'We're not hidg': Gay and lbian Rsians say a cultural shift is unrway

Contents:

• MEET OUR GROUPS: GAY OUTDOOR CLUB
• THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985
• GAY IDAHO TRAVEL GUI
• GAY CYCLG GROUPS IN THE UK
• RI TO LONDON'S GAY PAST FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW
• 'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

MEET OUR GROUPS: GAY OUTDOOR CLUB

“It’s not that we don’t like straight people, ” explas Jeff Rogers, print of the Wdy Cy Cyclg Club (WCCC), Chigo’s olst lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr bicycle group. But gay and lbian people have a fort level wh each other that’s different than wh straight people. That sense of belongg is easy to see as we hang out at T’s, a buzzg lbian, gay, and straight pub Chigo’s LGBT-iendly Anrsonville neighborhood, on a sunny Febary afternoon.

The WCCC formed 1992 to get the wheels of fellowship turng among lbian and gay folks. Munchg a veggie burger at a nearby table, Drew Jeo, a spng stctor who found the Chigo Razors gay triathlon team to pete the 2006 Gay Gam here, says he only ris wh LGBT clubs. “A lot of gay men weren’t to sports high school but we got to our 30s and 40s, ” he says.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

“In a gay group you might have guys who like to bike really fast, but there’s ls petn and more mararie. “Gays and straights do social ris for the same reasons, ” she says wh a gr.

Each October, on the anniversary of the send March on Washgton for Lbian and Gay Rights 1987, Human Rights Watch leads the celebratn of Natnal Comg Out Day as “a remr that one of our most basic tools is the power of g out. I remember noticg openly gay upl together, and the sire to experience that openns was stronger than any other want or need I’d felt before. Wh that motivatn, I phed forward and me out a big way—announcg that I was both gay and HIV posive at once.

And each graduate of the program earns a ee bike, helmet, and out, claimg my thentic life as an HIV posive gay man, fdg muny, and givg back has ma my life worthwhile. This year, we started wh showg support for the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Sunday 17 May by distributg ee rabow lac to some 100+ of our volunteers. Nasser Tell of CycleOut London, a Cyclg UK affiliate group that provis an enuragg and social environment for gay people and their iends to participate a range of cyclg om recreatnal to petive.

GAY IDAHO TRAVEL GUI

Richard said that he tried ridg wh more tradnal cyclg groups but feared awkward qutns around his personal life and potential homophobia, so cid to start his own. Our missn is to brg cyclists together om across the UK’s LGBT and gay cyclg clubs, who we often work llaboratn are a natnal group, wh a foc on ridg our Natnal Parks and Areas of Outstandg Natural Bety. “Beg a gay man, I also dread beg asked about whether I had a girliend or beg ma to feel like an outst.

The Gay Outdoor Club (GOC) started 1974 when a uple of iends livg London placed an advert the newspaper to see if there were any like-md people who shared a passn for the outdoors. The club is registered as a charable pany and operat on a not-for-prof basis, wh the objective of providg facili the terts of recreatn or other leisure time occupatn of dividuals who have need of such facili, pecially but not exclively, gay men and women, wh the aim of improvg their ndns of life.

GAY CYCLG GROUPS IN THE UK

We wele members verg the full spectm of genr and sexualy, and although gay men are still the majory, we have around 100 members who intify as women. Foundg member Graham said that jog a gay cyclg club means "one do not have to hi on sexualy or pe wh awkward qutns about girliends etc although obvly a gay guy uld be more relaxed about cyclg a predomantly straight club now than was the se 20 years ago.

For Andi, a very recent addn to the club, CycleOut provis the same opportuny: "I joed bee I wanted to meet other gay men a healthy ntext where sex, dgs or alhol aren’t volved, unlike other bars, clubs and apps ed to meet other people. I found tertg that a long-term member didn’t relate well to the further fns of what ed to be lled the 'gay muny', sayg: "How I dislike 'LGBT+'. We're all gay men.

RI TO LONDON'S GAY PAST FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH

His pot has an element of tth, unfortunately, as we do seem to attract jt gay mal; my unrstandg, though, is cyclg general ntu to be domated by male cyclists.

Founr member Graham thks that as CycleOut is volved events such as Pri, helps create a 'non-stereotyped' picture of gay guys, and Mike agre that the group helps wh visibily: "Like all other LBGT+ sports clubs, shows that LGBT+ people are multi-faceted, and for the members, provis a welg home to meet like-md people. Stephen says that: "As a gay cyclist, the ma asset has been the existence, survival and hopefully flourishg of the club. When we asked members to look to the future, founr member Tony thought that "there may not be any need for a gay group'' but also felt that "there's a different irreverent attu to life which mak a gay group worthwhile.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSSEE ALL THGS TO DOGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

New member Daniel also thks there will ntue to be a place specifilly for the LGBT+ dience: "I am nfint the group will exist for along time, to help gay people like me e together", as do fellow new cyclist Joe: "Hopefully, there will ntue to be gay clubs that will ntue to provi safe environments that support both the physil and mental wellbeg of LGBT+ cyclists. Celebrate lbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, tersex and ace / asexual (LGBTQIA+) cyclists and their stori, not jt on key dat... Adopt strict zero-tolerance polici of biphobia, homophobia, lbophobia and transphobia (and siar).

In recent months, we have seen disturbg allegatns of homophobia and transphobia surfacg at an ele level cyclg; the have been reported numero media outlets:.

In Clay Davi’ terview July 2021 wh the Brish Contental and on the BBC LGBT Sport Podst, he raised issu of ‘homophobic slurs beg thrown around, management led issu, nothg beg done when anythg appropriate, laddish or homophobic is said' pl 'ach and team management fdg hilar.

'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

In another Brish Contental article, a male junr rir reported ‘laddish behavur, homophobic slurs and said ‘In my experience, Brish Cyclg do not re about this issue. Countls tim I have been at Brish Cyclg-n ssns and a rir has said somethg homophobic, transphobic... Chief Executive, Brian Facer said: ‘It has been eply worryg to read recent weeks reports about the homophobia and transphobia to which some of our fellow cyclists have been subjected … I wanted to take an opportuny to say this: homophobia and transphobia are not acceptable our sport.

’Gay ele cyclist Clay Davi opens up about homophobia he’s experienced sport and the “pretty low basele of unrstandg” of LGBTQIA+ cln wh Brish Cyclg. ’ The article went on to highlight 'of the 978 rirs the men’s pro peloton, none are gay’ and proposed ‘the probabily that all are straight is one ten trilln.