Some of the Gay
Games' 12,000 athletes from around the world kicked
off the first day of competition Sunday in Chicago. As the
heat index rose to 100, competitors in 14 events,
including bowling, swimming, and tennis, turned out
around the city to show not only their sports ability
but also their pride, The Chicago Tribune reports.
"I've never seen anything like this," Ben
Thompson, 24, a University of Chicago student who was
volunteering at the Games with his boyfriend, told the
Tribune. "It's like a giant weeklong sports
party. We're trying to pack in as much as we can."
Crowds ranging from a few people to several
hundred showed their interest and support at venues
throughout Chicago and its suburbs, particularly in
Crystal Lake, where the rowing competition occurred Sunday.
Earlier this year the event caused controversy in the
town when some residents--and local
officials--decided they didn't want to host it.
Permission for the competition on the town's
lake was granted anyway, and although several
protesters showed up in opposition on Sunday, they were
outnumbered by an enthusiastic audience of at least 650, the
Tribune reports. The frequent cheers from the
crowd drowned out the protesters' antigay message.
"I totally forgot about it until we got here and
I saw the protesters," Cindy Poe, the only lesbian
competing as part of the Mendota Rowing Club from
Madison, Wis., said of the fading controversy. "My
attitude is, I'm going to do my thing and let them do theirs."
Added fan Sandra Davidson: "I came here to let
[protesters] know I have every right to be
here--and to be seen. We made a point to come to
this event because of the controversy."
And although a heat advisory was in effect, only
two athletes--a tennis player and a
cheerleader--had to be taken to the hospital for
heat-related conditions, a Gay Games spokesperson
said. (The Advocate)
