Why the First Gay Olympics Was a Watershed Moment Sports | HISTORY

Contents:

• WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS
• A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS
• FIRST GAY OLYMPIAN HISTORY PETED 1928
• WELE TO THE ‘GAY GAM,’ AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE OLYMPICS, WHERE ACTIVISM IS ENURAGED AND EVERYONE’S AN ATHLETE

WHY THE FIRST GAY OLYMPICS WAS A WATERSHED MOMENT SPORTS

Sger Ta Turner was the ma draw at the openg ceremony San Francis for the first Gay Gam 1982, but cy supervisor Doris Ward may have received the biggt reactn om the crowd. “She said, ‘I’d like to ve you all to the first-ever Gay Olympics, ’” remembers Jim Hahn, one of roughly 1. ”But Gay Gam I, which ran om Augt 28-September 5, 1982, faced many challeng, cludg the U.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OPENLY GAY OLYMPIANS

Olympic Commtee's lawsu barrg the event om g the name "Gay Olympics.

You uld have an Olympics for anythg, ” says Shamey Cramer, a swimmer who -led Team Los Angel the first Gam, “but heaven forbid you should be gay or lbian.

Succeed blockg the official e of the term "Olympic, " but the lawsu galvanized support for the Gam, pecially among the gay muny.

FIRST GAY OLYMPIAN HISTORY PETED 1928

Participants the gural event today rell Gay Gam I as a watershed moment for gay athlet around the world.

"When I walk to the [Gay Gam] openg ceremoni, " says Hahn, "I always get that sense of history g back. Olympian Helps Organize Gay GamAthlet wave to the crowd at the 1994 Gay Gam New openg ceremony at the 1994 Gay Gam New skatg petors at the 1994 Gay Gam New closg ceremony for the 1994 Gay Gam New York was held at Yankee men's softball fal at the 1994 Gay Gam was held Central Gay Gam clu a body-buildg the 2002 Gay Gam Sydney, Atralia, nners ngratulate each other at the 5, 000-meter fal. Combs pete the dancport petn at the Gay Gam Chigo 2006.

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

Olympian, was one of the lead anizers of the first Gay Gam. Like many other LGBT athlet, Wadll wanted to make a siar, powerful statement wh an event for gay MORE: 8 Memorable Protts by Amerin Athlet “You were eher a drag queen or the leather muny—those were the stereotyp that were prented to the public at that time, ” says Rick Thoman, a track and field athlete who peted the first Gay Gam. “They never thought that we were able to be athletic and be gay at the same time.

”A number of gay and lbian sports leagu emerged the 1970s, as the LGBT muny gradually announced self to mastream society. Still, many outlets for gay athlet, namely bowlg and billiards leagu, were still tied to the bars that had served as safe harbors for s. “The Gam offer another place to ‘e out’ bis a dark bar, ” Jill Ramsay, the chair of swimmg and divg at the first Gam, told the Bay Area Reporter, one of the natn's first gay newspapers,  1982.

READ MORE: Harvey Milk, in the gay munyLike the mpaigns of gay polician Harvey Milk, a well-known muny anizer, the first Gay Gam were a grassroots project. Wadll ed an irong board as a makhift sign-up table for the Gam on a street rner the Castro, a hub of San Francis's gay muny. Wadll said the first Gay Gam were put on wh a most budget: $220, 000.