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Local athletes excited for Paris Gay Games

Quadrennial competition kicks off next month

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Team DC, Cleveland Gay Games, gay news, Washington Blade
Paris Gay Games, Team DC, Cleveland Gay Games, gay news, Washington Blade

The last Gay Games was held in Cleveland; this year, athletes are headed to Paris. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

In three weeks, athletes from D.C. will take on competitors from around the world at the 10th edition of the Gay Games in Paris.

The Gay Games are held every four years and the venues in Paris will host 12,000 athletes from more than 80 countries who will compete in 36 sports.

Local athletes from multiple sports will march in the opening ceremonies together under the D.C. banner in a uniform that was organized by Team DC.

John Guzman is slated to compete in his third Gay Games and is embracing a new sport in Paris. Previously, he competed in soccer and squash. He is now a member of Lambda Links and will be golfing individually along with playing in the team event with his partner, Steve Sparks.

ā€œThe Ryder Cup is being held in Paris in September and the golf superintendent is gay. He is opening the course to all the Gay Games participants after our competition is over. I am so geeked out to play on that course,ā€ says Guzman. ā€œOur community has multiple things that tie us together and I love that the Gay Games offers commonalities that can be built in other ways.ā€

The water polo competition will include 32 teams competing in two divisions. Kris Pritchard will be attending his second Gay Games with his teammates from the Washington Wetskins.

ā€œNow more than ever, this event is an opportunity for the LGBT community to show the world what it means to put aside the differences our countries might have,ā€ Pritchard says. ā€œItā€™s going to be an amazing week and I tip my hat to the volunteers and organizers who are involved to make this happen.ā€

David Monroe will travel to Paris with players from the DC Sentinels basketball team. Members from their squads have medaled in the last two Gay Games.

ā€œI was at the Gay Games in Amsterdam in 1998 and Chicago in 2006. I look forward to seeing how the gay community is still coming together for inclusive competition and fun,ā€ says Monroe. ā€œIt will be a great 10 days.ā€

The triathlon in Paris will be contested in the sprint distance and Olympic distance. Bryan Frank from TriOut will be competing in his second Gay Games.

ā€œIt will be exciting to take on an Olympic distance triathlon outside of Paris and defend my title after winning the race in Cleveland four years ago,ā€ Frank says. ā€œI am also thrilled at the prospect of exploring more of the Games, seeing other events, meeting athletes and experiencing Paris.ā€

This will be the third Gay Games for Federal Triangles Soccer Club player Jim Ensor after competing in Cologne in 2010 and Cleveland in 2014.

ā€œI look forward to the competition and camaraderie of an international competition. Itā€™s such a delicate balance to compete in friendship.ā€ Says Ensor. ā€œI love seeing how the Games are incorporated into the city and surrounding areas along with how it is received by the city.ā€

Mick Bullock and his partner Justin Fritscher will be tackling their first Gay Games as members of the DC Front Runners. Both will compete in the 5K and the half marathon.

ā€œWe do everything together and running is one of our passions. We are excited to see Europe for the first time and be with over 20 of our teammates from DC Front Runners,ā€ Bullock says. ā€œThe Gay Games are a great opportunity to come together for healthy competition and meet athletes from all over the world.ā€

At the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland, Logan Dawson competed with the Denver team in swimming. After moving to D.C., he joined the District of Columbia Aquatics Club in late 2017. His second Gay Games will be with his new teammates.

ā€œI have bonded with my DCAC teammates and would feel like I was missing out if I wasnā€™t going with them to Paris,ā€ says Dawson. ā€œItā€™s neat to be at a sports event that is more than a swim meet and I look forward to meeting international athletes from other sports.ā€

Tim Murphy married Chris Walsh last month and both of them will be competing in their first Gay Games. They are members of Capital Tennis Association and will be playing singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

ā€œWe are looking forward to meeting people who have come from all over the world to play sports. It will be great to represent our country in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremonies,ā€ Murphy says. ā€œThis is going to be part sports event and part honeymoon for us.ā€

Gay Games X: Paris 2018 will be held from Aug. 4-11.

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University of Nevada forfeits game rather than play possible trans athlete

Womenā€™s volleyball team cites ā€˜not enough players to competeā€™

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(Public domain screenshot from University of Nevada, Reno, website)

For the fifth time, a womenā€™s volleyball team has chosen to forfeit instead of play against San Jose State University, because of rumors that one of its players is a transgender woman. 

The University of Nevada, Reno, officially announced on Friday that it would forfeit Saturdayā€™s game against the SJSU Spartans. This followed an announcement by Wolf Pack players who said they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details.

Originally, Nevada’s athletic department had said the program would not back out from the match, citing state equality laws, but also said that no players would be disciplined if they chose to not participate.

ā€œThe vast majority of our team decided this is something we wanted to take a stand on,ā€ Nevada team captain Sia Liilii told Fox News. ā€œWe didnā€™t want to play against a male player.”

ā€œIn all of our team meetings it just kept coming back to the fact that men do not belong in womenā€™s sports. If youā€™re born a biological male, you donā€™t belong in womenā€™s sports. Itā€™s not even about this individual athlete. Itā€™s about fair competition and safety for everyone.ā€

Outsports and several conservative and right-wing websites have identified the player who is rumored to be trans, but the Washington Blade has opted to not do so since she herself has not come forward to either acknowledge or deny she is trans.Ā 

As ESPN reported, Nevada follows Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming, and Utah State in canceling games against the Spartans. Boise State, Wyoming, Utah State, and Nevada are all members of the Mountain West Conference, so those contests are considered forfeits and count as valuable wins in the league standings for San Jose State.

Riley Gaines, the anti-trans inclusion activist for the Independent Womenā€™s Forum has joined the chorus in claiming the Spartansā€™ roster includes a trans woman.

Despite this, neither San Jose State nor any of the other forfeiting teams have said the universityā€™s women’s volleyball team has a trans player. SJSU issued a statement defending its roster.

ā€œOur athletes all comply with NCAA and Mountain West Conference policies and they are eligible to play under the rules of those organizations. We will continue to take measures to prioritize the health and safety of our students while they pursue their earned opportunities to compete,ā€ the statement read.

The governors of Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming ā€” all of whom are members of the Republican Party ā€” have issued public statements supporting the cancellations, claiming itā€™s in the interest of fairness in women’s sports. This week, Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee and former president, spoke at a Fox News televised town hall when asked about trans athletes in women’s sports. 

ā€œWeā€™re not going to let it happen,ā€ Trump said. ā€œWe stop it, we stop it, we absolutely stop it. We canā€™t have it. You just ban it. The president bans it. You donā€™t let it happen. Itā€™s not a big deal.ā€ 

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Homophobes threaten lives of WNBA star and wife

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart and Marta Xargay received anonymous emails

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(Photo courtesy of Xargay's Instagram page)

While the New York Liberty are focused on defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA finals, one of its stars has come under attack from anti-gay bigots who made death threats against that player and her wife, according to the Associated Press.

The homophobic death threats targeted forward Breanna Stewart and her wife, retired Phoenix Mercury guard Marta Xargay. Stewart said they arrived in Xargayā€™s email inbox. 

ā€œThe fact it came to Martaā€™s email is something she (had to) see. The level of closeness was a little bit different,ā€ she said. ā€œMake sure that myself and Marta are okay, but that our kids are the safest.ā€

Stewart, the two-time MVP known to teammates and on social media as ā€œStewie,ā€ told reporters Tuesday she notified her team about the emails, The Liberty then escalated it to WNBA security.

ā€œWeā€™re taking the proper precautions,ā€ Stewart said, noting that she felt the Libertyā€™s winning streak was only encouraging more threats. New York is leading their opponents two games to one after Tuesday nightā€™s 80-77 win in Minneapolis. ā€œWe love that people are engaged in our sport, but not to the point where thereā€™s threats or harassment or homophobic comments being made.ā€

Xargay filed a complaint with the New York Police Department at the advice of the team and security, said Stewart.

ā€œBeing in the finals and everything like that it makes sense to file something formal,ā€ she said.

The NYPD confirmed to the Associated Press that it received a report of aggravated harassment involving emails sent to ā€œa 33-year-old victim,ā€ said a police spokesperson. The departmentā€™s media relations team added that the NYPD hate crimes task force is investigating the threats. 

Although Stewart told reporters she has an agency that reviews most of the messages she receives, she was stunned to learn from her wife about the hateful messages that wound up in Xargayā€™s inbox. She said thatā€™s why she decided to let fans know thereā€™s no justification for hate. 

ā€œFor me to use this platform to let people know itā€™s unacceptable to bring to our sport,ā€ she said.

Last month, WNBA players and their union representatives called out league commissioner Cathy Engelbert for failing to condemn a spike in racist attacks on players. Itā€™s been a long-standing problem exacerbated by the rivalry between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Skyā€™s Angel Reese. The league has never been more popular than it is now, and with that success, fans have escalated their criticism of players. 

Since then, Engelbert has addressed the rise in player harassment on social media in an address prior to Game 1 of the WNBA finals one week ago. 

ā€œIt just is something where we have to continue to be a voice for this, a voice against it, condemning it, and making sure that we find every opportunity to support our players, who have been dealing with this for much longer than this year,ā€ Engelbert said.

In her address, Engelbert pledged the league will work with the playersā€™ union to figure out what they can do together to combat it. 

ā€œWe continue to emphasize that there is absolutely no room for hateful or threatening comments made about players, teams or anyone affiliated with the WNBA,ā€ a league spokesperson said in response to questions about the death threats made against Stewart and Xargay. ā€œWeā€™re aware of the most recent matter and are working with league and team security as well as law enforcement on appropriate security measures.ā€

The Liberty play the Lynx again Friday night in Minneapolis. 

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JK Rowling condemns history-making transgender Paralympian

Valentina Petrillo will race again Friday after failing to qualify in 400m final

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Valentina Petrillo (Photo courtesy of Valentina Petrillo's Instagram page)

Valentina Petrillo ran her personal best Monday at the Paralympics in Paris, but it was not enough to qualify for Tuesdayā€™s finals in the 400m T12 competition. Losing to two cisgender women was also not enough to quell a social media firestorm of transphobia and hate directed at the first out trans Paralympian runner.

Hajar Safarzadeh Ghahderijani of Iran was first across the finish line, followed by Venezuelaā€™s Alejandra Perez. Petrillo, the Italian sprinter, finished third with 57.58.

ā€œI tried until the end, I couldnā€™t do it,ā€ Petrillo, 51, told reporters after the race. ā€œI missed that last straight. I pushed harder than this morning and I tried. They are stronger than me. There is nothing I can do. I had to do 56 to get into the final. Itā€™s impossible, 57.58. I have to be happy even though Iā€™m a little upset.ā€ 

Petrillo also spoke indirectly about haters, but what concerned her most, she said, was the perspective of her son, 9-year-old Lorenzo, who calls her ā€œDad.ā€ 

ā€œI hope my son is proud of me,ā€ Petrillo, said, amid tears. ā€œThatā€™s important to me because Iā€™m a trans dad, itā€™s not everyoneā€™s dream dad. But I hope he will be proud of me. I hope he will always stand by me, I hope that he loves me even if I am like this. I canā€™t help it if Iā€™m like this, Iā€™m sorry. Donā€™t treat trans people badly. We suffer. Itā€™s not fair. We donā€™t hurt anybody.ā€ 

JK Rowling disagrees. 

In a social media post on what was Twitter, the outspoken opponent of trans rights and inclusion denounced Petrillo as an ā€œout and proud cheat.ā€ 

Others condemned Petrillo as a ā€œpervert,ā€ a ā€œdisgraceā€ and of course, a man, and a ā€œbiological maleā€ who ā€œrobbed a young disabled womanā€ of her chance to compete.Ā 

Petrillo has one more chance to compete for a medal this Friday in the 200m T12 visual impairment competition. Sheā€™ll compete against Katrin Mueller-Rottgardt of Germany.

ā€œBasically, everyone should live how they like in everyday life,ā€ Mueller-Rottgardt told the German tabloid Bild. ā€œBut I find it difficult in professional sports. She lived and trained for a long time as a man, so thereā€™s a possibility that physical conditions are different than for someone who comes into the world as a woman. So, she could have advantages from it.ā€ 

For her part, Petrillo is not letting detractors stop her from running as the woman she is and living as the woman she is. 

ā€œThere are lots of people dying only for being trans, people are killed because they are trans, people commit suicide because they are trans and lose their jobs, or are not included in sport,ā€ she said. ā€œBut I made it. If I can make it, everyone can make it.ā€ 

As for so-called ā€œadvantages,” Petrillo cites a study funded by the IOC ā€” and published in April in the British Journal of Sports Medicine ā€” showing that trans women are actually at a physical disadvantage compared to cis women across several areas, including lung function and lower body strength.

ā€œThis means rather that I have a disadvantage, because apart from anything else, going through hormonal treatment means I am going against my body so against the biology of my body and thatā€™s certainly something thatā€™s not good for it,ā€ Petrillo told the Associated Press in an interview in a suburb of Bologna, where she lives and works in the IT sector. 

She was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a degenerative eye condition, at the age of 14, and can only see 1/50thĀ of what most people can. Petrillo cannot drive and uses public transportation to get around, and told me in aĀ 2020 podcast interview thatĀ the trauma of her disability has haunted her all her years.

ā€œI tried to lead a normal life as much as possible,ā€ she said through a translator.Ā Ā 

Although her condition forced her to give up running as a teen, she picked it up again in her 40s, telling me it felt empowering, ā€œKnowing I have two good legs,ā€ she said. ā€œRunning is life.ā€

But it was not enough. Petrillo, who was raised as a boy, had been keeping a secret since she was a child, saying that even at age seven, she knew who she was. ā€œI didnā€™t feel like myself.ā€

ā€œI decided to transition after years of fighting myself and not understanding what was the problem,ā€ Petrillo said. ā€œIt was a very difficult decision.ā€ 

Petrillo came out to her wife, Elena, in 2017, just one year after they wed. With Elenaā€™s support, she transitioned in 2018 and started her medical transition the following January. They remained married, for a time, and have another child in addition to Lorenzo. ā€œMy wife is very supportive,ā€ Petrillo told me in 2020. ā€œ99 percent of the stories end up in divorce, but my wife is the most important love of my life.ā€ 

Elena and Valentina have since divorced but remain friends. She and Lorenzo and Petrilloā€™s brother, Francesco, were in Paris to cheer her on.

ā€œFamily is everything,ā€ she said this week.Ā 

Petrillo won 11 national competitions in the male T12 category between 2015 and 2018, then won gold in her first official race as the woman she is, in the 100m, 200m and 400m T12 events at the 2020 Italian Paralympics Championship. Last year, she won two bronzes at the World Para Athletics Championships. 

In that competition, she narrowly beat Melani Berges of Spain, who placed fourth in the semifinal. That meant Berges didnā€™t qualify for the final and missed her chance to make it to the Paralympics.

Calling it an ā€œinjustice,ā€ Berges told Spanish sports site Relevo that she ā€œaccepts and respectsā€ trans people, but ā€œwe are no longer talking about daily life, we are talking about sport, which requires strength, a physique.ā€

The International Paralympic Committee says it ā€œwelcomesā€ Petrillo, who is not the first out trans Paralympian. That honor belongs to Dutch discus thrower Ingrid van Kranen, who finished ninth in the 2016 Rio Games. The rules of the World Para Athletics organization state a person who is legally recognized as a woman is eligible to compete in female categories. She legally changed her name and gender in 2023. 

Back in 2020, Petrillo told me the 200m race she will compete in this Friday is her favorite, because of the performance of her personal hero, 1980 Olympic champion Pietro Mennea, who holds Italyā€™s world record in the event.Ā 

ā€œIā€™m dreaming about this,ā€ she said, recalling the memory of seeing him compete when she was seven years old. ā€œThe determination that Mennea showed was something he taught all of us. That is how I feel when I am running. That same determination and that same drive.ā€ And she said again, ā€œRunning is life.ā€  

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