Athletes march into Closing Ceremony at Wrigley Field July 22. Photo by Tracy Baim
By Amy Wooten
Chicago said farewell to an exciting and magical week at the climatic and colorful Gay Games VII closing ceremonies on Saturday, July 22, at historic Wrigley Field.
Roughly 25,000 people attended the lively celebration, honoring the 12,000 athletes from more than 65 countries who competed throughout the week and saying goodbye to new friends from around the globe.
Although the closing celebration drew a small crowd of protestersa few recognized from the Crystal Lake protestsmany athletes and attendees thanked the large gathering of straight allies rallying around the Gay Games and wearing 'A little straighter … but not a hater' T-shirts outside the venue. The straight allies stood in front of protesters wearing biblical scriptures and spewing messages of hate, largely overpowering them with messages of love and support as people entered Wrigley's gates.
The group's organizer, David Wengert, gathered members of his community to celebrate the Games, welcome LGBT people to the closing ceremonies and counter-protest anti-gay bigots.
'I've been a straight ally in a youth program at Center on Halsted,' Wengert said. 'I wanted to show some straight ally love.'
After a casual processional of all the athletes and participants, BETTY gave a rousing rendition of the national anthem. Much like the Opening Ceremony, the afternoon event was a gathering of a who's who in LGBT entertainment and athletics, with performances by comedians Poppy Champlin and crowd favorite ANT; musical performances by Doria Roberts, Ari Gold, Kristine W., and Sharon McNight; and special appearances by cast members of the L Word and the sexy DC Cowboys, to name a few. A group of Chicago musicians sang an anthem written by Dylan Rice with Chuck Panozzo of Styx ( the two lead the group ) , and Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps and cheer team wowed the crowd with their moves.
The crowd went wild when pop legend Cyndi Lauper entered the field dressed like a rainbow Lady Liberty to perform 'True Colors' and 'Shine.'
'Stand tall and together, and pass the flame on,' Lauper said before Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley transferred the flag to Deputy Mayor of Cologne Elfi Scho-Antwerpes for the 2010 Gay Games.
Before passing the torch to Cologne, Daley thanked Chicago's LGBT community. 'When you put forth your personal best, you are always a winner in the gay community,' Daley said. 'I want to thank the entire gay community for showing what Chicago is all about. I'd like to personally thank this community for showing what a city should be.'