With less than 10 days to go before the final bid document is due to the Federation of Gay Games, we are continuing to listen to both supporters and critics of the Gay Games efforts in Chicago.
The media loves controversy, doesn't it? Well, so does the gay community. What real work has ever been done without debate? The Center on Halsted is being located in a gentrifying area which is becoming increasingly straight, and they will have as an anchor tenant a straight-owned grocery chain that has been accused of union-busting tactics. Gay and AIDS organizations have gone through leadership changes and upheavals, firings and controversy.
Nothing new to our community.
It's interesting being both on the inside and outside, but many of the same people who are attacking the Gay Games bid this time around attacked it last time as well. So I take those attacks, both on myself personally and the bid efforts, with a grain of salt. I do listen and learn from those involved before, especially athletes from past Gay Games, to get as much input as possible. I value the diverse views of this community, and I respectfully disagree with the approaches many leaders and groups have taken. We also have the journalistic responsibility to cover those individuals and organizations who have attacked work I have done. It's all just part of the community building and community work we all do.
As for the bid efforts, the volunteers and organizational support letters keep coming. Just in the past few days, organizational boards which have voted in favor include the Windy City Athletic Association and Lakeside Pride Freedom Band.
A large Chicago law firm has also announced it is providing pro bono counsel to CGI on contracts, trademark and licensing.
Chicago's diverse GLBT sports organizations have reaffirmed their support, lending their volunteers and name to the effort. Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, Windy City Athletic Association, Team Chicago and the Women's Sports Association have each expanded their involvement in the effort.
In addition to the support received for the Gay Games from Team New York and Team Paris at the end of December, the following GLBT sports organizations have offered their formal support: Rehoboth (DE) Tennis Club, Lakeshore Marathon, Windy City Cycling Club, San Francisco Gay Basketball, and the Chicago Force, Chicago's local pro women's tackle football team. Local groups have committed to help with outreach, volunteering and/or fundraising and the Rehoboth Tennis Club has announced that a portion of the proceeds from its August tennis tournament will go to the host of Gay Games VII.
Cultural organizations from all segments of Chicago's diverse community have offered their support including: Mountain Moving Coffee House (local women's music collective), Aldo Castillo Gallery (Latino/gay-owned art gallery), P.O.W.-W.O.W. (local artists organization focusing on performance opportunities for LGBT and people of color), Resources Unlimited Foundation (faith-based organization that has committed $30,000 in pro bono labor to help develop and support volunteer efforts), the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (committed to offering GLBT films during the Gay Games), and D/E Entertainment (local promoter that includes Grammy-award-winning DJ Frankie Knuckles).
'The outpouring of support validates our budget model,' said R. Sue Connolly, Senior VP at the Northern Trust Bank and part of the CGI budget committee. 'With CGI focusing specifically on the core sporting and cultural competitions, we avoid the resource misallocation that plagued previous Gay Games hosts and resulted in deficits. Local and international organizations will manage a diverse array of complementary social and cultural events. This will enhance the Gay Games experience for those who choose to participate but will not detract from the financial viability of the body planning the event.'
Montreal Efforts
Meanwhile, last weekend, Montreal's sports and culture organization which is hosting their own event in 2006 invited sports representatives in an effort to form a new international GLBT sports group.
A 'Think Tank' group gathered in Montreal to explore the future of the GLBT sports movement. The group concluded the week-end by agreeing there is a need for a new international organization that services the needs of the gay and lesbian sports teams around the world. The academics, athletes and sport administrators who attended the Think Tank coming from Europe, USA, Australia and Canada, arrived at the following public declaration:
'As an international group that collectively represents a vast range of experiences in both the lesbian/gay and mainstream sport worlds, we recognize the evolution that has occurred in the lesbian and gay sporting movement. We agree as follows: — We support the creation of an inclusive, globally recognized, integrated gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered association that celebrates, supports and promotes our culture through sport; — This association will develop a worldwide events calendar of continuous sports opportunities for participants; — We support the values of innovation/pioneering, accessibility, trust and fairness, as reflected in the association's governance, management and programs; — We will work to build this association on a business model that is financially sustainable, in order to create legacy and enhance capacity for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered sporting communities worldwide.'
The letter was not signed by all of the attendees, but those who did sign, with about nine from Canada, included: Thomas Dolan, Tatjana Eggeling, Bradley Erickson, Drew Foisy, Josée Généreux, Élyse Grenier, Pat Hogan, Robert Kastl, Geoffrey Lyne, David McConkey, Catherine Meades, Pierre Rajotte, Conny Schälicke, Catherine Sellers, Mark Tewksbury, Brian Todd, Ole Usdolt, Daniel Vaudrin, Christian West.
The Federation of Gay Games has not responded with any press releases of their own in recent weeks.
The Montreal gathering in fact does not seem at odds with the FGG. It appears to be a group with a potentially different mission, including creating a calendar of GLBT sports events—which could conceivably include any future Gay Games dates.
It of course remains to be seen what this new group will mean in relation to the FGG, but for now, the focus for both Montreal and the FGG would appear to be on their own respective events in 2006.
For Chicago updates, e-mail to Volunteer@ ChicagoGamesInc.org .