Sports people tend to like stats, so here goes: Rather than being 1 in 10, or 1 in 100, at the Beijing Olympics we're 1 in 1,071. Thank god for the nine out lesbians (especially Norwegians Gro and Katja above, who are a couple) because the official statistic of out gay men at the Olympics is 1 in 10,708. According to the essential website Outsports, with big help from Malinda Lo at AfterEllen, the ten are:
Judith Arndt (Germany, cycling
Linda Bresonik (Germany, soccer)
Imke Duplitzer (Germany, fencing)
Gro Hammerseng and Katja Nyberg (Norway, handball)
Natasha Kai (U.S., soccer)
Lauren Lappin (U.S., softball)
Matthew Mitcham (Australia, diving)
Rennae Stubbs (Australia, tennis)
Victoria "Vickan" Svensson (Sweden, soccer)
Why so few? It's probably not just dreams of bigger endorsement money. You could say that despite their claims, the IOC is not so welcoming to homosexuality. They prohibit same sex pairs in skating, endlessly reinforcing the notion that a pair can only be one man and one woman. It would be great to know if the spouses of the ten athletes above are granted the same access and privileges in Beijing as are heterosexual partners.
You might have forgotten that Gay Games was originally called the Gay Olympics. Olympics is a generic term and given its provenance as an all male event in ancient Greece, frankly it's more our word than the IOC's or the USOC's. It is used by many other groups including the Special Olympics, the Junior Olympics, the Explorer Olympics, and the International Police Olympics. But at the idea of Gay Olympics, the USOC freaked out and hired Edward Bennett Williams. They went so far as to place a lien on founder Tom Waddell's house. The case ended up in the Supreme Court which decided 5-4 against Gay Games in June 1987. Waddell died sixteen days later. A comprehensive account of the case can be found in Deb Price and Joyce Murdoch's mandatory colossus, Courting Justice
Coincidentally, registration for Gay Games VIII is mere days away. Taking place July 31 to August 7, 2010 in Cologne, the games offer 34 sports including new additions of field hockey, shooting, and cheerleading.
For those of you who can't wait two years, next summer is the second World Out Games, from July 25 to August 2 in Copenhagen. The event hosts 38 sports and you can save 300 Danish Kroner by registering for yours before October 1.
And for instant gratification, join this new Yahoo! group for LGBT track athletes.
More Gro et Katja below. Is the mainstream media giving them superstar attention they deserve?
Gay Olympian wins gold for Australia! How out and proud are you?
Men's 10m platform dive - Matthew Mitcham.
We are family!
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Well, homosexuality is not just the basis in a game. It's your ability, skills, and who you are when you are at the field. It really doesn't matter. Keep posting !
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