MONTRÉAL 2006 /BRUCE NELSON (2)

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2006

The year

of athletics

Not one, but two international LGBT sporting and cultural events are coming in July

The summer of 2006 should go a long way to finally dispelling the stereotype of gay men as wan, fey creatures who avoid physical exertion at all costs.

Of course, it probably won't help the stereotype of lesbians playing football, rugby, field hockey and basketball, but then sacrifices must be made. After all, you cannot make an omelet without breaking a few clichéd eggs.

Yes, this July not only sees the seventh quadrennial Gay Games, held this year in Chicago, but also the debut of the World Outgames, which will follow in Montréal days later.

The Chicago Gay Games mark the first time in a dozen years that the event will be held in North America.

The genesis of the two not-quite-competing athletic and cultural festivals stems from events in 2003, when the Federation of Gay Games rejected the bid of Montréal's organizing committee, two

years after having chosen the city over Chicago.

Rendez-Vous Montréal, the organizing committee who submitted the winning bid for the 2006 Gay Games, and the Federation of Gay Games came to loggerheads over financial control and decision-making responsibilities for the festival.

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The Federation of Gay Games, whose name had been tarnished by a series of successful but financially disappointing events, worried that another Games operating in the red would mean an end to what started in 1982 as the Gay Olympics.

The Montréal organizers felt that, since they would be responsible for any financial shortfalls, they should be responsible for the scale and scope of the event. The Federation wanted an event with about 12,000 athletes, while Montréal believed that 16,000 was at the low end of what was possible. They had sponsorships and assistance from corpora-

1st worldOutgames Montréal 2006

tions and federal, provincial and city governments to back them up.

Ultimately, the two sides could not reach an agreement, and the Federation went to their second choice, Chicago, while Montréal forged ahead with their plans, since the majority of their sponsors were willing to stay on board even without the Federation backing them up.

Montréal 2006 aligned with the newly created Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association, which designated its event the inaugural World Outgames.

* *VII✶ ✶ GAY GAMES.

CHICAGO 2006

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While the history is fascinating, what everyone really cares about are the events themselves.

Gay Games VII will be held from July 15 to 22, with opening ceremonies in Soldier Field and closing ceremonies at Wrigley Field bringing in hundreds of celebrities.

The opening ceremony features headliner Margaret Cho, while Cyndi Lauper leads the festivities at the closing ceremony.

One phenomenal achievement that the Chicago Gay Games already has under its belt is the United States government's temporary waiver of the ban on entry into the country by HIV-positive non-U.S. citizens.

The blanket waiver was announced in February, and came as a surprise to the LGBT community, unused to the Bush administration making positive decisions.

"Achieving 'designated event' status demonstrates our dedication to the Gay Games principles of Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best, and to our mission advocating for full acceptance of and recognition of all LGBT people," said former executive director Brian McGuiness when the order came down. "We Continued on page 6