Navratilova supports
Outgames
By BILL BEACON,
slam.canoe.ca from the Web, July 28, 2006
MONTREAL (CP) -- The first
World Outgames will bring much-needed visibility to the gay and lesbian
community, tennis star Martina Navratilova said Friday.
She called the July-29-Aug. 5 games "a way to be visible to the outside world.
"It's very easy to discriminate when it's against a group of people you don't
know, but once you put a face on the group, it's much more difficult to do so.
"So it's very important for us to be out there and let the heterosexual
community know who we are and what we're all about and sports is a great way of
putting that out there."
Navratilova, one of the all-time greats of women's tennis with 18 grand slam
tournament wins, and Olympic swimming gold medallist Mark Tewksbury, the
co-president of the games organizing committee, are to read a Declaration of
Montreal at the opening ceremonies on Saturday.
The World Outgames are expected to draw 13,000 gay, lesbian and transgender
participants from more than 100 countries in 35 sports and games -- from hockey
to tennis, pool and bridge -- and six cultural competitions in events like
cheerleading, square dancing and a gay staple -- dressing in leather.
The games were preceded by a three-day conference on gay and lesbian human
rights in which Navratilova took part.
The competitions are open to gay and straight participants and anyone can enter.
And they are sanctioned by the world governing bodies of the various sports.
The Outgames fall a week after the completion of a similar event, the Gay Games,
which were originally to be held in Montreal but were moved to Chicago after a
series of disputes between Gay Games officials and the Montreal organizing
committee.
The Montreal committee organized its own event through a new international games
committee, which has already awarded the 2009 Outgames to Copenhagen.
Navratilova and Tewksbury, two of the most prominent openly gay athletes, signed
the guestbook at City Hall with mayor Gerald Tremblay, who Navratilova called "a
fabulous mayor who is well ahead of his time as far as social issues are
concerned."
That tied it 1-1 for the day in remarks about politicians.
Earlier Friday, singer K.D. Lang slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper for not
attending the games.
Lang said Harper chose to "support intolerance" by not making an appearance.
A spokesman for the prime minister said other Conservative MPs will attend and
that he was unable to accept every invitation he receives to public events.
Lang is to sing at the opening ceremonies at Olympic Stadium, along with Quebec
chanteuse Diane Dufresne and other acts, including the acclaimed Cirque du
Soleil.
It was uncertain how many people would attend. This week, organizers
concerned at slow sales for the ceremonies offered two-for-one tickets.
Navratilova will not compete in the games, although the 49-year-old will return
to Montreal in August to defend the doubles title she won with German Anna-Lena
Groenefeld at last year's Rogers Cup tournament.
The Prague native was one of the first top athletes to declare her sexual
orientation at the height of her career in the 1980s.
"It was a matter of dignity, of being who I am, and also hopefully making it
easier for the next generation to be out and proud," she said.
She also urged other gay athletes to identify themselves, although she admitted
it would be difficult in the "macho" world of men's team sports.
"I would like to see more athletes in individual sports like golf and tennis be
a little more brave and come out," she added. "(Sports like) swimming, and
track and field, where you're judged only on your performance, you really have
no excuse.
"And I think you owe it to society, to the next generation, to be out and to be
a good example of who we are.
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