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.”
Pride House 2012 