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Chicago’s Gay Games 2006: Shit, this looks awesome.
D.C. has submitted its formal, 237-page bid to host the 2014 Gay Games, the Washington Blade reports. The District will compete with Boston and Cleveland for the honors of putting on this gay Olympics of sorts.
The bid included a letter from Mayor Adrian Fenty declaring: “Please know that the District of Columbia stands with you as a full partner in this bid. We will work with you to provide the resources necessary to ensure the most successful games in history.”
The bid outlined specific details about the District’s plans for official ceremonies, games, and social events, including beach volleyball “alongside the Potomac River in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial,” a “gay gospel concert,” and a film festival hosted by LGBT film organization Reel Affirmations.
The bid also outlines plans to reach out to younger competitors with “exhibition sports like skateboarding, ultimate Frisbee and rock climbing”; female athletes with a “women’s sports symposium”; and children of same-sex couples with “a day at the National Zoo and kite flying on the Mall.”
The D.C. Gay Games Bid Committee also plans to attempt one feat never performed at previous Gay Games: profitability. According to the Blade, “The budget and financial management section of the bid notes that past Games were financially unsuccessful, with the host city benefiting as the organizing committee was left in the red.”
UPDATE: Kevin Boyer, Federation of Gay Games spokesperson, writes in with a correction: “While it is true that some past Gay Games have ended in the red, the 2006 Gay Games broke even. (The 1982 and 1986 Gay Games also ended in the black).”
Photo by Der Etienne