PHOENIX, Ariz. — Pro basketball player Brittney Griner announced she’s cut a deal with Disney ABC, the owner of ESPN, to at long last tell her story. One year after her release from a Russian gulag, Griner says she’s decided to share her experiences with Robin Roberts of ABC’s Good Morning America, herself a former basketball player and, like Griner, an out married gay woman.

“The last two years have been the most harrowing, transformative and illuminating period of my life, and I am grateful to be in a place now to share my story with the world,” said Griner in a press release, announcing multiple projects. “I’m proud to partner with ESPN and Disney to share this very personal story because of its incredible potential to inspire hope around the world and their proven ability to do just that.”

Except for news conferences, this will be the first time the world will hear Griner speak at length about her arrest, trial and imprisonment in Russia, her release and return to the hardwood.

Griner and her wife Cherelle announced the projects just days after posting a holiday message on their Instagram to mark the first anniversary of the WNBA player’s release from that Russian penal colony, as the Los Angeles Blade reported.

“One year ago today, because of President Biden, his team and the support of many of you, our family was one of the 58 families made whole by this Administration,” the Griners wrote in the message, which was posted to Instagram.

The Griner’s holiday message: Remember Americans still detained

In addition to her first sit-down interview with Roberts, the Phoenix Mercury star will also appear in an ESPN documentary.

Griner’s wife will serve as an executive producer on the projects, Cherelle Griner said in a statement. 

“Throughout BG’s detainment and in the time since, ESPN, ABC and Disney were supportive and caring in regards to the human side of this saga,” she said. “Love and family were at the center of the fight to get BG home, and with that in mind, there is no better, more trusted partner to tell that story with us.”

According to the Griners, the documentary will feature exclusive footage and rare archival material that will shed new light on their story, including the circumstances that led to the Mercury center playing overseas in her off-season, what she experienced during her long detainment and her separation from her wife, as well as the fight to gain her freedom and her advocacy for the release of other wrongfully-held detainees.

Brittney Griner’s life story will also be developed for a limited series from ABC Signature, again with her wife at the helm.

No air date was given for these projects.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle released a holiday message on their Instagram marking the first anniversary of the WNBA player’s release from a Russian penal colony.

“One year ago today, because of President Biden, his team and the support of many of you, our family was one of the 58 families made whole by this Administration,” the WNBA star and her wife wrote in the message, which was posted to Instagram.

“We must not forget that our work is not done,” they added. “There are Americans still wrongly detained in countries around the world, including Paul [Whelan] and Evan [Gershkovich] in Russia and several Americans in Venezuela.”

The couple were referencing former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been imprisoned in Russia since 2018, and Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in March of 2023.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cherelle T. Griner (@cherelletgriner)

Russian customs officials in February detained Griner at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage. A court later convicted her of importation of illegal drugs and sentenced her to a 9-year prison sentence in a penal colony.

President Joe Biden on Dec. 8 announced Russia had released Griner in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S. Griner returned to the U.S. the following day.

The Griners wished everyone “a joyous holiday” and urged Americans to “share a story, send a letter or call a representative about one of the many Americans being held away from their families this holiday season.”

By Erin Reed | WASHINGTON – In recent years, those lobbying for restrictions on transgender individuals have focused heavily on sports. Some of the most influential anti-trans lobbyists in this arena, such as Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project, have stated that sports are an easy way to sell anti-trans policies to people who might otherwise reject discrimination.

Initially, the attacks on sports focused on contests of extreme endurance, such as elite swimming. Lately, however, these bans have entered new arenas. Now, there is a new sport where transgender participation is causing controversy: darts.

On Sunday, December 3rd, Victoria Monaghan made history as the first transgender woman to compete in the World Darts Federation’s World Darts Championship. Monaghan, who has played darts since she was 12, mentioned that the New Zealand Darts Council has been incredibly supportive of her participation.

However, recently, after qualifying for the international tournament, opponents of transgender rights attacked her participation. They argued that transgender women should be banned from women’s darts, claiming her participation was unfair due to supposed “biological advantages.”

Martina Navratilova, a famed retired tennis player known for making anti-trans comments, decried Monaghan’s participation, asking, “how the fuck is this acceptable?” The UK-based organization Fair Play For Women, which opposes transgender participation in sports, ridiculed Monaghan for participating, referring to her as a man.

One commentator claimed that trans women had physical advantages such as being able to throwing harder. One of the most outlandish claims, however, came from Dr. Linda Duffy, a sports psychology professor at Middlesex University. She stated that trans women have an advantage due to “cognition and brain structure.”

See Dr. Duffy’s comments here:

Quickly, however, people criticized the idea that trans women have an advantage in darts. Mark Grimshaw, a UK comedian, noted that the conversation swiftly shifted towards the notion that “women’s brains are biologically cognitively inferior to men,” ridiculing this idea as blatantly misogynistic.

TakedownMRAs, a Twitter account focused on opposing men’s rights activism, also ridiculed the notion that trans women have an advantage in darts. Even some who generally support bans on trans individuals expressed concerns, with one person stating, “okay, this is giving the trans movement ammo.”

There is no evidence supporting the idea that transgender women have a biological advantage in darts. Physical attributes such as strength or height are not significant in the game. For instance, one of the all-time best players, Phil Taylor, who is 5’8″, played in a World Darts Championship tournament at 59 years old. Similarly, there is no proof that transgender women possess a “cognitive advantage” over cisgender women in darts.

Recently, transgender participation in sports with no conceivable arguments for any “biological advantage” has come under fire. This is particularly evident in sports like pool. The same group that is attacking Monaghan’s participation in darts also targeted a transgender pool player for participating in a pool tournament.

Additionally, transgender participation in chess has recently faced scrutiny from FIDE, the leading international chess organization. FIDE stated that trans women “do not have any right” to compete in women’s chess categories.

As for Monaghan, she lost in the first round of the tournament. The woman she competed with, Suzanne Smith, gendered her correctly and stated that it was a hard won game that she was glad to get under her belt. Despite the hate that she is receiving from those who oppose her participation, Monaghan states that this is not the norm.

“Most of the women darts players have been really supportive,” she wrote in an article released the day of her match. “and the others are starting to come around.”

****************************************************************************

Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.

Follow her on Twitter (Link)

Website here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/

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The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.

ORLANDO, FL. — Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has made no secret of his Christian faith; just the opposite. But his recently recorded sit-down interview with the chief operating officer of the rabidly anti-LGBTQ group, Focus on the Family, has caused a massive backlash by fans. 

Even though their chat did not include references to what the group’s website calls the gay and lesbian “lifestyle” or the “threat” of “transgenderism,” Cousins used coded language that reinforced the group’s dogma that “same-sex attractions” are a “choice.”

“There are consequences to the choices you make in life, good or bad,” Cousins told Focus on the Family COO Ken Windebank in the Nov. 3^rd Focus on the Family Broadcast on YouTube. “And if you sow good things you’ll reap good things. But if you sow poor decisions, you’ll reap poor decisions.”

Related:

Their conversation was recorded before a packed house at the Sand Lake campus of his father’s mega church in Orlando. Don Cousins is lead pastor at Discovery Church.  The church also has two other campuses in the Central Florida city that ranks fourth highest in the nation for gay and lesbian couples and was ranked the most LGBTQ+ friendly travel destination in the U.S.

In fact, Cousins and Windebank sat in front of a large projection of Lake Eola, site of Come Out with Pride’s annual celebration of the city’s thriving LGBTQ+ population, held Oct. 21, just two weeks before their talk. 

Reports revealing their conversation followed complaints by an anonymous fan of the Minnesota Vikings, who alerted LGBTQ sports journalists about the video.

“It doesn’t matter how innocuous the content in the video is,” said the fan. “Focus on the Family has consistently pushed for abhorrent policies and to enshrine their views into American law. For the Vikings’ franchise quarterback to partner with them is shocking, disappointing, and runs counter to the image the Vikings have tried to project.”  

The Vikings proudly boast on the team’s website that they were the first in the NFL to host a summit and fundraiser focused exclusively on LGBTQ inclusion in sports, back in 2018, and that a front office employee who’s in her 8^th season with the team is an out lesbian. 

The fan also noted what they saw as the hypocrisy of the four-time Pro Bowl player, who Focus on the Family calls an “Ambassador for Christ” and whose Instagram bio describes him as “Believer. Husband. Father.”

“It also runs counter to Cousins’ public image, that of ‘all are welcome’. Focus on the Family has built their political arm on trying to drive people they don’t approve of out of American society.”

It’s easy to see what Focus on the Family says about homosexuality, since it’s right on the group’s website: 

“Focus on the Family is committed to upholding God’s design for the expression of human sexuality: a husband and wife in a marriage relationship. We also hold to the scriptural truth that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings transformation and power over sin. We reach out with compassion and respect to individuals, families, and churches affected by homosexuality.”

Focus on the Family has been headquarted in Colorado Springs since 1977. In the 1990s, the group’s anti-LGBTQ leaders led the fundamentalist charge in support of Amendment 2, a Colorado ballot measure that banned municipalities from including LGBTQ people in their anti-discrimination policies. Although the initiative passed in 1992, in 1995 the Supreme Court found that it violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Almost a decade ago, Cousins himself called homosexuality a sin, saying he’d still welcome a gay teammate because “nobody’s perfect” and he would try to teach him to “follow Jesus.”

“Now, there are a lot of teammates in my locker room right now who may not have a homosexual lifestyle, but they have sins, too,” he told MLive in 2014. “They’re not perfect. So, I don’t say they can’t help us win. Nobody’s perfect. To that degree, we’d welcome him into our locker room and say come help us win, and hopefully I can love him like Jesus and hopefully show him what it means to follow Jesus.”

Fans expressed their anger at Cousins in social media posts: 

kirk cousins supports an anti-LGBTQ group that openly advocates for conversion therapy and rebanning gay marriage https://t.co/KixzDy4DOp

— jordan (@notbubbawallace) November 27, 2023

Focus On the Family is awful. Boooooo Kirk Cousins. https://t.co/bRBDjivfgq

— amityf (@amityf) November 27, 2023

Is it asking too much for there to be more Taijuan Walker, Adam Jones, Sean Doolittle, Connor McDavids in the world and less Kirk Cousins, Phillip Rivers, Drew Brees, Lance Berkmans, etc.

— Adam Seth Moss (@LFNJSinner) November 27, 2023

i guess a hypothetically gay teammate is secretly a threat to your focus on the straight, white, cis, married, republican, evangelical american family fantasies, huh https://t.co/FiHg9QJfgt

— Marissa 🦅🦑⛈️ (@Nats_n_Cats) November 28, 2023

Neither Cousins nor the Vikings responded to a request for comment.

SAN DIEGO — One last time, two soccer icons took to the field in San Diego Saturday night as Seattle’s OL Reign faced New York’s Gotham FC at Snapdragon Stadium. 

In what was the absolutely last, concluding and final end to their respective careers in professional soccer, following more than a few “farewell” games, Megan Rapinoe limped off the pitch and Ali Krieger raised the National Women’s Soccer League championship trophy. 

Ali Krieger went out on top 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4SeEaTev91

— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 12, 2023

And Krieger’s teammates raised her up in victory as well. 

🤩 Her storybook ending, @alikrieger! pic.twitter.com/jnVlwA1tF0

— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) November 12, 2023

History will record World Cup winner Esther González as scoring the go-ahead goal for New York on a header in first-half stoppage time, and that Gotham beat the Reign 2-1. 

🤷‍♀️ Whatever the result tonight, you’re both leaving the game better than you found it. That’s the W.

Enjoy retirement, @mPinoe and @AliKrieger 🙌#NWSLChampionship pic.twitter.com/uApxZ3rhwM

— FIFPRO (@FIFPRO) November 11, 2023

But what true women’s soccer fans will take away from this clash of the champions is watching the pink-haired legend who won two World Cups, an Olympic gold medal and a bronze inexplicably fall to the ground in the third minute. 

As Maitane Lopez of Gotham was dribbling the ball outside the penalty area, Rapinoe ran toward her and suddenly went down. After laying there for a few minutes, Rapinoe refused the stretcher and accepted help from two trainers for the long walk along one end line and then down the sideline to the Reign’s bench.

Rapinoe said later she realized too late how long that walk would be, and told reporters it felt like someone kicked her and she felt “a huge pop” in her Achilles. 

“You don’t always get to have the perfect ending,” said Rapinoe after the match, appearing in good spirits and wearing a walking boot on her right foot. She joked that she’s now just a normal person facing surgery and rehab.

“I’ve had so many perfect endings, even just thinking back to 2019, that was the most perfect whole script you could ever write personally and as a team, just what it meant. On balance, I don’t think anything that negative about it,” said Rapinoe. 

Upon her early exit, Krieger ran over and hugged her former teammate from the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“It’s devastating to see one of the best players in the world have to step out because of injury in the first five minutes of the game,” said Krieger, who told reporters she was “gutted” for Rapinoe. “To have such a buildup to this moment, to have her of anyone, that was devastating, because it does change the game. You want to play against the best players.”

Krieger said she thought Rapinoe hurt her ankle. “I was really upset for her,” she said, and shared part of their conversation. “I said, ‘Just wrap it up and I’ll see you back out here in a couple minutes.’ Then when I saw the sub come on, obviously it was a different story. Immediately you have to switch back on to your team and my job. You have to kind of shut that out.”

Rapinoe announced that she was stepping away from the game for good before this past summer’s Women’s World Cup. At the 2019 World Cup in France, Rapinoe scored six goals, including a penalty in the final against the Netherlands. When she posed with her arms outstretched in victory pose at that championship game, it was an image that conveyed just how dominant was Team USA.

Krieger was also on that 2019 team as well as the U.S. World Cup team that won the title in 2015.

“I don’t think I could dream of a better ending for myself,” Krieger said. “I just want to ride off into the sunset and enjoy this with my family and friends and kids, most importantly, and my teammates. My back hurts, my calves hurt. I love it so much and it’s so much fun. But it’s time. This is the perfect ending for me.”

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings have partnered with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) for a special awareness night where they will host pancreatic cancer survivors at the LA Kings vs. Florida Panthers game on World Pancreatic Cancer Day, November 16th, at Crypto.com Arena. 

The Kings and fans will come together to celebrate the lives of pancreatic cancer survivors, promote awareness, and raise critical funds to fight the disease. Food and beverages will be provided, and each survivor attending will be given a gift bag filled with special items. In addition, survivors in the suite will be honored with a special spotlight during intermission. 

Friends and family looking to attend this event can purchase tickets at this link with a portion of proceeds going to PanCAN’s Purple Stride fundraiser 2024.
WHO:	Los Angeles area survivors will be in attendance)
WHEN:	Thursday, November 16, at 7:30 PM PDT
WHERE:	Crypto.com Arena, 1111 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Hockey Fights Cancer, a campaign started by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, turns 25 this year. To mark the anniversary, NHL.com will be telling stories about Hockey Fights Cancer and those impacted by the disease all season long. Today, NHL.com columnist Dave Stubbs looks at the origins of Hockey Fights Cancer.

It was launched modestly Dec. 3, 1998, with a three-page news release, under the logos of the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association.

“The hockey world unites to fight cancer,” the release was headlined, Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) born as a joint initiative of the NHL, NHLPA, NHL Officials Association, the League’s then-27 teams and a broadcast and corporate partner.

Nearly 25 years later, HFC has grown beyond what anyone in 1998 likely believed it might, more than $32 million raised in its mission to raise awareness of cancer and support the countless number whose lives have been touched by the disease.

“Hockey Fights Cancer has been an incredibly powerful initiative in terms of raising money for research and raising awareness and making people understand the need for education and prevention,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said with HFC’s 25th anniversary approaching next month. “And as importantly, when somebody is inflicted with cancer, knowing that there is a support system, and that the NHL family is there. So it has been an all-encompassing effort which has raised a lot of money at the same time.”

The Commissioner’s view is shared by Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHLPA, who has seen cancer from up close. The former mayor of Boston was diagnosed at age 7 with Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare, aggressive kind of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that primarily affects children.

“As a cancer survivor, I am honored to join the Hockey Fights Cancer team, along with the players, the League and the clubs, as we continue to raise funds for research, increase awareness and provide further support to those who are dealing with this terrible disease,” Walsh said. “The hockey community is one that is committed to fighting cancer together.”

The life-changing work with the American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society, partners of the NHLPA and NHL in patient services, continues this season with the fifth year of the Stanley Cup® Hope Lodge Tour with the Stanley Cup set to visit five Hope Lodge locations across the U.S. and Canada, as well as the return of the ‘HFC Assist‘ program.

Youth hockey teams are encouraged to sign up for ‘HFC Assist’ to lend their efforts to the cause and receive resources, including a toolkit with best practices and thought starters for fundraising. To date, hundreds of youth hockey teams have hosted their own Hockey Fights Cancer events with proceeds continuing to support the American Cancer Society and Canadian Cancer Society.

Continuing the tradition, all 32 NHL Clubs will host a Hockey Fights Cancer in-game awareness night this season with original storytelling, special ceremonies, and fundraising efforts for local charities.

Fans can purchase official Hockey Fights Cancer merchandise online at NHLShop.com and NHLShop.ca and donate to the NHL and NHLPA’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative powered by the V foundation by visiting HockeyFightsCancer.com.

For all Hockey Fights Cancer news, follow @NHL and @PR_NHL and join the conversation by using the official hashtag #HockeyFightsCancer.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. PanCAN takes bold action by funding life-saving research, providing personalized patient services and creating a community of supporters and volunteers who will stop at nothing to create a world in which all pancreatic cancer patients will thrive.

For 18 years in a row, PanCAN has earned a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator – the highest rating an organization can receive. This rating designates PanCAN as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating strong financial health, ongoing accountability and transparency.

For more information visit www.pancan.org. 

In 2022 Shumake made history as the first openly gay driver to compete in a televised national event in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) racing circuit 

By Rob Salerno | LOS ANGELES – When his car hits top speed, Travis Shumake may just be the fastest homosexual on earth.

A second-generation drag racer, Shumake has been turning heads as America’s first openly gay professional motorsports star, hitting speeds of more than 300 miles per hour on the track.

Since making his debut last year, he’s helped make one of the most macho, heteronormative sports more welcoming to the queer community, bringing new fans to the $6-billion world of motorsports.

He’s also largely financing his race team with small donations and personal loans.

So why isn’t he being chased down by national corporate sponsors, like most racecar drivers?

Shumake blames it on the Bud Light effect – corporations becoming overly cautious of partnering with LGBTQ celebs after Bud Light incurred months of bad press, a boycott campaign, and even a bomb threat, after it partnered with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

“It kind of puts everyone on pause. Some of the bigger companies and chains have told me, ‘We love it, we just need to take a beat. Lets’ talk in 2025,’” Shumake says. “I think that’s my biggest challenge right now in the post Bud-light era. I used to be like this very highly valued property in motorsports, and now I’m like untouchable.”

But Shumake says this time is actually an opportunity for corporations to prove their loyalty to queers who have stuck by them.

“Modelo should step up. Or Bud Light could be a hero, like, ‘hey, we messed up but we’re gonna thoughtfully partner with an LGBT person,’” he says.

Motorsports is often thought of as going hand-in-hand with alcohol and tobacco sponsorships, but Shumake is also making the case for sponsors from corporations in the apparel and personal care businesses – and why not? With his rugged good looks, lean physique, and perfect teeth, he could easily model for Old Navy or Crest Whitestrips.

The morning I spoke with him, he tells me he’s reached out to 300 potential sponsors.

“It can’t just be liquors and cigarettes,” he says, noting that the 30 million racing fans in America are a huge market to reach out to.

Shumake positions his quest for sponsorship as a fight for LGBT equity.

“I feel like I’m fighting for our piece of the LGBT in motorsports pie,” he says, explaining he’s turned down sponsorship offers from queer organizations – although he proudly places logos for GLAAD and Human Rights Campaign on his race car for free. 

“I don’t want gay money. I want the Bass Pro Shop money. We are a huge piece of the economy, and we are not getting our fair share,” he says.

Finding sponsorships has become an even bigger concern since Shumake took the step of buying his own racing team this summer. 

Running his team – including paying his crew, insurance, fuel, and travel costs – costs around $3.2 million per year, according to Shumake’s estimates. 

“Every time I turn on the race car, I spend about $20,000,” he says. “That’s why there’s never been a professional gay race car driver, because you need a company that has that money to spend.”

But for Shumake, transitioning from driver to owner-driver was an important part of confronting homophobia that still exists in the sport.

 “It’s been a struggle being a gay guy in the sport and wanting to be my authentic self but also make these old conservative guys happy,” Shumake says. “At the end of last season, guys on my team wouldn’t wear my crew apparel. And there’s nothing gay about it, but they just don’t want to be associated with me. And there was nothing I could do because it wasn’t my car.” 

Even as an owner, he says he still encounters homophobia at the track. He says stories frequently get back to him about other drivers and crew members “talking shit” about him. 

“That makes it tough to hire people. When you’re spending $100,000 on one person’s payroll, you wanna make sure they’re down to clown. You’re on Team Travis,” he says. “If I’m going to be paying for your lodging, you don’t get to go down to drink in the lobby and talk shit. You have to be fully in, because we need to be educating and changing people and I need that to start in my organization.” 

Despite that, Shumake says he is witnessing a slow change in the culture sport, something he can attest to since the sport has been part of his life since he was born. His father, Tripp Shumake, was a race car driver who won two National Hot Rod Association national events. 

“I grew up around the sport, so I thought everyone’s dad drove race cars,” he says. “To me it’s a piece of my family history, and I want to prove to that my family is open and inviting.”

“As a multi-generational, I get someone from every walk of life to say, ‘I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve wanted to come to a drag race my whole life.’ Or, ‘me and my husband have been coming for years. And now we finally have someone to authentically root for.’” 

He says his visibility has also helped build a network of queer fans and drivers, which has also given him an opportunity to help out younger fans and drivers entering the sport. 

“I think that’s been the most rewarding part. The youth is the coolest part. I made that girl a drag racing fan. You’re going to be a drag racing fan for the next 40 years,” he says.

Related:

Travis Shumake makes first runs in his own Top Fuel Dragster:

NHRA Driver is fast, talented and Out for inclusion in funny car drag racing

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Rob Salerno is a writer and journalist based in Los Angeles, California, and Toronto, Canada.

HONG KONG — Organizers call it the world’s largest inclusive sports, arts and culture event: The 11th Gay Games, delayed by a year and cohosted by the cities of Hong Kong and Guadalajara, Mexico. They got underway Nov. 3^rd, and for the first time in the 40-year history of the games, they are being held in a city in Latin America and another city in Asia. 

More than 2,300 athletes from 45 countries, including the United States, Britain, South Korea and China are expected to take part in the Hong Kong games, according to organizers. Soccer is the main event this weekend. 

Dodgeball, soccer, swimming, powerlifting and track-and-field are among the events this weekend in Guadalajara, according to that event’s website.

But according to reports, the number of athletes and spectators at both venues is far below the standards set in previous Gay Games.  

These games were originally planned for just one city, Hong Kong, this time last year. The intent was for Gay Games 11 to serve as what organizers called “a beacon of hope” for the LGBTQ+ community in a Chinese-ruled region that challenges restrictions on gay rights. 

While it is legal to be gay in China and many of its major cities have thriving LGBTQ+ social scenes, same-sex marriage and adoption by gay people are illegal and there are no legal protections against LGBTQ+ discrimination.

To many Chinese government officials, being gay is “a malign foreign influence that is stopping youth from getting married and having children,” Darius Longarino, a senior fellow at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, recently told NBC News. 

That and the summer shutdown of the Beijing LGBT center by the government in May, affirmed the decision to divide Gay Games 11 across two continents, which was at first driven by Hong Kong’s strict Covid protocols, as Reuters reported. Organizers postponed the games for 12 months due to the city’s strict Covid protocols, and it was decided to divide the competitions with runner-up bidder Guadalajara in western Mexico.

Despite the locales being more than eight thousand miles apart, organizers have coordinated a series of sporting events under the slogan, “unity in diversity.” 

“Everyone aged 18/+ is welcome to participate,” according to the Hong Kong venue’s website, “regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, or even training level.” 

Inclusion isn’t as much of a problem at this Gay Games as is the lack of participants and spectators.

Original estimates for the 2022 event in Hong Kong was for 12,000 participants, 75,000 spectators and 3,000 volunteers from 100 countries. The 36 events were to include Dragon Boat Racing, Dodgeball and eSports.

But for 2023, Reuters reports registrations fell far below expectations, due in part to ongoing worries about Covid and LGBTQ+ rights in China and concerns over safety in Guadalajara, where crime and kidnappings are common. 

One week ago, organizers in Guadalajara had registered only 2,458 participants, and Hong Kong had under 2,400, for a combined 4,839 athletes. It’s unheard of for a Gay Games to have fewer than 8,000 participants.

The Games were first held in San Francisco in 1982. Organizers boast this is “one of the largest global events of their kind,” according to the Gay Games 11 website, bringing people together” to experience unforgettable moments of joy through a unique combination of sport, community and culture.” 

But according to Reuters, what is bringing people together in Guadalajara are the criminals who prey upon visitors. The city is located in the state of Jalisco, where drug cartels operate freely. 

Wayne Morgan, a senior Australian athlete who has competed in six prior Gay Games, told Reuters he was drugged and robbed last year when he visited Guadalajara for a planning conference related to this year’s games. He said he made his way to the police station and found himself in a long queue of other crime victims, where he was told: “This happens a lot.” 

A spokesperson for the Federation of Gay Games told Reuters the decision to split the event had a “significant impact on registration numbers” but added that the organizers believed the choice of two locations “allows even more people from around the world to celebrate LGBTQ+ sports with us”.

But to Morgan, splitting the host cities was “a mistake” and that low numbers could deter corporate sponsorship in the future.

“In my heart of hearts, I wish the whole thing was canceled and we could skip to Valencia in 2026,” he said. The next Games are planned for Valencia, Spain.

Taiwan’s competitors withdrew their registration from the Hong Kong event in August, citing fears their participants could be arrested if they display the island’s flag or use its name. Human rights activists called for the games in Hong Kong to be canceled, accusing organizers of aligning themselves with “pro-authoritarian figures responsible for widespread persecution against the people of Hong Kong.”

In response to the low registration numbers, Hong Kong organizers canceled several events, including field hockey and Rugby 7s as well as some in the category of track-and-field. 

Gay Games 11 runs through Nov. 11.

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. — Nine Republican governors, several of whom have signed laws banning transgender student-athletes from competing as their authentic selves, sent a joint letter Monday to the National Collegiate Athletics Association and its Board of Governors, about its transgender student-athlete policy.

The first signatory is Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota. She and her fellow GOP governors make it clear they are telling the NCAA to abandon its current policy, which changed in 2022 from allowing trans competitors to compete, to putting the onus on individual sports organizations to decide participation rules. 

Not good enough, say the governors. 

“The NCAA has the chance to guarantee an environment where female college athletes can thrive without the concern of inequities,” the wrote. “ We trust that you also want to guarantee just such an environment. But this policy allows the NCAA to avoid responsibility for ensuring the fairness of collegiate sports – therefore it must be changed.”

In addition to Noem, the letter was signed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri, Gov. Greg Gianforte of Montana, Gov. Joe Lomardo of Nevada, Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming. 

Among the many bogus claims and transphobic statements, including labeling out trans NCAA All-American Lia Thomas a “biological male,” the letter misrepresents what happened after Thomas tied with a cisgender competitor, Riley Gaines, at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Atlanta, Ga. In March 2022. The two women tied for fifth place in the 200 freestyle. But the governors’ letter claims Gaines was denied posing with “the first-place trophy that she rightfully earned.” 

Unlike the governors the Los Angeles Blade was at that event and witnessed the heat, as well as the podium ceremony that followed. Not expecting a tie finish for fifth place, officials handed Gaines a trophy for another event for the photo op following their contest, and chose to give Thomas the fifth place trophy. The NCAA mailed Gaines her trophy at a later date. Gaines never finished first at that event, and has turned her alleged slight at the championships into a national anti-trans media campaign.

The letter goes on to repeat false misogynist claims about Allyson Felix being unable to compete against high school boys, accusations that trans athletes are “average male athletes stealing” the honors due women athletes and falsely claims that the issue of fairness has been determined by science. 

The letter was condemned by the American Civil Liberties Union of Wyoming in a statement Tuesday. 

“Whatever Gov. Gordon and this letter’s cosigners might say, this isn’t about leveling the playing field for student athletes or protecting fairness in women’s sports. If it were, these governors would be tackling the actual threats to women’s sports, such as severe underfunding, lack of media coverage, sexist ideologies that suggest that women and girls are weak, and pay equity for coaches and players,” said Libby Skarin, deputy executive director for the ACLU of Wyoming, in a press release.

“This letter to the NCAA is just another attempt to erase transgender people from society while stirring up support from their base of anti-trans activists with fear-mongering tactics and discriminatory rhetoric that harm some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” Skarin said.

Related:

LOS ANGELES — Che Flores, who pronounces their first name “Shay,” is no stranger to basketball. But basketball has never ever seen someone like Flores on the floor. 

After refereeing at least 1,000 games over 14-years in three countries, working in three professional leagues as well as college athletics and deciding the fate of 10 championship games, Flores started their second season in the National Basketball League this week. 

What’s different is that Flores did so as their authentic self: On Oct. 24, they came out as transgender nonbinary. 

“I can go through the world and even my job a lot more comfortably,” Flores told GQ Sports in their first interview about coming out. “One piece I was missing for myself was that no one knew how I identified,” they said. “Being misgendered as ‘she/her’ always just felt like a little jab in the gut.”

Maybe because it’s GQ, or maybe it’s because the reporter is cisgender but also happens to be the brilliant former editor of Jezebel, Emma Carmichael, her otherwise insightful profile of Flores starts with, you guessed it, a focus on clothing choices. Cue the trans trope. 

Flores is quoted denouncing polo shirts and khakis as clothes that they say they will “never freaking going to wear again.” And for their September trip to Brooklyn, ostensibly for the NBA referees’ annual preseason meetings, but more importantly, to announce their coming out, Carmichael relates that, “Packing felt different, less constrained. They felt they could finally dress in clothes that made them feel at ease in their body and true to their gender identity—clothes in line with who they really are.”

“When I started refereeing, you had to look a certain way,” Flores told GQ. “This is the first time I’m comfortable expressing myself through my own fashion and not having to worry about it. I feel one hundred percent myself now.”

Moving on from the clothing trope, Carmichael revealed what happened behind-the-scenes at the NBA, when Flores came out to Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s head of referee training and development during the middle of last season. 

“He immediately just called me ‘Che,’ with no problem, which just makes you feel more comfortable, and easier to let him know everything that was related to my gender,” Flores told GQ.

As a child, Flores said they were seen as a “tomboy,” the oldest child of a Mexican American father and Costa Rican mother in Highland Park in northeast L.A. 

“When I grew up, it was either you chose this feminine role or this masculine role and you identified as a lesbian and that was it,” they said. “That word never felt right with me. But I didn’t have any idea what else was out there to identify as.” Now 44, Flores said they came out as gay at 19, and despite “a bumpy start,” their parents are now strong LGBTQ+ advocates. 

And so is Flores, who is eager to be a role model for queer youth, who are under attack from coast to coast by right wing politicians, extremist religious leaders and conservative school boards and sports organizers. 

“I just think of having younger queer kids look at somebody who’s on a high-profile stage and not using it,” Flores said. 

“And I’m not using the league to an advantage in any way. This is just to let young kids know that we can exist, we can be successful in all different ways. For me, that is most important — to just be a face that somebody can be like, ‘Oh, okay, that person exists. I think I can do that.’”