Although this year may be the first time many Oak Parkers have heard about the Gay Games, these games are actually a 20-year tradition that include about 1,200 athletes from more than 70 countries. The athletes hail from many places where the attitude sharply contrasts with Oak Park.
Janus Jenzis, a tennis player from Latvia, compared the gay-friendly nature of the Chicago area to the atmosphere of his home country. “It was strange for me that also people here feel this discrimination, he said. “If you compare it, it’s very free how things are here.”
John McNamarra, who traveled from Dublin, Ireland, with his “football” team, provided a more optimistic perspective. “In terms of visibility and profile, there is a very vibrant gay and lesbian scene in Dublin,” McNamarra said. “We’ll probably have civil partnership rights in about 18 months, so that’s an important step forward. Gays are very much part of the mainstream, which is great.”
Even some places in the United States aren’t there yet. Emma Scott, a badminton player, said her community in Houston is very conservative. But she and her friends find ways around that through involvement in gay and lesbian organizations. “In my community… we have about five or six couples that live on the street with us,” she said.
Visibility
Unlike the Olympic competitors, the athletes we interviewed were more likely to say they were here to meet other gay people and to make a statement about gay athletes than to strive for medals.
“The most important [thing] is to have fun and enjoy,” said Michael Heldsdoerfer, a badminton player from Cologne, Germany. “If we get metals, okay, but that’s not so important.”
The opening ceremonies renewed that camaraderie. Bob Vinkler, a tennis player from Cleveland, said that running onto Soldier Field and then forming the rainbow flag out of colored lights was a special experience.
It was more than an experience for Joe Turanlich, from Antioch, Calif. It was a symbol. “I know that there was a lot of national news coverage,” he added. “It’s beginning to show the gay influence in athletics.”
