Gay athletes get 'safe space' at Olympics
 

VANCOUVER — Canadian athletes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will have Canada House. The Russians will have Russia House. The Dutch, Holland House.

And now, gay and lesbian athletes will have Pride House.

For the first time in Olympic history, gay athletes will have a unique place to relax, watch events and meet friends.

On Friday, a group called GayWhistler announced it will set up a special clubhouse in partnership with the Pan Pacific Whistler Village hotel.

The free facility will be open to homosexual athletes, their families, friends and fans. It will offer a lounge, television screens and meeting areas.

"It is really important to have a safe space for out athletes, coaches, fans and allies to come and hang out, share their stories, trade pins and have fun," said Dean Nelson, one of the organizers.

That may not sound like much, considering Whistler annually holds a WinterPride celebration and Vancouver has one of Canada's legendarily vibrant gay and lesbian communities.

But Pride House will help break down gender discrimination barriers that have long existed in the Olympics, according to Kevin Wamsley, an Olympic historian.

"For a traditionally conservative festival like the Olympic Games, I think this is significant," said Wamsley, a professor at the University of Western Ontario.

"The (International Olympic Committee) has been skirting around the issue of sexuality since it began."

Wamsley said the Olympics, built around the traditional societal model of strong men and feminine women, has not been a friendly place for homosexuals in the past.

"It has been an uncomfortable issue for the IOC since the 1920s. That's because sport is one of those forms of culture that has produced a gender binary for western and eastern civilizations," he said. "When you start to blur the lines of sexuality people in the past have got the hair on their neck up."

Nelson said he and several others started working to create Pride House about three years ago as an extension of efforts GayWhistler and others made to hold the North American Gay Games.

"There is a huge contingent of athletes out there, some of them are Olympic calibre. The Olympics is generally a pretty homophobic structure where being out is not really encouraged," he said. "We're hoping we can be a catalyst and change that perception, that you can be your authentic self."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/ath...672/story.html

That's pretty gay

Sounds pretty interesting, don't mind it at all!

for the Olympics i will be setting up the opposite of the gay house. it will be called the straight house. and the only sport we will watch will be hockey.

That's the stupidest shit ever. Eliminate discrimination by using segregation. Homophobic olympic athletes must be having a field day after hearing this. Let's make a black house, then put all the black people in it. That should eliminate racism against black athletes, right?

I'll be over to install the 62in TV and stripper pole.

:haha:

Thats pretty awesome.

Way to single them out and round them up?

LOLLLLLLLL hahahahah :werd:

n the Gay Games hahahah :lol:rofl::haha:

wtf, why would they use segregation?

They should be with the rest of their countrymen/women

Actually, the Olympic village is a mass partying orgy between the athletes. This will allow the gay/lesbians to meet easier.

So to be clear, this is not an official Olympics thing, but some random group is doing it?

I'm aware of that, but it just seems right to me to keep the official housing by country. I missed that this wasn't an official Olympics thing.

All good! :)

that's true, but the guy's an idiot for saying this will eliminate discrimination. if anything, it further promotes discrimination by segregating a particle type of people

good point

Hopefully the house isn't targeted..

seems about right

what segregation? its open to gay athletes, family, friends, and fans as it states in the article. sounds pretty open and welcoming to anyone who wishes to visit. would you call a pride parade segregation?

It's not segregation at all. Certain groups are also part of a distinct community. Since we have an identifiable gay community, it makes sense that gay athletes and supporters should have their own club house to socialize.

Is there really that much discrimination within the ranks of Olympic athletes they
d even need such a place? Most athletes I've met who compete at that level are so laser focused on what they do, they don't have time to be judgemental and prejudicial.