1st World Outgames: Pride, Excitement and Euphoria during Opening Ceremonies
Montréal, 30 July
2006 – Pride, excitement and
euphoria filled Montréal’s Olympic
Stadium last night when the opening ceremonies
of the first World Outgames did what no other
LGBT sporting event has done before—wedding
the determination for global LGBT human rights
and the desire to compete and strive for one’s
personal best
As the stadium filled, the spectators were told of the 20 plus countries where being gay or lesbian is considered a criminal activity. As the athletes streamed in, the athletes from those countries were singled out and given a rousing welcome by the thousands watching the spectacle unfold.
More than 12,000 athletes filled the stadium floor surrounding a stage that supported an audio-visual live performance space that rivaled anything the LGBT sports world has ever scene. Before the 40,000 plus audience was entertained by the likes of k.d. lang, Cirque de Soliel, Martha “It’s Raining Men” Wash and Canadian favorites Deborah Cox, Sylvie Desgroseilliers, Diane Dufresne and Jonas, they were treated to a short program of welcomes and the presentation of the Declaration of Montreal, the now definitive charge to the world’s governments and sports organizations alike to combat homophobia and grant LGBT people full human and civil rights.
Montréal’s mayor,
Gérald Tremblay, was greeted with a 5 minute
standing ovation. He tried unsuccessfully to
start his speech only to be interrupted by the
cheers and support of a grateful crowd. “I
know some of you are from nations where your
sexual orientation can send you to jail or even
cause your death,” Tremblay said. “Your
presence here encourages us to continue working
for a better world.” Montreal’s
mayor was joined on stage by representatives
of the provincial and federal governments.
Gay and Lesbian International Sports
Association (GLISA) co-chair Catherine Meade
of Halifax thanked the City of Montréal for making
the Outgames dream come true. She told the crowd “Be
open, take part, join in, let your spirit of
celebration soar.” GLISA is Outgames governing
body.
Thomas K. Dolan of Vancouver, GLISA other co-chair told the athletes that Outgames is a celebration created to empower each of them. “You have shattered the illusion that anyone can take away your power,” he said. “There’s no such thing as LGBT sport, just powerful LGBT people playing sport.”
Olympic gold medal swimmer and Outgames co-President, Mark Tewksbury, joined his GLISA board members in welcoming the athletes. “When I swam at the Olympics in Seoul I felt all alone. I don’t feel like that anymore,” he told a cheering crowd. “Together we have all made this happen. Long live the Outgames and long live your memories of being of the first!”
Tewksbury returned to the stage
later in the program accompanied by tennis great,
Martina Navritilova. Together they presented
the Declaration of Montréal to the athletes,
who represented 111 countries, and to everyone
else at the stadium.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and right,” they said together quoting from the famous first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted almost six decades ago by the United Nations General Assembly.
They then enumerated the main points of the Declaration:
- Urging the international community to pressure the governments of countries that continue to violate the essential human rights of LGBT people
- Urging donor counties and international institution to increase their financial support for HIV/AIDS prevention programs and calling on them to work with local LGBT health groups to make sure LGBT people are included their work
- Urging governments to put LGBT human rights on the new UN Human Rights Council’s agenda
- Demanding the same residence rights in countries throughout the world enjoyed by different-sex couples for same-sex couples
- Demanding that international treaties on these matters be reformed and grant same-sex couples the same rights as different-sex couples
- Demanding that the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and other LGBT organizations be granted NGO (non-governmental organization) status so that they can consult with the Human Rights Council and all other UN agencies
Navritilova and Tewksbury closed the presentation by telling the crowd in unison “Brothers and sisters from all around the world, we are Muslims, Christian, Jews, non-believers, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs.
We are humans!”
Once the speeches were done and Tremblay declared the games officially open, the performers brought down the house.
From rock to disco to performance art to absolute torch and twang, each of the singers welcomed the athletes with sheer joy. Interspersed among the performances were videos of prominent Canadians welcoming the world to Montreal. The first clip was of the Dr. Rev. Brent Hawkes, the first pastor to celebrate a same-sex wedding in Canada. He spoke of how proud he was to have helped pave the way for full marriage rights for all LGBT people throughout his nation. The last clip was of Montreal favorite and internationally acclaimed singer Céline Dion.
Dion welcomed the athletes to Outgames. “The 1st World Outgames in Montréal are a wonderful occasion to celebrate the love that binds us,” she said. “It is a celebration of sport, culture and human rights in a spirit of true inclusion regardless of sexual orientation. I know in my heart that the 1st World Outgames in Montréal will be an unforgettable moment in our struggle for tolerance.”
After the ceremony was over, rue
de Saint-Catherine—the main street of Montréal’s
gay village—was populated to overflow by
the Outgames athletes. Since Outgames’ activities
began on 29 July with the International Conference
on LGBT Human Rights, the merchants of Le Village
have reported record sales.
The other gathering spot that was filled to capacity was the Square Viger, the nightly gathering spot Outgames is producing to entertain the athletes each evening. Thousands have been converging there each night to celebrate, as Dion said, “the love that binds us” and their personal best.
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