Chicago will be the epicenter of LGBT sports over Pride Weekend in late June as literally hundreds of out sporting types—including players, media members, coaches, trainers, officials and executives—will be taking part.
First, the annual Proud To Run continues its legacy, which dates back to 1982. Proud to Run is an annual 10K run & 5K run/walk on June 25 along the lakefront, focused on celebrating pride in and raising funds to support the greater Chicago area LGBT community. Last year, the event had a record turnout of more than 1,700 registrants. Overall, more than 2,200 people participated in last year's event by running, walking, volunteering and sponsoring.
Then there's the flag-football event Pride Bowl IX, run by the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association ( CMSA ), which will take place June 24-25 at the renovated Montrose Lakeside Fields. The tournament will have three divisions this year: A, B, and Women's ( for the first time ). All teams are guaranteed five games and participating teams include the Chicago Freeze ( A ), Chicago Blaze and Chicago B2s ( B ), along with the Chicago Renegades and Chicago Diesel Daisies ( women ).
And the Chicago Force could be playing in a playoff game June 25—and possibly at home at Lane Stadium on the campus of Lane Tech High School.
Runners and ( foot )ballers will be joined and/or supported by participants in the inaugural Outsports Reunion, held in Chicago.
Outsports.com co-founder Cyd Zeigler said he and co-founder Jim Buzinski have seen the power of community amongst LGBT athletes and coaches, the support structure that has built up around the stories that have appeared on the popular gay sports website. "We know that by holding an event like this, where these athletes, coaches and others in sports can get to know each other, that they will in turn inspire even more people to come out in sports and be their true selves," Zeigler said.
About 100 people are expected at the reunion—from high school athletes to pro sports personnel.
The focus is to bring together people active in organized sports and empower them, Zeigler said.
There will be everything from out high school athletes to front-office executives from pro teams, with participants ranging in age from teenagers to some in their 60s, and "we've got people from every race, gender and gender identity," Zeigler said.
The reunion goals are simple: Have fun, make new friends and spend time with old friends, Zeigler said. So, there won't be lectures, big speeches, or activists pushing their agenda.
"This [reunion] is about the LGBT people in sports and providing them a support structure of empowerment," Zeigler said. "We are really focusing the weekend on story-telling, both in large groups and one-on-one [settings]. We know that people telling their stories is how to connect with other people. So whether it's public-facing events or our private events, story-telling will be a major focus."
Why Chicago?
"The last few years Nike has hosted a similar event in Portland, Oregon, [and] that isn't being held this year. It's difficult and expensive for a lot of people to get to Portland, so we wanted to have something that was central and cheaper," Zeigler said. "Chicago was the perfect spot for that reason, and also because we have some great supporters in the city. For a lot of these people, it will be their first Pride event, so that's why we timed it when we did."
Zeigler also will be holding a book-signing Thursday, June 23, at Unabridged Bookstore, starting at 7 p.m., followed by a social gathering at Crew Bar.
On Saturday, June 25, a sports event is being held at the Center on Halsted that will feature various attendees telling parts of their stories to an audience, with a reception afterward. Tickets are free, but are limited. ( For tickets, go to www.centeronhalsted.org/newevents-details.cfm. )
Reunion participants also will be marching in the parade with Nike's BeTrue campaign.
"Our past events like this have focused on bringing together our readers," Zeigler said. "We wanted to focus this event on the flip side—the subjects of our stories—because of the incredible need these people, mostly in their teens, 20s and early 30s, have to build community and meet people like them. They have felt so isolated for so long. This event will help that."
About 25 of the reunion participants are from Illinois.
In addition to Zeigler and Buzinski, local organizers include Bill Gubrud, Eric Lueshen, Andrew Fortman and Eric Wilkerson.
"I just want to have fun and get to know some of these incredibly inspiring people better," Zeigler said. "So many events like this revolve around panel discussions and 'training' people on how to do the work of the movement. But we know that people just getting to know one another and building lasting memories is the most powerful take-away."
Cyd Zeigler will bring his new book, Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in Sports, to Unabridged Bookstore, 3251 N. Broadway, on Thursday, June 23, 7-8 p.m. See UnabridgedBookstore.com .
