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July 18, 2006

First day of competition at Gay Games a success despite heat

First day of competition at Gay Games a success despite heat

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)

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