Gay Pride Flows At Olympics
Written by Clare Ogilvie Wednesday, 17 February 2010 08:02
It shouldn't come as a surprise that cities as gay-positive as Vancouver and Whistler would extend that attitude to hosting the Games.
The two communities are the first Olympic hosts to have specific Pride Houses to welcome gay and lesbian athletes and tourists and educate Olympic visitors about diversity.
"Once we really looked at the Olympics and sports in general we noticed that our community is missing and people are afraid to talk about homophobia within sport," said Dean Nelson, community and media relations director for Gay Whistler.
"We thought, 'Why not create a pavilion that celebrates the rainbow nation and get it out there and be brave and actually talk about it? And that is what we are doing.' "
More than a third of the world is still hostile to gays and lesbians, said Nelson.
Whistler Pride House's cocktail lounge is located at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre Hotel and features TV monitors to watch events, plush leather couches for relaxing and socializing, art installations, a bar and a piece of the iconic rainbow flag, symbolizing diversity in the gay community.
There will be special art installations in Whistler, including Jeff Sheng's Fearless, Edmund Haakonson's Slapshotolus, and Gilbert Baker's Pride Art.
Whistler's history as a gay-friendly destination has been established largely through Whistler's annual Gay Ski Week event, which has been celebrated for 18 years. The 2010 Whistler Gay Ski Week will be held March 1 to 8, between the Olympic Winter Games and the Paralympic Winter Games.
Whistler Pride House will host events throughout the Olympics and Paralympics and will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until March 21.
Vancouver Pride House, located at the Qmunity centre, 1170 Bute St., will also host events until March 21 and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more informat ion go to: www.pridehouse.ca.
Read the original article in The Province
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