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The
weather looks to be brutal in Chicago this weekend and
next week, with the heat index climbing over 100. Better
bring your SPF30 sun screen! - CZ
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USA Today:
"Former NFL player Tuaolo feels
‘free' to participate."
Tuaolo, as the article says, will be playing football with
Team Outsports (Jim and Cyd organized the team). By the way,
the author of this article, Ross Forman, will be
contributing to Outsports' Gay Games coverage next week.
- CZ
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Trash talking
is in full swing in flag football. In the
article about Tuaolo, Chicago Flames captain Will Ward
lays down some smack: "I
hope he's not ashamed to be on the team that wins the silver
(medal), because we're gonna win it all."
Gosh, thanks Will. At least now I'll be ready when your team
crushes us. Thanks for the warning!
- CZ
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While most of
the participants at the Gay Games are from North America,
dozens of countries are represented. That includes a lesbian
softball team from Taiwan, MoreLes. They are here in part
thanks to the
Gay Games scholarship,
which is
also helping participants from Uruguay, Croatia,
India,
Chile, Tanzania, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and
China.
We caught up with their
captain, Amy Fu, earlier this week:
 Outsports:
How long has your team played together?
Fu: MoreLes Softball Team is the only existing
lesbian softball team in Taiwan. It was established in
November 2001. We practice every Sunday for three-and-a-half
hours.
OS: Have you or anyone else on the team been to the
Gay Games before?
Fu: Yes, five of us actually participated in Sydney
2002 women's basketball event. That was the first time the
flag of Taiwan appeared at the Gay Games. I was the captain
and also the organizer for that team as well. Since 2004 we
have been promoting the Gay Games among the gay and lesbian
communities in Taiwan by sharing our experiences.
OS: What are you most looking forward to about the
Gay Games?
Fu: I am a competitor. Other than taking our team up
the international level, I am looking forward to meeting
local Asian gay people and players on other teams. This will
be an awesome chance for me and my teammates to do some
cultural exchange and bring the experiences back to Taiwan.
OS: Is the Taiwanese culture generally accepting of
gays and lesbians?
Fu: No. In 2002, a week before departure to Sydney,
one of the basketball players had to drop out because her
parents found out her sexual orientation. She was locked-up
and communication was cut off. Fortunately, this year
everyone was able to make it. Many of our players have no
choice but to live away from home because they don't want to
risk the chance of being found out by their family. My
girlfriend, who is the manager for the team, came out to her
parents. They practically disowned her and simply don't want
to hear anything about "it". So it's a big taboo in
Taiwanese culture. Although there had been gay parade or gay
pride events sponsored by the Taipei government in the past
five years, we are still very much underground at work and
at home.
OS: What are the laws surrounding gays and lesbians
in Taiwan? Are they protected from discrimination?
Fu: I believe there is no law protecting us from
discrimination against gay and lesbians. The media often
associate homosexuals with murder cases, sex, AIDS, drugs,
and other illegal activities with much negative
exaggeration.
OS: Are there other gay sports teams in Taiwan?
Fu: There might be some gay swimmers coming to
compete. But we didn't correspond after I gave them the
information.
Their
team plays Monday at 9:10am and 12:40pm and Tuesday at
10:20am. - CZ |
The Diary of a Gay Games Virgin
Gallery: A look back at Sydney 2002
(200+ photos)
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