Wele to the 'Gay Gam,' an Olympics alternative, where activism is enuraged and everyone's an athlete | CNN

Contents:

• OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK THORMEYER PERFORMED AT HIS PEAK AFTER G OUT AS GAY
• GAY OLYMPICS SWIMMER MAK WAV AND OUT OF THE WATER
• TOM DALEY AFTER WNG GOLD: ‘I'M GAY AND AN OLYMPIC CHAMPN'
• WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE
• GAY OLYMPIAN KEH FROSTAD WAS HARASSED, ATTACKED BY SWIMMERS 1992
• THIS GAY SWIMMER JT WON ANOTHER MEDAL & HE’S GUNNG FOR THE OLYMPICS
• FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MALE SWIMMERS, SWIMWEAR FOR MENGAY SWIMMERS LIST: OLYMPIANS AND COLLEGE STARS
• THERE ARE A RERD 11 OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS R. NONE IS AN AMERIN.

OLYMPIC SWIMMER MARK THORMEYER PERFORMED AT HIS PEAK AFTER G OUT AS GAY

Swimmer Mark Thormeyer was a wreck leadg up to the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials, his hidg beg gay so taxg and bilatg that one day he broke down and lay helpls on his bedroom floor. In May, the openly gay Fnish swimmer won the 50-meter etyle at the European champnships, ls than three months before he is set to swim the same race, along wh the 100-meter etyle, Tokyo. But was jt before the 2014 Wter Olympics Sochi, Rsia, (where they obvly don’t have swimmg) where the 6-10 Fn ma his biggt splash, when he me out as gay.

“I wanted to jo the discsn relatn to Sochi, sce is a sad fact that the Rsian gay law affects negatively Rsian young people’s liv and g human rights general, he told the Fnish Natnal TV Channel YLE’s “Sports Weekend” show at the time. He me out publicly as gay at the Gay Gam 1994, but was out to those around him om an early was the 'g out to myself' procs like for you?

I me out at the Gay Gam 1994, welg the athlet and sayg, 'It's great to be out and proud.

GAY OLYMPICS SWIMMER MAK WAV AND OUT OF THE WATER

My thought before I me out to my mom was, 'Oh my God, if my parents knew that I was gay, then the earth is gog to open up and swallow me whole.

TOM DALEY AFTER WNG GOLD: ‘I'M GAY AND AN OLYMPIC CHAMPN'

Beg a gay man wh HIV, at that time there was still a lot of stigma surroundg HIV. A lot of the attu the untry and the world was, 'It's killg the right people -- gay men, IV dg ers and prostut. The victory was pecially meangful for Daley his send Olympics as an openly gay man.

WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

"I feel credibly proud to say that I am a gay man and also an Olympic champn, " said Daley who was visibly emotnal. Daley's Amerin-born hband won a screenwrg Osr 2008 for “Milk, " the bgraphil film based on the life of gay rights activist and polician Harvey Milk. His gay and lbian iends San Francis, though, had never experienced an event as thrillg or movg as the openg ceremony.

GAY OLYMPIAN KEH FROSTAD WAS HARASSED, ATTACKED BY SWIMMERS 1992

And so Wadll created the Gay Gam – then lled the Gay Olympics, until the Internatnal Olympic Commtee sued over the name.

“The formula for succs was visibily and inty, ” Wadll said an terview followg the first Gay Gam 1982. That’s what the first Gay Gam were all about.

THIS GAY SWIMMER JT WON ANOTHER MEDAL & HE’S GUNNG FOR THE OLYMPICS

Wadll died 1987, but the Gay Gam ntue to this day, growg to an ternatnal phenomenon sce their first eratn. They draw over 10, 000 athlet and sometim seven or eight tim as many spectators, said Shiv Pl, vice print of external relatns for the Feratn of Gay Gam.

You don’t have to be a profsnal athlete – even a proficient one – to pete the Gay Gam.

You don’t even have to be gay.

FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT MALE SWIMMERS, SWIMWEAR FOR MENGAY SWIMMERS LIST: OLYMPIANS AND COLLEGE STARS

And unlike at the Olympics, activism is enuraged at the Gay Gam, as has been sce the begng when the HIV/AIDS crisis was ravagg LGBTQ muni. Above all, though, the Gay Gam are an event for queer and trans people to gather safely, play sports they love and be themselv whout fear of tolerance.

The first Gay Gam were held San Francis 1982, where transmissn of HIV had peaked among the cy’s btlg gay muny. The Gay Gam uld be an act of prott then, too, Wadll cid, an event durg which LGBTQ people uld play the same sports they watched durg the Olympics and achieve the same kd of glory he had at the 1968 Olympics. HIV/AIDS awarens has been baked to the Gay Gam sce s ceptn: In addn to banng discrimatn based on genr, sexualy, race and other tras, the Gay Gam wouldn’t allow any participant to be turned away based on their HIV stat.

THERE ARE A RERD 11 OPENLY GAY MALE OLYMPIANS R. NONE IS AN AMERIN.

The Gay Gam also succsfully lobbied the US ernment to briefly waive a prev ban on HIV-posive people enterg the untry so they uld pete the 1994 Gay Gam New York and the 1996 Olympics Atlanta, chang ma wh the help of the US Olympic Commtee. Anyone n participate the Gay Gam – really, jt about anyone.

Though Wadll emphasized that sports weren’t the central foc of the Gay Gam, the event has hosted athlet wh real prows. Swimmer Jim Ballard set a world rerd the 100-meter backstroke 2002 at the Sydney Gay Gam. Powerlifter Chris Man began his reer at the Gay Gam and went on to w another 30 medals at var world champnships.