As the Chicago area continues to prep itself for the opening ceremonies of Gay Games VII at Soldier Field on Saturday, July 15, as well as the entirety of the international event being staged in Chicago, Evanston, Hyde Park and Oak Park through July 22, Wednesday Journal caught up with Brad Bartels, co-chair of the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association (OPALGA) for his perspective on the political, social and economic impact.
Wednesday Journal: What does hosting the Gay Games mean to OPALGA?
Bartels: The Games are a wonderful symbol for us.
The event provides an opportunity for people to come together from all walks of life to truly experience a feeling of sportsmanship and congeniality. It is also a great chance for people to understand a little bit more about the variety within the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities.
WJ: Why Oak Park?
Bartels: Bringing the Gay Games to Oak Park further solidifies the Villages’ commitment to diversity in all shapes, sizes, forms and varieties. The Games will help to build an understanding within the Village, and also to a lesser degree, it confronts misconceptions and prejudice around the LGBT community. It will bring international tourists here who may not have known about Oak Park, giving them an opportunity to see what we have to offer, which will provide a financial boost in the dog days of summer.
WJ: How has OPALGA been involved?
Bartels: OPALGA is one of the largest, community-based Gay and Lesbian organizations in the state of Illinois. We have about 400 members from all over Chicago land, with a good percentage of those being in Oak Park. We first teamed up with the Oak Park Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and now OPALGA members are participating in the Games both as athletes and volunteers. Volunteers are a very important cog in this, and we do need more. They will be working on the sporting events, as well as providing logistical and general support. I have personally volunteered for four of the five days that the games are here. My guess is that I will be doing a little bit of everything.
WJ: Why are more Gays and Lesbians settling in Oak Park?
Bartels: It is related to the movement in the late 60s and 70s around building diversity, from a black/white standpoint. In the 70s and 80s more Gays and Lesbians moved from the city and rural areas into Oak Park for the exact same reasons everyone else did?#34;for the quality of life, the very good schools, and the wonderful housing stock. We are single, partnered, and have families. Oak Park has provided a place where Gays and Lesbians can feel very comfortable being who we are in a welcoming and accepting environment with our neighbors and friends.
WJ: Why should non-gays attend Gay Games VII?
Bartels: If you believe that diversity is a cornerstone of Oak Park, and it is something that is both cherished and nurtured, then you want to build diversity in its fullest spectrum here. Our involvement is an example of Oak Park going out of its way to promote its principles. The Games were created back in San Francisco 25 years ago to promote the notion that people can be brought together through sports. To have a Gay Games, as opposed to just having Games, encourages Gay and Lesbian athletes and participants to come together as a community in terms of people who want to compete and people who want to be involved.
WJ: Why not focus on a federal marriage amendment, or general discrimination instead of sports?
Bartels: It is true that our community needs to be extremely focused on those issues, but we also have to break down stereotypes in other ways. Within our communities, there is a big push to come out so people can recognize that we are their neighbors, friends, and family members. What a powerful message that would be. The Gay Games is a part of that. Someone may not be able to relate to the issues of Gay marriage, but they may be able to relate to Gay athletes who play sports.
WJ: Why should straight athletes participate in the Gay Games?
Bartels: There is certainly not a double standard, where a person who is a heterosexual would need to be closeted to compete in the Games. These Games are not about that. There is no requirement that a person be Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender or even questioning. It is just about participating. Having one Gay person and one straight person in a paired competition, for example, sends a powerful message that the two communities can work together. Gay people will often joke that a person is playing on his or her team, meaning that he or she is a Lesbian or Gay, and that they are one of us. With the Gay Games, it is really about diversity, so there isn’t any my team. We are promoting the idea of sportsmanship and working together as a universal team, while rallying behind an event that highlights the best athletes of our communities.