Category Archives: programming

First photos from opening of Pride House exhibitions

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Photos: Shamey Cramer

NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, to support meeting on IOC engagement

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UPDATE: We are pleased to announce the support of NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, for the meeting to be held from 11am to 2pm on Saturday 4 August at Pride House. The aim of the meeting is to unite individuals and organisations in a common plan of engagement with the IOC on homophobia in sport and in the Olympic Movement.

Info HERE.

Pride House sports programme to include football, run, and bowling night

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PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Megan Worthing-Davies, Project Manager, EGLSF/Pride House
megan@eglsf.info
+44 (0)7814 036789

Leviathen Hendricks, President, Phoenix FC
phoenixfc1@gmail.com

London, 27 July 2012

Pride House 2012 announces sports programme
Football tournament, 5K run, and bowling already slated, with more on the way

Pride House 2012 is a place, CA House at Limehouse Basin, a project of Pride Sports UK, in
collaboration with the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation, the Federation of Gay
Games, the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA), Phoenix FC and the
LGBT Consortium. Pride House is also a festival running from 3-12 August 2012, with a range of special offerings, including several sports events.

Among the first announced was the Pride House Football Tournament, hosted by London’s
Phoenix FC with the support of the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association and
the sponsorship of GLISA and Barefoot Wines. The 7-a-side tournament already has many teams registered, and will take place at Mile End Stadium, just up Regents Canal from CA House, on Sunday 5 August.

Leviathen Hendricks, president and founder of London’s Phoenix FC, explains the
involvement of his club: “When I learned that a Pride House would be open, I knew
that Phoenix FC should be a part of it. We’re a club that’s focused on the growing LGBT
population in East London, the home of the 2012 Olympics. Thanks to our sponsors, we’re
able to offer a great 7-a-side event, and we look forward to plenty of visitors ready to join in
the fun, which will continue in the evening with a party back at CA House.”

Later in the week, on Thursday 9 August, a 5K run is being organized by PACE, London
Friend, and the Big Gay 10K. This “Pride House Docklands Dash” will start at 7pm at
Limehouse Basin Marina (near CA House), and take runners out to Westferry, then back
along Narrow Street to Limehouse, taking in the sights of London old and new along the way. Organiser Francis Burrows explained the choice of route: “The location of Pride House lends itself to some great runs. The terrain is flat, so it’s great for runners of all abilities. And we’ll be running near the Thames, the lifeblood of London, so we think it will be an enjoyable experience for Londoners, as well as the visiting friends we hope will join us.”

Registration for the Docklands Dash 5K Run is at pridehouse5k-eorg.eventbrite.com

Participating in the Docklands Dash will be activist Clare Dimyon MBE, who has spent recent months engaging with LGBT people in Ukraine. While there, she has collected messages from those she met on rainbow-coloured paper, which she plans to transform into her own torch to shed light on the repression of LGBT people in Ukraine, host with Poland of this summer’s UEFA Euro Football Cup. Prior to the finale at the Pride House Docklands Dash, with the help of London Frontrunners, Ms Dimyon will have taken her torch to the London embassies of the Eastern European she is currently engaged with.

A third event announced is a bowling night at London Palace Superbowl in Elephant & Castle on Friday 10 August, for which registration is open at pridehousebowling.eventbrite.co.uk .
Everyone is welcome to have a fun evening bowling. London sports groups are particularly
welcome, and are encouraged to show up in their team kit.

Other events still being finalised are an event for Wednesday 8 August, as well as a games day and picnic on Saturday 11 August. Check pridehouse2012.org for updates.

Find details and registration information on the “Sports programme” page at
pridehouse2012.org

Exhibition on out student athletes added to programme of Pride House 2012

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London, 20 July 2012

Exhibition on out student athletes added to programme of Pride House 2012
Expanded electronic version of ‘Fearless’ will make its European debut

The Federation of Gay Games and Pride House 2012 are pleased to announce the addition of a new exhibition to its programme of events for the Olympics. In addition to the already-announced exhibition ‘Against the Rules’, photographer Jeff Sheng will be showing a newly expanded electronic version of his ground-breaking exhibition ‘Fearless’.

Pride House 2012 is a project of Pride Sports UK, in collaboration with the Federation of Gay Games, the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), GLISA International, the LGBT Consortium, and the Pride House Foundation and aims to offer a welcoming space for all athletes, staff, spectators and friends of London 2012. Pride House 2012 will be open from 3 to 7 August at CA House in Limehouse Basin on the river Thames, with the Pride House 2012 festival continuing in various venues through 12 August, the day of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Lou Englefield, Executive Director of lead partner Pride Sports, presented her pleasure at rounding out the exhibition programme with ‘Fearless’: ‘While “Against the Rules” looks at out sports icons of the past and the present, “Fearless” presents role models for today and tomorrow. We know from experience the power this exhibition can have, both as works of art and as testimony of the courage of young people today. Whatever their future in sports, they are sports heroes.’

‘Fearless’ is a long-term project of noted American photographer Jeff Sheng, who travels to high school and university campuses in the US to capture portraits of young out student athletes. Olympic speed skater and Gay Games Ambassador Blake Skjellerup attributes his own public coming out to his encounter with the exhibition at the 2010 Pride House in Vancouver, taking the courage of these young people as a model to follow.

Jeff Sheng presents the project: ‘In 2003, I began “Fearless,” documenting high school and collegiate athletes who openly self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and are “out” to their predominantly straight teammates and coaches.  Since then, I’ve photographed over 150 athletes across the United States and Canada for this series.  In 2006, I began exhibiting the project at various high schools and colleges as part of what I named the “Fearless Campus Tour”. So far, the project has been seen at over fifty college and high school campuses around the United States, as well as ESPN headquarters, the 2009 International LGBT Human Rights conference at GLISA World Outgames in Copenhagen, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and at Nike World Headquarters. I’m very happy to now bring it in an electronic format to Pride House during the Olympics.’

Les Johnson, co-chair of the Federation of Gay Games’ External Affairs committee, spoke of his own encounter with Jeff Sheng at the recent Nike LGBT Sport Summit: ‘Jeff is both talented and motivated in using his art as a tool for social change. In parallel with “Fearless Campus Tour”, he undertook a new project to portray closeted US military personnel under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. With regard to athletes, we know the difficulties of young people, and in particular young athletes, in coming out. Those shown in the exhibition are truly “fearless”. I’m very pleased that despite time and budget constraints, Jeff responded to my request to participate in Pride House by offering an electronic version of the exhibition, which we hope will inspire others to come out.’

Sheng added: ‘Beyond the pleasure of being part of the experience of the Olympics, this exhibition coincides with the relaunch of my website in view of my new project to turn “Fearless” into a book, like those I produced for my “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” series.’

More about Pride House 2012 at http://pridehouse2012.org and http://www.facebook.com/pridehouse2012
Learn more about “Fearless” at http://www.fearlessproject.org
Support his Fearless book project HERE

European Commission supports Pride House 2012 exhibition

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European Union to support exhibition on gay sport at Pride House 2012
“’Against the Rules” features sport pioneers at the venue for LGBT people and friends at the London Olympics

Pride House 2012 is a project of Pride Sports UK, in collaboration with the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), the Federation of Gay Games, GLISA International, the LGBT Consortium, and the Pride House Foundation and aims to offer a welcoming space for all athletes, staff, spectators and friends of London 2012. Pride House 2012 will be open from 3 to 7 August at CA House in Limehouse Basin on the river Thames, with the Pride House 2012 festival continuing in various venues through 12 August, the day of the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Lou Englefield, Executive Director of lead partner Pride Sports, explains how the exhibition fits the mission of Pride House 2012: “We want to offer a place for LGBT people and friends to meet, relax, and enjoy the London Olympic experience. But we also want this to be a learning experience and a resource for local and international visitors. An exhibition like ‘Against the Rules’ offers a particularly engaging and inspirational way to contribute to this educational mission.”

“Against the Rules” is made up of 37 panels related to homophobia and LGBT sport, including biographies of athletes like Amelie Mauresmo, Billie Jean King, David Kopay, Greg Louganis, Imke Duplitzer, Judith Arndt, Justin Fashanu and Tom Waddell. The exhibition is presented by the EGLSF with the financial support of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) as part of the project coordinated by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation on “Preventing and Fighting Homophobic Violence in Sport”.

Lou Manders, co-president of the EGLSF spoke of the impact of the exhibition: “The exhibition was created several years ago; in 2010 the EGLSF produced an English version, which has since been presented across Europe at a variety of competitions, conferences, and other venues, for both an LGBT and ‘mainstream’ audience.” His co-president Armelle Mazé added: “It’s an effective mix of background information on the history of LGBT sport and individual portraits that inspire and move viewers. We thank Pride Sports for making this display at Pride House 2012 happen, and the European Union for financing this event.”