Gay Games 2018 has potential to be in Orlando

By Bethany Dickens

Contributing Writer


Published: Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Updated: Thursday, April 11, 2013 08:04





Courtesy of Federation of Gay Games

Sports for the Gay Games include traditional events such as cycling, swimming & track and field, as well as categories such as cheer, darts and bodybuilding.

If you were playing a word association game with the phrase “Olympic athlete,” you might come up with the following adjectives: strength, power and excellence. And you may be less likely to go with participation, inclusion and personal best.

Converge Orlando, Inc. is hoping to change that — at least for those in the Central Florida area. The company has put in a bid to make Orlando the site of the 2018 Gay Games. This unique sporting and cultural event promotes respect and social awareness in athletes, instead of bulging muscles and aerobic endurance. The sporting events are flexible, with participants determining what should be included. Local sports — gator wrestling, anyone? — are highlighted. Niche activities can be enjoyed by athletes at any level of fitness.

While this feel-good description makes the games sound lightweight, participants actually pack a hefty economic punch. The Gay Games is the largest sporting event of its kind. Ann Gynn, director of marketing and communications for Gay Games 9 in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, said the games will bring $57 million dollars to the region. This information is quite meaningful, considering Florida’s near-absolute reliance on tourism, which became evident following the 2008 recession. The Federation of Gay Games has expressed concern that Florida may not prove as inclusive as the games themselves. But given the popularity and revenues of Disney’s Gay Days, Florida’s history of conservatism will probably not prove much of an obstacle.

Nicholas Simons, UCF’s OUTreach Advocacy Board student director, agreed with this perspective. He will soon be the director of the new Pride Coalition, which facilitates educational programming that promotes diversity and inclusiveness on campus, according to the Pride Coalition website.

Simons said Orlando could be a viable destination for the 2018 Gay Games.

“You have UCF. You have the Disney area. I think generally Orlando is an accepting city, especially because we have support from the city of Orlando as well as Orange County, which both have anti-discrimination protections and domestic partnership registries,” he said.

Converge Orlando project manager Gabrielle Shulruff wrote in an email that Orlando offers “world-renowned venues, boundless hospitality experience and thriving LGBT and allied communities.”

Orlando will face off against London, which is also bidding to host Gay Games 10.

Shulruff said London is steeped in history, but she feels Orlando’s variety of travel options makes it an ideal location. According to its website, one of Converge’s goals has been to take a percentage of these tourism dollars for Orlando.

The Gay Games’ chosen location is not exclusively about glitz and glamour, however. Gynn said the 2014 Gay Games are being held in the Cleveland/Akron area in part due to its “reputation in the LGBT community as a great destination” and its strategic position “in America’s heartland.”

“Cleveland and Akron are the smallest regions to ever host the games,” Gynn said. “The Gay Games will require the entire community to work together.”

And Orlando has at least one community known for coming together for special events. When asked if UCF students would want to participate in the 2018 event, Nicholas Simons said absolutely. Shulruff said she would like to see UCF students be more active during the event, and that the games will offer a chance for UCF students to become involved in a number of ways, including internships.

If the Gay Games are held in Orlando in 2018, UCF’s LGBTQ community would have the opportunity to participate in games and help raise awareness for diversity and respect. Pride Coalition and LGBTQ Student Services have been actively involved in the community, and the Gay Games would provide a new and exciting opportunity for outreach.

Shulruff said Orlando does not have the equality enjoyed by some other cities in the running, and hosting the Gay Games could help change that.

“We are on the cusp of equality,” she said. “This could really push us over the edge.”

UCF students should take note as Converge continues to pursue its bid for making Orlando the site for Gay Games 10.

While 2018 is a long way off, Simons agreed partnerships would be possible. After all, the Gay Games’ effect comes in more than dollars, and its purpose is more than providing a fun outlet for oddball sports. When it comes to celebrating history for the LGBTQ community, tourist dollars are temporal in comparison with the exciting opportunities the games will offer. These include community collaboration, opportunities for UCF students, and, of course, participation, inclusion and personal best.

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