A resolution welcoming the 2006 Gay Games passed unanimously at a June 21 County Board meeting. Mike Quigley, a commissioner who recently announced that he is running for board president, sponsored the measure.
The resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, in 1982, Dr. Tom Waddell, a 1968 Olympic decathlete, founded the Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival to showcase Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered sports, designing it as 'an experiment in social unity; an experiment in education; a vehicle for change,'
WHEREAS, from July 15-22, 2006, Chicago will play host to the world and welcome thousands of athletes, spectators and cultural participants for the seventh quadrennial Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival; and
WHEREAS, the Games will feature 12,000 individuals from more than 70 countries; and
WHEREAS, the competitors will participate in 30 sports, world-class athletics, art, band and choral performances, nightly medal ceremonies, a week-long arts festival, parties and spectacular opening and closing ceremonies featuring entertainment, pageantry, and the parade of participants; and
WHEREAS, the Gay Games are open to anyone; there are no pre-qualifying events or times, just a supportive environment, free from bigotry, where participants achieve success by their own measure;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, gathered here this 21st Day of June, 2005, do hereby express our welcome to the Seventh Quadrennial Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival and wish them great success in their planning and preparation for the 2006 Games; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we express our gratitude to the sponsors of the Games including Kraft Foods and Harris Bank for making the Games possible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to the 2006 Gay Games Chicago.