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FRNY participated in the first Gay Games in San Francisco in 1982. The Games were originally called the Gay Olympics but had to change their name because of a lawsuit filed by the US Olympic Committee.
FRNY participated in the first Gay Games in San Francisco in 1982. The Games were originally called the Gay Olympics but had to change their name because of a lawsuit filed by the US Olympic Committee. Because sports culture in the United States has only recently made strides in being more welcome to gays and lesbians (e.g., the first openly gay NBA player didn’t come out until 2013), the Gay Games as well as gay sports clubs provided a way for gay people to participate in competitive sports without fear of being ostracized. In 1982, FRNY had 11 members participate in the first Gay Games. Members of FRNY have participated ever since, which include:
- 1982, 1986—San Francisco, CA
- 1990—Vancouver, Canada
- 1994—New York, NY
- 1998—Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 2002—Sydney, Australia
- 2006—Chicago, IL
- 2010—Cologne, Germany
- 2014—Cleveland and Akron, OH