Come enjoy a fun evening of food, entertainment and a fabulous silent auction while supporting the GLBT Historical Society, home of Sporting Life, the world's first GLBT sports exhibit of its kind!


Thursday, September 28, 6 - 9pm
VIP Reception, 5 - 6pm
Location: Terra, 511 Harrison Street, SF

Join special guests
Billie Jean King and Esera Tuaolo
as we celebrate our 21st birthday!

GLBT Historical society

Buy Tickets

Outsports feature article on Sporting Life.

SF Chronicle article about Sporting Life

San Jose Mercury News article about Sporting Life

More info and videos about Sporting Life: GLBT Athletics and Cultural Change From the 1960s to Today

Photos of Billie Jean King honored at US Open opening day.

My interview with Billie Jean King

My interview with Esera Tuaolo

Esera at Gay Games wins gold with Team Outsports flag football

Esera's website

The GLBT Historical Society’s 22nd Annual Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, September 28 from 6pm - 9pm at Terra (511 Harrison Street, San Francisco). Named after Willie Walker, the founder of the GLBT Historical Society, the Walker Award honors individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the civic life of the GLBT community.

This year’s honorees are professional tennis legend Billie Jean King and former National Football League player Esera Tuaolo. The evening will feature fine wines and appetizers from notable local restaurants, live entertainment, dancing to a DJ, and the opportunity to meet the honorees in a special pre-ceremony gala reception.

“More than ever before, it is critical to honor the heroes in our midst,” said Terence Kissak, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. “This year, with the launching of the Out Games in Montreal and the continued flourishing of the Gay Games in Chicago, we felt it was appropriate to honor lesbian and gay athletes who tore down huge barriers in their respective sports: Billie Jean King and Esera Tuaolo.

Their unmatched achievements in professional sports, commitment to creating a just and equitable society, and personal journey continue to inspire people of all backgrounds to pursue their passions and dreams.”

Billie Jean King, one of the most illustrious and celebrated tennis players in history, is recognized for spearheading the women's movement in tennis and for her life-long struggle for equality in women's tennis. King empowered women and educated men when she defeated Bobby Riggs in one of the greatest moments in sports history – the Battle of the Sexes in 1973. King, who has coached Olympic and Fed Cup teams, led the U.S. squad to four Olympic medals and the 1976, 1996, 1999 and 2000 Fed Cup titles.

In 2003 she received two of the tennis world’s highest honors. King was awarded the prestigious Philippe Chatrier Award, the International Tennis Federation’s highest honor, recognizing individuals for their contribution to tennis and was one of six inaugural inductees into the Court of Champions at the USTA National Tennis Center. She won a record 20 Wimbledon titles - six of them in singles - the U.S. Open four times, the French Open and the Australian Open. She was ranked No. 1 in the world five times and was in the Top 10 a total of 17 years.

In 2002, Esera Tuaolo became only the third former National Football League player to come out. Born in Oahu and of Samoan ancestry, Tuaolo was selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft after playing college ball at Oregon State University where he was an All Pac 10 selection.

An accomplished singer, Tuaolo was the first professional football player to sing the national anthem during a nationally televised game. Nicknamed "Mr. Aloha", Tuaolo played nose tackle for several teams in his career, reaching the Superbowl while playing with the Atlanta Falcons. He also played for the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers during his nine-year career. His autobiography "Alone In The Trenches: My Life As A Gay Man In The NFL" was released in Spring 2006.

The importance of the Walker Awards is demonstrated by the stature of the honorary host committee: Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer; Congressperson Nancy Pelosi; California Assemblymember Mark Leno; San Francisco City Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Ross Mirkarimi; Angela Alioto-Pier, Bevan Dufty, and Fiona Ma; San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros; San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioner Susan Leal; historian Dr. Susan Stryker; San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez; and El Cerrito Supervisor John Gioia. This year’s awards gala is sponsored in large part by the Sterling Bank and Trust, as well as Washington Mutual Bank.

Founded in 1985 as a community-based public history organization, the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco has worked to increase public understanding, appreciation and affirmation of the history and culture of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other sexual minority individuals and communities.

Today, the Historical Society maintains and exhibits one of the largest professionally preserved GLBT collections in the world. The archives house hundreds of manuscript collections, thousands of periodical titles, tens of thousands of photographs, and a growing collection of works of fine and graphic arts, artifacts and textiles.

To date, more than sixty books and hundreds of articles have been published drawing on research conducted in the collections of the Historical Society; and numerous documentary films and television programs have reproduced materials from its collections.

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Can't make it to the gala? Donate to the GLBT Historical Society as it expands its multimedia and archival documentation of the LGBT sports movement. Email: info@glbthistory.org

[ September 16, 2006, 12:32 PM: Message edited by: Sports Complex ]

Thanks SC for the event notice. I had no clue and I work a block away from the museum. I'm definitely going to try to make it.

Anyone else interested in going?

[ August 31, 2006, 02:00 PM: Message edited by: Maddog ]

Yes, it's going to be a LOT of fun. Last year's was great, too. I think Esera's going to sing!

Since you're nearby, Maddog (and others), stop by to see the Sporting Life exhibit, now through Dec. 15, Tuesday-Sat., 1:00pm-5:00pm, 657 Mission St. third floor.

And don't miss the post-Games reception, Thursday Dec. 7, 6:00pm-8:00pm. It's free, and more than 60 Gay Games/Outgames athletes have already RSVPed.

Food, drinks, and folks will wear their medals and team jackets/shirts. There'll be a new revised display case with Gay Games VII/Outgames medals and memorabilia.

(PS: I tried to input it in Local Events, but there's a year/data problem).

I've posted a few photos from the GLBT Historical Society gala on Sept. 28, as well as a few pics of the Sept. 7 reception at the Sporting Life exhibit for Gay Games VII and Outgames athletes and participants.

View photos here.

Several hundred people attended, and Billie Jean King visited the Sporting Life exhibit (Esera Tuaolo had done so last year, when he was in SF as grand marshal of LGBT Pride events).

Here's a follow-up article.

http://www.ebar.com/columns/column.php?sec=sports&id=87

It was great when Esera Tuaolo sang a few songs. Once he spotted a ukelele on the stage, I asked one of the band members, and as usual, he helped make the event a lot of fun!

I was wondering if teams/people in any other cities had any such event: celebrating both Gay Games VII and Outgames.

For all the nasty comments I've received about being "biased" toward the Gay Games, I haven't seen any other efforts from critics to actually bring competitors from both events together at an event like this.