Positively Cleveland:

When I was younger, I used to wake up on Sunday mornings, scramble to the kitchen and anxiously await my mother to finish with the comics. No, it wasn’t because I loved Family Circus or couldn’t get enough of Garfield. What I really loved were the magic eye puzzles; the optical illusion drawings that would give you a headache if you stared at them too long or hard. I would turn and twist the newspaper in various ways, simply to try and determine what was what. Ah, those were the days.

Until now. This weekend the Akron Art Museum opens its newest exhibit, M.C. Escher: Impossible Realities. Featuring 130 works by the master printmaker Maurtis Cornelis Escher, these original pieces are essentially adult magic eye puzzles. Escher’s interest and ability to create images that require “mind-bending” have resulted in spectacular pieces of spatial illusions that are icons in pop culture today. Ceilings that can also be floors, staircases that lead to nowhere, hands drawing hands and more are all beautifully created on woodcuts, lithographs, mezzotints and sculptures and are on display in Akron.

The exhibit, which is on display until May 29, is the last of only two venues in the United States to host this once-in-a-lifetime exhibit on loan from the Herakleidon Museum in Athens, Greece. Impossible Realities showcases a wide variety of the pieces created throughout Escher’s career, from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Flashback to 1998: ESPN's "The Last Closet"

As a companion to an Outside the Lines show on the same topic, ESPN.com looked at the world of gay athletes and the homophobia they face in sports.
From Dec. 16-18, new stories were published on the service along with multimedia, chat sessions and polls. Check them out HERE.

Day 1:

"When a football player loses his supreme confidence in his super-masculinity, he is in deep trouble."
-- Vince Lombardi

The story of gays and homophobia in sports involves everyone, for sports is how young people, especially boys, are socialized in America. So consider the following scenario:

One of your best friends in high school is gay. Not that he's open about it, with you or anyone else. In fact, he's made every effort to conceal his homosexuality, for he knows how this little sports-mad town in the Pennsylvania countryside, with more seats in the school gym than there are residents to sit in them, would react to having one of them in their midst.


So, he dates girls, cheerleaders even. He grunts with the guys in the locker room, as teammates on the football and wrestling teams tell the usual lies about which girl they slept with last night. He's aware of gay magazines -- but of course doesn't subscribe, lest his parents find out. The only outlet for his secret is web sites on the Internet, which he surfs in solitude at home, with the door to his room shut.

Confused and depressed, tired of crying to himself to sleep at night about his impossible dilemma, he decides to kill himself. He takes 33 Tylenol tablets and goes to bed. Upset that he wakes up the next morning, he takes another 10 and is sent to the hospital, where eventually he tells his tale in confidence to doctors.

Your mother, or maybe your father, happens to work at the hospital. Whether by gossip or actually looking at the medical charts, she learns about your friend's sexuality. She brings this information home to you. It shocks and amazes you that this boy you've grown up with, someone you've tackled on a football field, whose family has shared good times with yours, is not exactly who you thought he was.

Here's the character test: His secret is now your secret. As he rests in the hospital's psychiatric ward, you are lord of your friend's present -- and future -- in Troy, Pa. You have the choice of sharing this news with your teammates, which will also serve to distance yourself from him, and any rumors that may come up about your relationship with him. Or you can honor your friendship, and keep it to yourself.

Hudson Taylor on the power of internet to multiply positive actions

Athlete Ally's Hudson Taylor has a great post on the Our Group blog on the power of internet and social networking to fight homophobia in sport:

Nearly one year ago, I was featured in an Outsports article as the heterosexual college wrestler who wore Human Rights Campaign stickers on his uniform to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community. That article generated thousands of emails, messages and posts around the world, all commending me for taking a public stance in my capacity as an athlete to support equality, respect and dignity for all. These correspondences were – and still are – indescribably inspiring. They comprise one of the most important parts of my life. Every day, I wake up to a new message or email and look at myself differently in the mirror. I wake up with a profound respect for the impact that the actions of all athletes and coaches can have on others.

I can’t help but realize: if these amazing messages are responses to the single deed of an athlete in a non-revenue-generating sport like wrestling, imagine the kind of effect that similar acts by all athletes – professional, amateur, college, high school, retired etc. – could have on American culture.

That is not to say that every basketball player in the country needs to put an HRC sticker on his or her uniform (though I would love that!). But surely, he or she could “like” education and safety-based organizations, like Our Group, GLSEN or the Trevor Project, on Facebook. Surely, he or she could tweet about ending the use of homophobic language in locker rooms or appear in Youtube public service announcements on the importance of creating inclusive sports cultures.

Keep reading HERE.

Let's get Ben Cohen to 122,000 Facebook fans

Straight ally, rugby star, and all around good bloke Ben Cohen is going to bed tonight a bit sad, because he hasn't reached 122,000 fans on his Facebook page.

If you haven't joined his page, why not give him a hand? You'll find the page HERE.

Official photos of Paul Oostenbrug's induction in the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame

The Federation of Gay Games is very honored that Paul Oostenbrug, Federation Vice President for Membership, was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, and is pleased to publish these official photos of the induction ceremony.

From the Windy City Times:

Celebrating Its 20th Year, Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame Inducts 11 Individuals and 4 Organizations

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues has released the names of 11 individuals and four organizations to be inducted in November 2010 into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, the only known government-sponsored hall of fame that honors members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT ) community, announced Chairman and Commissioner Dana V. Starks.

The chosen nominees will be inducted at the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame's 20th annual ceremony, which will take place from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, in Sidney R. Yates Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m., and the program is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

"Chicago is a city of many faces, and the LGBT community is an important part of that diversity. The community is thriving and moving forward, helping to build a strong social and economic foundation for Chicago," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.

"The rich contributions made to Chicago by its various communities are important to Chicago's quality of life," said Commissioner Starks. "It is for that reason that we are pleased to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and their allies with these Hall of Fame awards each year."

The Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame was established in 1991 under the auspices of the Advisory Council, with continuing support from the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and Mayor Daley. Its purpose is to recognize the achievements of LGBT Chicagoans, their contributions to the development of the city, and the help they have received from others.

Those inducted fall into one of three categories: individual, organization, or friend of the community. Nominees represent Chicago's entire sexual-minority community, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Chicagoans, past, present, living, and dead, as well as those who have supported or assisted the community.

A committee of prior inductees makes each year's selections from nominations submitted by members of the public.

Those honored in 2010 [include]:

Paul G. Oostenbrug, 60, runner and community volunteer, for his long and dedicated service to Team Chicago, which takes LGBT Chicagoans to the Gay Games, and for his involvement on the boards of the Federation of Gay Games and Chicago House, a local AIDS service agency.

Pride Games and Gay Games VIII win "sports event of the year" award

Pride Games, produced by FGG member organization Pride Sport Manchester, has won the 2010 PinkPaper.com Award for Best Sports Event in the UK for 2010, with Gay Games VIII taking second place.

Congratulations to the organizers and volunteers of both great events!

And we'll note in passing that the "world's sexiest man" is straight ally Ben Cohen. That sounds OK.