Pride success
The 2010 Pride House organising committee released the findings for the first ever Olympic and Paralympic Pride House Pavilion. The report outlined the successes and experiences of the pavilion at the Vancouver Winter Games.
It will be passed on to future organising groups for London 2012, and Sochi in 2014 to help break down the barriers of homophobia and transphobia that exist in the sports world and in general.
“Sport has the power to help address homophobic and transphobic violence and harassment,” said Pride House Founder and Executive Producer Dean Nelson.
“We hope that what we learned from these past games will continue in London 2012 and Sochi in 2014.”
Gay New Zealand speed skater Blake Skjellerup (pictured) was not out when he competed at the games but spent time at the Pride house pavilion. He credits this experience with inspiring him to come out publicly after the games.
Jennifer Birch-Jones, author of the report says there is still much work left to do to address homophobia and transphobia in sport.
“This historic first ever Pride house is a true beacon of hope and a catalyst for positive change in the LGBT community here in Canada and around the world,” she said.
info: You can download the full report from: www.gaywhistler.com
