Lgbt (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) history for everyone. No academic gobbledigook. No deep analysis. Just queer facts. There's still a lot of bigotry around but there's also lots to celebrate.
There has been a lot of
speculation over the centuries concerning the death of Alexander the Great
(d.323 BC), perhaps the world’s most successful lgbt emperor. In recent years
the question has centred round the possibility that he may have been buried
alive. The truth is much more horrific.
The manner and cause of
Alexander’s death have been theorised for centuries based on the few records
that have survived. One popularly believed cause of death can be dismissed
immediately. Alexander did not died from intense grief after the death of his
lover Hephaestion in 324BC. He showed no signs of grief in the days before his
death. In fact he partied for days, as he often did before and after
Hephaestion died.
The historical accounts
don’t tell us very much, or at least not enough for us to name a definitive
cause of death. The symptoms recorded in the decades and centuries after his
death have been interpreted as being due to many different ailments. Here is a
short list of those that have been suggested: liver disease caused by
alcoholism, typhoid, malaria, pancreatitis, leukaemia, arsenic poisoning, and
strychnine poisoning (these last two suggesting murder).
One particularly rare
condition which was suggested is Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS. This is a
condition that affects the nervous system. It causes a gradual paralysis of
muscles and very often reduces the heart rate and breathing.
I think the first
suggestion that Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) may have played a part in
Alexander’s death came in a paper called “A Mysterious Death” presented to the
Historical Clinopathological Conference 1996 at the University of Maryland. Its
authors, three doctors at the university and one from Pennsylvania State
University, suggested that Alexander died of typhoid “complicated by bowel
perforation and ascending paralysis”. They interpreted this paralysis as a
symptom of GBS. They didn’t say explicitly that GBS was responsible for
Alexander’s death, but it was enough for others to latch on to and develop the
suggestion further.
What later commentators
have theorised is that because GBS causes paralysis Alexander the Great was
still alive when he was examined by his physicians and pronounced dead.
In ancient times
physicians didn’t know about the circulation of blood and didn’t check anyone’s
pulse to see if they were alive. They relied on a person’s breathing, and GBS
slows down the breathing rate to a point where it is virtually undetectable. Naturally,
this has led to sensationalised click-baiting headlines across the media (like those shown below, and, I suppose, the title I gave above!) saying
that Alexander was buried alive. This is not the case, but one implication of
the GBS diagnosis means that Alexander suffered from what I think is a worse
fate.
There are no surviving
documents form Alexander’s time that tell us exactly how he died or what he
died from. But there are fragments of the Ephemerides of Alexander, which are
royal journals written at the time. These formed the basis of later biographies
of Alexander by writers such as the Roman historian Quintus Curtius Rufus, and
the Greek philosopher Plutarch, both of the 1st century.
Quintus Curtius Rufus
describes how Alexander’s body didn’t start to putrefy for six days despite the
heat of the Mesopotamian summer (Alexander died in Babylon). Plutarch writes
that embalmers were brought from Egypt to preserve Alexander’s body while
preparations were made for his burial in Egypt. The embalmers, who arrived six
days after the emperor’s death, remarked how lifelike his body still appeared.
So, if Alexander did suffer from GBS brought on by something like typhoid he
may have been conscious for most of those 6 days.
I hope for his sake that
he wasn’t, because I’m sure you’re aware of the methods Egyptians used to
embalm bodies. The body was drained of blood, the brain was pulled out of the
skull through the nose, and the lungs, stomach, liver and intestines were cut
out. Then the body was placed in a salt called nitron for 40 days to remove all
moisture, and then wrapped in bandages. Imagine being fully conscious and
unable to move or speak as you experienced your blood being drained from your
body.
Another ancient story says
that Alexander’s body was preserved in honey until it could be buried. This
implies that Alexander, if he had GBS and was still alive, drowned in honey.
But this is all
speculation. No-one has come up with proof of the exact cause of Alexander’s
death, and without examination of his bodily remains (which haven’t been found)
we probably never will. All we can say after thinking about what could have
happened is Rest In Peace.
Today is VexiDay, or World Vexillology
Day, a day to celebrate flags of all types (vexillology is the study of flags).
With the Paris Olympics and Paralympics still floating around in our memory I
thought it would be appropriate to look at a couple of national flags designed
by lgbt people.
A quick word about national flags.
National flags do not necessarily represent an independent nation. The term has
also come to be used for any flag adopted by a constituent nation, dependent
territory or autonomous region that is recognised and used by them nationally
and internationally. Wales, Guam and Hong Kong have national flags, even though
none of them are independent.
Long-time readers may remember that I
wrote about Prince George of Greece and Denmark (1869-1957) and his involvement
with the first modern Olympics in 1896. I also mentioned how he became the High
Commissioner and Governor General of Crete in 1898. In fact, he was often just referred
to as the Prince of Crete.
During the years of fighting between
Cretan Christians and Ottoman Turks over control of the island several flags
flew over Crete, all claiming to be its national flag. Crete was part of the
Ottoman Empire, so the Turks supported the flying of the Ottoman flag.
Conversely, the Cretan Christians who wanted to become part of Greece supported
the Greek national flag. There were also several other flags used by both
sides.
The Ottoman Empire had reluctantly
agreed to let Crete by governed by the Great Powers (UK, France, Russia and
Italy) as a sort of peace-keeping force. As such they didn’t support the use of
any of the flags. The Great Powers flew their own national flags over the areas
where they had particular control, like Berlin after World War II partitioned
in 1945 between UK, USA, France and the Soviet Union.
After the Great Powers appointed Prince
George as High Commissioner the race was on to design a new national flag to be
raised on his arrival to take up his position. The main concern was to choose a
design that did not upset any of the ethnic or religious communities.
Prince George designed his own flag
(labelled A below). Almost immediately, his design came under criticism,
primarily because it contained a common symbol of Greek nationalism – a Greek
Orthodox Christian cross. In fact, it had 2 of them. The white cross on a blue
background was also used on flags by Cretan Christian groups attacking Muslims
and Turks. There seemed to be an obvious bias by Prince George to promote Crete
joining Greece.
The Russians proposed flag B above, but
this went the other way – the crescent, red and green are Muslim and Ottoman
symbols. With just 3 days before Prince George arrived on Crete the Great
Powers decided on flag C, a variation of Prince George’s idea. Red and the star
were intended to represent the Ottoman Turks and Cretan Muslims. They refused
to fly it. However, the design stayed and was used on Cretan banknotes right up
to the day Crete eventually fulfilled its desire to become part of Greece in
1913.
The flag of Crete was never displayed at
an Olympic Games, but in 1906 the so-called Intercalated Olympic Games (which
until 1949 the IOC regarded as official) took place. Although Crete was still
officially part of the Ottoman Empire, 8 athletes were listed as competing for
Crete, though in the official report they were counted as part of the Greek
team.
Even if Prince George didn’t see his
flag fly at the Olympics, one lgbt artist did, and it was there again in Paris
2024.
From a vexillo-historical point of view
the national flag of the United Kingdom is the one that has appeared at the
most Olympics due to its inclusion in so many past and present other flags of
its colonies and territories. Though the UK’s flag wasn’t designed by someone
in the lgbt community (as far as anyone knows), the original design which
excluded the red diagonal cross was chosen by King James of England and
Scotland, who certainly was.
The biggest increase in the creation of
distinctive national flags came in the 1950s and 1960s as many current nations
were attaining their independence from colonial powers (plus one or two
nations, like Canada, who decided to change theirs).
The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and
Tobago gained independence in 1962. Prior to that they were British colonies
who used the flag illustrated below left, showing their coat of arms. This is
the flag used by Trinidad and Tobago at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games up
till then.
In May 1962, only 3 months before
independence, Trinidad and Tobago decided to adopt a brand new flag and coat of
arms. The Independence Committee appointed 7 people to form a flag and arms
sub-committee. These people included museum directors, politicians and one
designer.
The designer was Carlisle Chang (1921-2001), a gay artist born in Trinidad of
Chinese immigrant parents. Today Chang is regarded as the father of Trinidadian
Art. He designed carnival costumes, painted murals, and was an interior
designer.
Chang was also no stranger to the world
of flags and heraldry. In 1957 he was a member of the committee that designed
the flag and coat of arms of the short-lived West Indies Federation
(1958-1962). Although the design of the Federation flag is credited to Edna
Manley, it is believed that the coat of arms (below left) was primarily Chang’s
work.
As far as Trinidad and Tobago is
concerned, both the coat of arms (above, next to the West Indies Federation coat of arms) and the familiar diagonally striped flag
(above right) are Chang’s work. Official sources claim that several designs were
submitted to the Independence Committee, but there is not record of anything
but Chang’s design. The sources also claim that it was the sub-committee who
designed the flag but, as the interview with Chang below makes clear, he was
the only one truly dedicated to the project and the contribution of the other 6
members was negligible.
After I had finished writing this
article, news emerged that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith
Rowley, had announced his intention of altering Chang’s design of the coat of
arms. In a world where colonial symbolism is being replaced with traditional
local emblems, Dr. Rowley has suggested that the 3 ships on the shield,
representing those which brought Christopher Columbus to the Caribbean, should
be replaced by 3 traditional steelpan drums. I like this idea.
The concept of decolonising national
emblems is a good way to express national identity and to show a period of
successful independence, but does it go far enough to justify de-colonisalism as a reason? I wonder if Dr. Rowley
also supports that changing of his nation’s name. Trinidad is the name given to
the island by the very colonists he wants to remove from the coat of arms.
Next time you see the flag of Trinidad
and Tobago you can put a name to the gay man who designed it, Carlisle Chang,
and ponder on the irony that Trinidad and Tobago is still one of the many
homophobic nations in the Caribbean.
I haven’t continued the “(Not
Quite) 80 Gays Around the World” series for a while. Before I continue, here’s
a reminder to regular readers of the journey so far, and for those who are reading
about my “80 Gays” series for the first time.
We began back in 2022 with
–
1) Emperor Hadrian of Rome (76-138) on the 1,200th anniversary of
the construction of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England which he ordered to be
built. Continuing his tour of the empire after leaving Britain he met…
2) Antinous
(c.111-c.130), a young Turkish lad who became his lover. The relationship
lasted 8 years until Antinous’s death. In his grief Hadrian “created” a
constellation in Antinous’s honour called Aquila. This represented Antinous as
a new…
3) Ganymede,
the boy lover of the Greek god Zeus. A modern retelling of the story of
Ganymede and Zeus was written by…
4) Felice Picano (b.1944), a member of the Violet Quill Club, and group of
gay writers who met in New York during 1980 and 1981. The most well-known of
these today is…
5) Edmund White (b.1940), famous for writing “The Joy of Gay Sex”. His
partner at the time, and another Violet Quill member, was…
6) Christopher Cox (1949-1990) who died of AIDS, as did another Violet Quill
member…
7) George Whitmore (1945-1989). The Violet Quill Club came to an end after a
meeting in which Whitmore read his story about a gay couple splitting up. It
was the negative reaction to this story from fellow member…
8)
Andrew Holleran (b.1944)
that led to the collapse of the group. But, perhaps the most unexpected
connection comes with the final two Violet Quill members,
9) Robert Ferro (1941-1988), and...
10) Michael Grumley (1942-1988). Together they set out to find Atlantis, which
they chronicled in their book “Atlantis: The Autobiography of a Search”. On his
own Grumley researched legendary hominids such as Bigfoot, a famous legendary cryptid
which featured as a lonely, lesbian creature in a novel by…
11) Samantha Leigh Allen, which didn’t win a Ferro-Grumley Award
for lgbt fiction, an award created in 1990 named after Robert and Michael,
which gives the winner a 2-week residency at the Art Workshop International,
founded by…
12) Bea Kreloff (1925-2016) and…
13) Edith Isaac Rose (1929-2018) who founded the Workshop in 1981. The Workshop
runs several courses in art and literature and is based in Assisi, the Italian
town made famous by…
14) St. Francis of Assisi (c.1187-1226), founder of the Franciscan
Order of Friars. Although Roman Catholic, a faith not known for its progressive
lgbt+ stance, the Franciscans appointed an openly gay friar to a position of
high authority in 2022 with the appointment of…
15) Brother Markus Fuhrmann (b.1971) as Minister Provincial
(similar to a senior bishop) of the Province of St. Elizabeth in Germany.
Brother Markus had previously been a pastor in Cologne, a city famous for its
cathedral which claims to house the remains of The Three Kings from the
Christmas story. The traditional names of the kings are…
16)
Caspar, …
17)
Melchior, and…
18)
Balhasar. The kings are
famous for presenting gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus
at His Nativity. Balthasar is traditionally said to have presented myrrh, an
aromatic resin from the tree of the same name. The tree itself was named after
the mother of the Greek mythological character…
19)
Adonis.
And there I left it.
Without wanting to sound like a broken record and repeat myself, research for
the Paris Olympics took over so much of my time that I didn’t have time to
finish researching the rest of the “80 Gays”.
Now I am able to, but
there’s another month or two to wait until after I publish the backlog of other
articles that have built up. Rest assured, the series will return in January
2025. Among the links to look forward to are those that connect “Its Raining
Men” to Flower Power, and puppetry to Benjamin Britten.
NOTE: The information below is accurate on the date of
publication. Further research may reveal information which changes or replaces
some of the details. Check by selecting “Olympics” in the tag list for updates.
Let me apologise again for the delay in
publishing this review of Paris 2024. There has been an immense number of
athletes to add to the list and it has taken longer than planned to update it.
This article is rather long, so if you just want to see the updated list skip
to the end.
ORGANISING
COMMITTEES – Paris was
awarded the Olympics in 2017 in the first dual-award, with Los Angeles being
awarded the 2028 Olympics at the same time. I haven’t had a good look at the
Paris Olympic Bid Committee, but the Los Angeles Bid Committee contained lgbt
Winter Olympian and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Angela
Ruggiero as its Chief Strategy Officer. It also included advisory members
including Greg Louganis.
Within a year of being awarded, the IOC
Athlete’s Commission for Paris began its work. The commission is made up of
Olympic athletes, either elected or appointed, who advise the IOC and Paris
organising committee on issues that effect athletes. They also have a voice in
other IOC meetings. The Athlete’s Commission for Paris included two French lgbt
Olympians, fencer Astrid Guyart and triathlete Jessica Harrison. Astrid was
also a member of the French Olympic Committee’s own Athlete’s Commission.
QUALIFICATION – Different sports have different
criteria and time spans for Olympic qualification. Technically, qualification
for the tennis began in 2020 before the Tokyo Olympics, because in order to be
eligible for Paris 2024 tennis players had to participate in at least two Davis
Cup or Billie Jean King Cup tournaments from 2020. This meant that lgbt+
players such as Nadia Podoroska, Demi Schuurs and Greet Minnen, and others,
were the first to compete in a Paris 2024 qualification event.
In addition to the lgbt Olympians who
competed in Paris, there were another 169 lgbt athletes who competed in
qualification events or were named in Olympic ranking lists. Almost half of
these were Olympians from past games who didn’t make it to Paris.
CEREMONIES – On 23rd September 2022 the gay actor
and director Thomas Jolly was announced as the Artistic Director of the Olympic
and Paralympic Games opening and closing ceremonies. Although the concept of
the opening ceremony taking place on the River Seine was made before his
appointment, Jolly created the many tableaux that were acted out along the
banks. The whole idea was a bold concept and, as such, worked logistically,
though lacked the intimacy of a stadium setting and probably won’t be repeated
(the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games made the best use of a river in an
opening ceremony). The first water-based Olympic opening ceremony was at the
2010 Singapore Youth Olympics.
Of the tableaux created by Thomas Jolly,
the fashion catwalk and drag queens didn’t go down very well with some
observers. Jolly received a lot of abuse in the press and from what is becoming
the curse of modern society, social media. To put it in historical context,
there have been drag queens in previous Olympic ceremonies (most memorably Sydney
2000).
GENDER
PARITY? – At the end of
2022 the IOC lifted their ban on male competitors in artistic swimming. This
isn’t as progressive as first sounds, because male swimmers were restricted to
just 2 per team, and banned from solo and duet contests. Unfortunately, no
known male lgbt synchro swimmer was selected for Paris, so we were denied the
chance to see the likes of Renaud Barral and Fabiano Ferreira become lgbt
pioneers in Olympic synchronised swimming.
Claiming gender parity is invalid if it
isn’t applied in every sport. Men are still banned from artistic gymnastics.
There is no Olympic female Greco-Roman wrestling competition. They’re not banned,
there aren’t enough at an international elite level to merit a competition.
PRIDE
HOUSE – This is the
latest in a series of venues established at major international sporting events
since the 2020 Vancouver Winter Olympics. It provides an inclusive, safe social
space for lgbt athletes and public. Pride Houses for future summer and winter
Olympics are being prepared.
The Paris Pride House was officially
launched on 17th May 2023. Among its many Ambassadors were top lgbt sports
heroes like Matthew Mitcham, Greg Louganis, Kate Richardson-Walsh and Lauren
Rowles.
TORCH
RELAY – The torch relay
provides a physical link to the ancient Olympics. The 2024 relay began on 16th
April at Olympia, Greece, site of the ancient games. I’ve written before about
the lgbt connections this site has.
There were a few lgbt torch bearers.
Among those on the Greek leg was Ioannes Melissanidis,
a 1996 Olympic gymnastics champion. Ioannes was a torch bearer at the 2004
Athens opening ceremony. He is also the lgbt Olympian who has taken part in
more torch relays than any other. This was his 8th.
Later that same day was the handover ceremony from
the Greek Olympic Committee to the Paris Organising Committee in the
Panathenaic Stadium, Athens. Among the torch bearers was bisexual French figure
skater with Greek heritage, Gabriella Papadakis.
My favourite part of the relay was when Sandra
Forgues carried the torch on 19th May. Sandra is the 1996 Olympic champion in
C2 (2-man canoe slalom) with Frank Adisson. Sandra is one of the more recent
transgender Olympians, transitioning in 2018. She is also a Paris Pride House
Ambassador. For the relay she reunited with Adisson after 20 years and they
took to the water again to canoe down the River Adour in Bagneres-de-Bigorre. A
short video of the highlights of that day can be seen here. Sandra and Frank
can be seen receiving the torch in their canoe 46 seconds into the video. Frank
is seated in front, Sandra in the back. Sandra is then briefly seen carrying
the torch under an archway of oars.
Towards the end you’ll see the Celebration Cauldron
being lit. This is a tradition in which every day of the relay ends with the
lighting of such a cauldron. Not shown is the cauldron lighter receiving the
flame from French lgbt basketball Olympian Céline Dumerc, though she is one of
those lined up behind her. There were several other lgbt Olympians who lit
Celebration Cauldrons, such as Amandine Buchard in Verdun, Jérémy Stravius in
Amiens, and Astrid Guyart in Vernon.
GENDER
CONTROVERSIES – The controversy which
attracted the most attention was the presence of 2 female boxers. I won’t go
into the long and complicate twists of this case, so here are the basics. In
2023 the IOC suspended the International Boxing Association (IBA – led and
sponsored by Russia) for irregularities in its finances and governance. Many
nations left the IBA and others boycotted the 2023 IBA World Championships.
During the Olympics the IBA claimed 2 female boxers had failed gender tests at
those championships. Their claim that the tests were verified by the World
Anti-Doping Agency was proven false. The IBA refuse to reveal which gender
tests they used against international protocol (or even prove they exist). The
IOC’s tests, and tests taken since Paris, have proven the boxers are both
women.
Two female Zambian footballers were also accused of
having failed gender tests. While it is true that both players have
hyperandrogenism the IOC followed standard international regulations and
accepted them into the female tournament.
THE
OLYMPIANS – As Outsports reported, there
were 199 lgbt+ Olympians in Paris, including 14 alternate athletes. The subject
of alternates is confusing. It can be best explained by something that occurred
in Paris.
Nico Keenan was selected as an alternate for
Argentina’s huckey team. He originally attended the Olympics as a spectator
but on Day 5 he was called up to play in the match against India because
Argentina didn’t have a full squad. In doing so, Nico became eligible for an
Olympic Participation medal (and possibly an Olympic Diploma for finishing in
8th place – I’m not sure if the IOC award diplomas for 8th place in hockey), which he wouldn’t have got as an alternate.
Also originally selected as an alternate and ending
up on the full Olympic team was Sharn Freier (Australia, football).
At the opening ceremony there were 5 lgbt Olympians
carrying their team flags – Tom Daley (GB), Cindy Ngamba (Refugee team),
Michelle-Lee Ahye (Trinidad and Tobago – I’ll write about this flag’s lgbt
history in October), Nesthy Petecio (Philippines), and Yulimar Rojas
(Venezuela). Yulimar presented an unusual, but not unique, situation. She had
qualified for Paris but was injured before her team was selected, but was
chosen as flag bearer because she was the reigning Olympic triple jump
champion.
At the closing ceremony, Lara Vadlau (Austria) and
Ana Patricia Silva Ramos (Brazil) carried their flags, both having become
Olympic champions at the games.
There were 76 athletes making their Olympic debut
in Paris. Most of them had competed in qualification events for previous
Olympics. Of the returning Olympians Carl Hester (GB, equestrian dressage) was
making his 7th appearance, equalling the record achieved by the retired
Brazilian footballer Maraildes “Formiga” Mota. Two Olympians were making their
6th appearance – Diana Taurasi (USA, basketball) and Tom Daley (GB, diving).
They equal Robert Dover’s (USA, equestrian dressage) Olympic appearances. The
British media kept referring to Paris as being Tom’s 5th games, but I include
the 2010 Youth Olympics which was his 2nd.
Going back to Carl Hester (b.1967), in Rio and
Tokyo he was the oldest lgbt competitor. Although he was the oldest medal
winner (bronze) in Paris he wasn’t the oldest lgbt competitor this time round.
Spanish dressage rider Juan Antonio Jiménez (b.1959) was the oldest. He
returned to the Olympics after 20 years having last competed in Athens 2004.
This is the biggest gap between appearances for an lgbt Olympian, though he has
competed in qualification events in between.
The youngest lgbt Paris Olympian was 19-year-old
Linda Caicedo (Colombia, football). She was also the youngest lgbt athlete to
compete in a Paris 2024 qualification event. The youngest lgbt medallist in
Paris was 20-year-old Evy Leifbarth (USA, bronze, canoe slalom).
Four Olympians won multiple medals. Winning gold
and silver were María Perez (Spain, race walk), Sha’Carri Richardson (USA,
track athletics), and Lauren Scruggs (USA, fencing). Winning gold and bronze
was Amandine Buchard (France, judo). Interestingly, all of their gold medals
were won in team events.
In total, 65 members of Team LGBTQ won medals in 43
medal events. This is a record for an “active” Olympic Games. Tokyo 2020 and
Rio 2016 have higher medal counts due to medals being added as Olympians at those
games came out afterwards. Both Rio and Tokyo had lower medal counts at the
close of their games (does that make sense?). As more lgbt Paris Olympians are
identified in the future the 2024 medal count is certain to rise.
When it comes to position on the overall medal
table, you can look at it two ways – the official way, or the American way. The
USA count the total number of medals won regardless of which colour they are
(this method allows for nations who, for example, win only 12 bronze medals
being placed higher than a nation who win just 11 gold medals). Being an
Olympic champion means nothing in this method. So, instead of Team LGBTQ ending
up 7th in the overall medal table, the US places us in 3rd place.
There are so many more facts and figures, such as
the Olympian who has overtaken the great Ian Thorpe’s medal count to top the Summer
Olympic all-time medal table. That can be left for another time, as I’m sure
you want to see the new lgbt Olympian list. So here it is.
I had
hoped to bring you a review of the Paris Olympics and an update Olympian list
yesterday, but because of the mass of results from the many lgbt+ athletes who
competed, and because of some health-related issues, I have to postpone it
until 1st September. Oh, the “joys” of getting old! Sorry to let you all down, and
for the delay. The post that was provisionally planned for 1st September will
appear next year.
NOTE: The information below is accurate
on the date of publication. Further research may reveal information which
changes or replaces some of the details. Check later postings to keep up to
date by selecting “Olympics” in the search box or the tag list.
With the Olympic opening ceremony
tonight it is time to celebrate the achievements of our many lgbt+ athletes in
their journeys to Paris 2024. As in previous years I have been collaborating
with Outsports to compile list of lgbt+ athletes. My full all-time list of over
770 Olympians will be published after the games have ended and the newest
results have been added.
From the day I dedicated myself to
researching lgbt+ Olympians in 2010 I have also been researching those who had
competed in qualification events, ranking lists, and national Olympic trials. I
haven’t published this list before, and I was hoping to publish it today.
Unfortunately, I’ve had health issues which have been slowing me down and
there’s no way it would have been ready today.
Instead, I’ll present some research I
did while researching the Paris 2024 qualification competitions.
For the past 6 Olympics (since Sydney
2000) the sport with the most lgbt+ competitors has been women’s football. This
year is no different, and it has provided a remarkable new statistic.
In previous years qualification to the
Olympics for European women’s football teams has been based on their results in
the most recent Women’s World Cup finals. This year the IOC decided to use the
2024 UEFA Women’s Nations League as the qualification event for Paris 2024
instead.
With 51 national women’s teams in UEFA
the IOC decided to restrict qualification to teams in the top division only,
League A. This year League A contained 16 national teams, and 51 matches
(including the Nations League Finals) were played. Every match had at least 1
openly lgbt+ player in one or both teams. I don’t think there has been a team
qualification tournament in any other sport that has had 100% lgbt+
representation in every match. I’ll keep checking, but I’m fairly confident
that this is the case.
The team with the most openly lgbt+
players was Sweden with 10. Sadly, they didn’t qualify for Paris 2024. If you
combine the players on the English, Scottish and Welsh teams they came to 14.
However, the IOC does not recognise these three teams as eligible for the
Olympics, only if they play as one team, Team GB. None of those three teams
reached the required final placing to qualify for Paris 2024. If one of them
had, then the IOC would have accepted that Team GB had qualified.
In fact, a smaller-scale version of this
will occur in pool stages of the women’s football, because all 4 teams in Pool
A – France, Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand – all have at least 1 lgbt+
player.
While on the subject of female
footballers, there are many sites on the internet which publish lists of
footballers they claim are openly lgbt+. Most of these sites are fan sites, and
often gossip machines, and rarely provide definitive proof of any players’
sexuality. The only reliable site for listing female lgbt+ footballers is
Oustports.com who actually obtain evidence of each players’ sexual and gender
identity. And I’m not saying that because I collaborate with them. Even
Wikipedia invariably offers nothing more than a gossip fan site as a source.
The Wikipedia lists of lgbt+ Olympians is similarly untrustworthy and not to be
taken as fact. I have written in the past of at least two people on their list who
should not be there, interestingly both of them competed in the previous 2
Paris Olympics (Robert Graves and Count Robert de Montesquiou).
Let’s finish with some of my most recent
research into past Olympics. In September last year I mentioned that Leonard
Chalmers and Léon Curia was the first Olympians to transition gender. It seems
I was wrong, and that there was one before that.
In the 1936 Berlin Olympics there was a
Czech javelin thrower competing as Stefánie
Pekarová (b.1913). In 1938 the Czech press printed news that Stefánie
had undergone gender reassignment surgery and was referred to as Stefan Pekar. In the few online
references to him it seems that he may have been born intersex and assigned
female at birth. Those references also day that all of Stefan’s sporting
results in female competition were annulled. This wouldn’t happen today, though
there were a few calls for Caitlin Jenner’s Olympic results to be removed and
his medals returned.
It also appears that Stefan’s attendance
at the Berlin Olympics may have been nominal. He did not compete in the events
into which he was registered. This was not unusual in those days. I suppose we
could consider him as the equivalent of a modern alternate athlete (until 1992
the IOC permitted alternates the right to call themselves Olympian and share in
any medal their team won – the IOC don’t now, but I still do).
However, we do know that Stefan competed
in the Women’s World Games, the games created in 1921 by female athletes who
were refused the right to compete in the Olympics at that time. At the 1934
Women’s World Games in London Stefan won bronze medals in the shot put and
triathlon (javelin, high jump and 100m sprint).
Sadly, there is no record of Stefan
Pekar after his transition was reported in 1938. No-one has yet discovered his
date of death, so he will remain an enigma.
International Olympic historians like
myself are always unearthing new information about those early Olympians. Not
all Olympians were mentioned by name in the very early days, especially if they
were part of a team event in which only the team name was recorded. There are
historians who specialise in identifying these anonymous Olympians, and I hope
that I am playing my own part in this research by recognising the Olympians within
the lgbt+ community.
Here is a provisional list
of articles I intend to publish for the rest of the year. The schedule may
alter. I decided to not publish anything in the rest of June and most of July because I am concentrating
on preparing a new Olympic list.
24 July 2024 – Olympic
preview, and a new list of lgbt+ athletes to add to the Olympians.
13 August 2024 – Olympic
review and updated lgbt+ Olympian list.
1 September 2024 – 80 Gays
Around the World 6.
19 September 2024 – (Talk
Like a Pirate Day) Extraordinary Life.
1 October 2024
(International Vexillology Day) Designs for a Nation.
15 October 2024 – Buried
Alive?
31 October 2024 –
(Hallowe’en) The Transgender Bogeyman Is Coming To Get You.
