Topics

Blogs

PQA Today

Gay diver has one goal in mind

The current issue of the Advocate includes a profile of Australian diver Matthew Mitcham, one of the few openly gay athletes to compete in the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

Should he win, Mitcham will join the very small club of openly gay Olympic gold medalists.

But as significant as that moment would be for gay athletes everywhere, Mitcham has only one goal in mind. “I just want to be known as the Australian diver who did really well at the Olympics,” he says. “It’s everybody else who thinks it’s special when homosexuality and elite sport go together.”

Mitcham came out in May when a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald asked whom he lived with. Mitcham nonchalantly said his partner of two years – and the media started. (Hat tip to Outsports)

Speaking of gay Olympians, Gay Sports Blog has compiled a list of 19 gay athletes who have captured Olympic medals in the modern ear of the international competition. Among the names on the list is that of former Atlantan Bruce Hayes, a swimmer who won gold in 1984.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 4, 2008 | 6:00 AM

week in review

Spikes, dives and pumping iron

• Hotlanta Classic goes off without a hitch. That’s volleyball, folks. There’s photos, too.
• Action Cycling drops big donation on Emory Vaccine Center.
• Gay chamber scores with Atlanta Dream reception. Yup, photos for this one, too.
• Lisa Borders loves the Dream.
• Why we love Olympic decathletes. (photo)
• Remember Greg Louganis?
• Falcons prepare for new season while other local pros struggle with irrelevancy.
• Georgia Tech football players pump the iron.
• Shaq dumps Kobe. Then Miami. And now his house.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 3, 2008 | 6:10 PM

Red and black now colors of the day

It’s a little like putting lipstick on a pig. But at least the Atlanta Falcons are trying.

The team unveiled a freshly painted and spruced up Georgia Dome today when they held drills and scrimmaged for fans. It’s not the Dome that’s the pig getting the lipstick. The renovations look superb, in fact. I’m talking about the Falcons.

But with a new coach, new quarterback and fresh attitude, who knows? The bar is getting lower for pro teams in Atlanta and the Falcons might just be able to jump over it this fall.

The Dome has a new chef, too, but only for those with top-tier tickets.

Photo: Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 2, 2008 | 6:34 PM

High jump, anyone?

Need a little preview of what to expect next week when the Olympics opens in Beijing?

Look no further than the competitors from the Hypo Decathlon held in June in Austria. It serves as one of the last major meets of the Olympics and Finneye, a contributing photographer to Outsports, was kind enough to share his shots from the event. Now that’s a way to the get the weekend started.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 1, 2008 | 3:54 PM

The final word on Hotlanta Classic XVII

The reviews are in: Though downsized from past years, the Hotlanta Classic XVII last weekend drew favorable reactions from participants. It also brought 14 teams of gay jocks to the courts of Emory, which isn’t a bad way to spend a weekend.

“It’s a good way to practice,” says Beto Sansiberio. “It’s s smaller tournament, so it’s a good way to get that synergy together. The facility is amazing. I haven’t been in a nicer facility than this one.”

For more reaction on the tournament, read my Southern Voice sports column.

Go here for a gallery of photos from the event.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 1, 2008 | 9:20 AM

Shaq’s so over Miami Beach

Oh, the woes of a pro athlete trying to unload a house. Shaquille O’Neal, no longer on the Miami Heat, wants to ditch his house. It’s a quaint abode on the waterfront of Star Island in Miami Beach.

Built in 1992 by Heat center Rony Seikaly, the house has eight bedrooms, an indoor basketball court, gym, steam room and sauna. The property also has a two-bedroom guest house, a tennis court, a pool, a dock and a six-car garage.

The 20,000-square-foot house goes for $29 million, down $3 million from an earlier listing. It’s located on 2.5 acres on the man-made island community. Interested? Anyone?

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Aug 1, 2008 | 9:04 AM

The dream behind the Atlanta Dream

Lisa Borders, the gay-friendly Atlanta City Council president, was a force behind the effort to woo the WNBA to the city, which culminated with the creation of the Atlanta Dream. A profile in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution today explores her efforts, including reaching out to lesbian basketball fans and their families. Read the full story.

The Dream has helped Borders build political capital among lesbian fans, especially those with children. They have felt like outsiders at other sporting events as well as in public policy. So says Kathy Kelly, who as founder of the Marriage Equality Georgia Family Project organizes social events and political advocacy for same-sex couples.

“We’ve tried to help the Dream succeed because they are great for our families, because they’re so open, and Lisa helped the team owner understand that,” Kelly says.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Jul 31, 2008 | 8:30 AM

Action Cycling raises big number for vaccine center

With the final numbers crunched, Action Cycling 200 announced its fund-raising tally on Sunday: $106,000.

The amount surpassed the $100,000 goal organizers of the annual event set for themselves this year, and far exceeded fund-raising totals from past years. Since its inception in 2003, the event has raised more than $400,000 for the Emory Vaccine Center, a facility that researches vaccines for AIDS and other infectious diseases.

The announcement came Sunday during Action Cycling’s closing event in the Sky Lounge at MidCity Lofts in Midtown, where riders, volunteers and officials with the vaccine center joined to toast the event, celebrate its fund-raising prowess and display an over-sized, six-figure check.

Some 65 riders gathered about an hour after sunrise on May 17 for the event, which is a two-day, 200-mile journey from Decatur to Eatonton and back.

To see photos from the ride, go here. For a gallery of photos from Sunday’s closing event, go here.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Jul 30, 2008 | 8:18 PM

Olympics

Greg Louganis as ‘Legendary Olympian’

Gay former diver Greg Louganis is one of the eight “Legendary Olympians” included in an interactive feature by the New York Times.

Louganis, who captured medals in the 1976, 1984 and 1988 Olympics, discusses his Olympic performances, HIV and the infamous whack on the head.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Jul 30, 2008 | 6:14 PM

Volleyball tourney packed with action

Some 14 teams from around the country spent last weekend competing in the Hotlanta Classic XVII, the annual tournament from the Hotlanta Volleyball Association.

Though the number of teams was down from past years, the action on the courts at Emory University wasn’t any less exciting. The Orlando D & G took first place in the BB Division, while the Dallas Rebellion took the crown in the B Division.

The Atlanta Force took second place in BB, with the Atlanta O’s taking third in B. For a full list of winners, teams and selections for the All-Star rosters, check after the jump.

Go here for a gallery of photos from the event.

read more | Comments (0) | Posted Jul 29, 2008 | 9:48 AM

Page 3 of 38 pages < 1 2 3 4 5 > Last »

Summer of debutante drag gets underway

With the debutante season in full swing, Fancy von Furstenberg-Davenport gathered up some of her BDFF -- that's Best Drag Friends Forever -- on Wednesday for a fundraiser at Bazzaar. Among the mix was Rogue Nation, who served as emcee, and Nicole Paige Brooks.

Do black gay men have fewer sex options?

Black gay men have less choice when it comes to sexual partners than other groups and, as a result, their sexual networks are closely knit leading to the rapid spread of HIV.

Photos