Out of the Blocks

One of my ongoing projects is research into lgbt participation in sport. This was originally inspired by the Gay Games. When the LGBT History Month chose sport as the theme for 2011 and 2012 I extended the research and produced a timeline of lgbt sport for the History Month website. Since then I have been revising, updating and correcting each entry.

Among the sporting trivia I discovered along the way was that a world champion sheep-shearer won a gold medal at the first World Outgames, and that a 16-year-old cross-dresser played truant from school to climb – unaided – a 200 feet tall sea stack.

The timeline is available on the LGBT History Month website. Perhaps you could print it out and use it in your own celebrations for the Olympics, or for the EuroGames in June.

I also collected various statistics, especially on the Gay Games, and I believe I have the most comprehensive list of Gay Games medal winners in the world – with almost 10,000 names. I’m going to tell you more about them for the 30^th anniversary of the first Gay Games in August.

I keep working on the timeline and will be producing a new version in time for the Olympics in July.