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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- The Olympics' closing ceremony is going to be a
drag.

Drag queens will be part of the Sydney 2000 games' finale regardless
of what "right-wing reactionaries" think, ceremonies director Ric
Birch said Wednesday.

The men dressed up in outlandish dresses, wigs and makeup, will be
"part of one tiny section" of the closing ceremony, a tribute to
Australian films including the 1994 cult hit "The Adventures of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," he said.

Some of the participants would be dressed in original costumes,
including a frill-necked lizard outfit from the film, which features
two drag queens and a transsexual driving a pink bus through
Australia's Outback.

A report in Wednesday's Sydney Morning Herald newspaper sparked
heated debate on radio shows. One caller said he would trade his
closing ceremony ticket after hearing the news.

Birch directed the opening ceremony at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
and was involved in the opener at Atlanta four years ago. He said he
was annoyed that constant leaks were wrecking what should be a
surprise for the public.

"I'm really disappointed at the way the media is gleefully trying to
expose the secrets that we call surprises," Birch told Australian
Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Photographs of the Olympic cauldron being lit in rehearsals, which
are usually kept under wraps, have been printed. Speculation on who
will ignite the cauldron has intensified.

Birch said the inclusion of drag queens also reflected one of
Sydney's most colorful events, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, a gay
pride march and street carnival that attracts hundreds of thousands
of spectators each year.

"That's part of Sydney life whether (critics) like it or not." Birch
said. "For the right-wing reactionaries or whatever part of a
community is outraged about it -- well, they're always going to be
outraged."

Olympics Minister Michael Knight said all the plans for the
ceremonies had been approved by the organizing committee's board.

"The closing ceremony runs for several hours and has a very different
feel to opening ceremony -- it's a party," he said. "The athletes are
going to be on the field from the word go as part of this giant party
celebration. The whole feel will be one of great celebration and fun."

Bay Windows
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
March 30, 2000 issue
Page One
letters@baywindows.com

A BRAVE ATHLETE, SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL

The Massconomet Regional High Football Team's Co-Captain Comes Out And
Finds A World Of Support

by Peter Cassels
Bay Windows staff

The co-captain of a Massachusetts high school football team may be the
first high school athlete in the nation to declare his homosexuality so
publicly while still enjoying the support of his teammates, parents and
coaches. Corey Johnson, a senior linebacker and guard on the Massconomet
Regional High School squad, came out in April 1999, but delayed discussing
it with the news media until now.

On March 25, the Boston Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
bestowed its Visionary Award on Johnson and his teammates at its annual
conference at Tufts University.

Even though he was pursued by national media to tell his story, Johnson
told Bay Windows during a March 26 interview that he wanted to wait until
this year's football season was over, fearing it would draw attention
away from the task at hand: winning games.

His story is unusual in that he didn't experience much of the hostility
some youths do when they come out. Although they were surprised,
teammates, classmates and the community north of Boston where he lives
didn't harass Johnson. For the most part, even competing team members
accepted his homosexuality.

The shock that a high school sports star could be gay may be attributed
to the fact that no one suspected. The athlete, who turns 18 in April,
stands five feet nine inches and weighs 175 pounds, defies the mainstream
stereotype of a gay man. ``I've never been to a Broadway musical in my
life,'' he kids.

However, the universal acceptance belies months of worry, depression and
stress that preceded his decision.

Johnson, who says he's known since he was 12 or 13 that he's gay, is the
model of the All-American teenager. Growing up in upper-middle-class,
conservative Middleton on Cape Ann, he's been involved in sports his
entire life. Besides football, he's played baseball, basketball and
lacrosse and was a member of the school's wrestling team.

``When I first started having sexual feelings, it was like a non-issue,''
he recalls. ``I said, `Okay. Whatever.' There are others things to do.''

While he had heard some negative comments about gays, there was one
incident that brought it home: A family friend said something derogatory
during a Super Bowl party in his sophomore year.

``I got up, went into the bathroom, sat down and cried. It was the first
time it hit me. The following week it was permeating me. I was feeling it
deeply. I became depressed and somewhat volatile in my emotions.''

Johnson decided to see his guidance counselor and came out to her, saying
he was bisexual. ``She was very supportive.'' Two weeks later he came out
to a teacher.

That spring he missed a day of school because of his depression, so he
had to sit out lacrosse practice that day. His coach, who was also his
history teacher, asked Johnson what was wrong. ``It was a rainy, dreary,
morose day. I came out to him in the middle of the lacrosse field. He
said `Don't let anyone tell you there's something wrong with you. You're
a special person.' We talked about it for about an hour and a half.''

While still depressed that summer, ``things were better because I didn't
have to deal with school. That was a major stress reliever.''

Johnson and his team had a great 1998 season, finishing with a
ten-and-one record. In early December, after the season ended, he was
elected co-captain. ``My parents were unbelievably happy and proud of
me.'' By Christmas vacation he had come out as gay to two more faculty
members, but still faced a major challenge: telling his parents.

On Jan. 4, 1999, he told his mother he wanted to talk. They went for a
drive. Once on the highway, his mom demanded to know what was wrong. He
suggested they stop first, but she refused.

``I said, `Mom, every morning before you drop me off at school, you tell
me you love me and every night before I go to bed, you tell me you love
me.' I said, `I have something very important to tell you and all I want
to do is strengthen our relationship. ` She told me I could tell her
anything. By now, I was crying. I said, `Mom, I'm gay.' She said, `Oh,
that doesn't matter. I love you unconditionally. You're my son. So we sat
in a parking lot and talked and cried for about half an hour.''

He came out to his father a few days later, but he already suspected
because he read an on-line computer conversation Johnson had a year
earlier. ``He was extremely supportive. He said, `I'm glad you finally
made the decision to tell us and I hope you'll feel a lot better now.'''
Later, he told his 10-year-old sister, who was ``fine with it.''

Johnson felt like ``I lifted a large anvil off my shoulders,'' but
decided a few months later that he wanted to come out to his football
team. ``I felt like I owed it to myself and to other people that I
shouldn't be ashamed of that part of myself.''

He made the decision on March 25, 1999, at the annual GLSEN Boston
conference. He had come out to an adviser to his school's gay/straight
alliance, but had never attended a meeting. The adviser asked him if he
wanted to attend the conference. ``The other attendees didn't know I'm
gay. I was timid and scared getting on the bus with them.'' Today he is
the group's co-chair.

Within a few weeks, Johnson met with the faculty members who knew. The
majority advised him to wait until he graduated so he wouldn't have to
suffer potential harassment. ``I told them from my heart how I felt and
how important this was to me and my well-being. They totally supported
me.''

He wanted to tell one more person before he told the team: his best
friend Sean, a constant companion on the athletic field for a year and a
half. They played football and lacrosse and served on the wrestling team
together. On April 7, he pulled Sean out of class. They sat on a bench
outside. ``I said, `Sean I'm gay.' He said, `No, you're not. Stop kidding
around.' I said, `No, Sean. I'm really gay. I'm not kidding.' He leaned
back, took it all in and started crying. I said, `Sean, what's the
matter?' He said, `Well, I thought I knew everything about you. And I'm
sorry you couldn't tell me this part you've been hiding.''' Sean remains
his best friend.

Then he told his football coach, Jim Pugh, who also teaches special
education, and told him he wanted to tell his teammates. Pugh, too, was
supportive and agreed.

With the cooperation of the administration, Pugh arranged to get his
junior classmates on the team together the next day, April 8. With the
season long over, they were puzzled about why a meeting was being held.

Johnson didn't pull any punches: ``I stood up in front of the team and
said, `Guys, I called this meeting because I have something I really want
to tell all of you. And I hope you'll be supportive. ... The reason I'm
telling you all is because I don't want you hearing it from somebody
else. I'm coming out as an openly gay man.' Their jaws dropped, their
eyes bulged. I said, `I'm still the same person I've always have been.
...I hope this won't change anything.'''

He suspected illogical fears by now were racing through their heads, so
he told them: ``I didn't come on to you in the locker room last year. I'm
not going to do it this year. Who says you guys are good enough anyway?''

That broke the tension. As the meeting drew to a close, some teammates
said what was on their minds. One said, ``I'm glad you told us. I'd like
to be supportive of you in any way possible.'' Another said, ``Even if
others on the team don't agree with you being gay, in order to be
cohesive team, they just have accept it and put it aside.''

Within two minutes after the meeting, the entire school knew. To a
person, they told Johnson they were surprised and didn't have a clue.
Support was far more common than criticism, although, he says, there were
a few homophobes. ``One of the GSA advisers -- Johnson declined to say
which one -- was inspired to come out three days before he told the team.
Johnson said she asked herself, ``If this 16-year-old can come out why
can't I?''

Not that he didn't encounter some opposition. While his teammates weren't
upset, a few of their parents were. One suggested re-voting for captain.
Pugh told him that it was a non-issue and wouldn't consider it. The coach
added that what he was doing in raising these questions was a lot more
destructive for the team than Johnson's being gay.

His teammates took his sexuality in stride. In the locker room, they
asked about what kind of guys he likes and where's the nearest gay bar
was. ``I said there's a gay bar in Boston called the Ramrod. They said,
`Oh, we want to get T-shirts from there.' They joked around about it in a
very inclusive way.''

Johnson tells two stories. The second game of the 1999 season was against
rival Winfield High School. During the week leading up to the game, its
captain was using anti-gay rhetoric and epithets. ``The coach told his
players he could not play. I found that out the day of the game.''

When Johnson walked on the field, the Winfield player across from him
said, ``Faggot, we're going to kill you, you fucking homo.'' ``I just
started laughing because I had come out to my football team and my
parents and this one kid thinks he's going to intimidate me. I went back
to the huddle and I told the team what just happened. The other
co-captain, said, `Don't worry Corey, we have your back.' We won
25-to-0.''

Later in the season they defeated Weston High School. On the bus ride
home the team sang. ``Somebody said let's sing a song for Corey. They
started singing the Village People's `YMCA' and, later, `It's raining
men.' Then they started chanting `GSA!' I got up and bowed and everyone
started laughing.''

Pugh has nothing but praise for Johnson, whom he described as one of his
toughest players: ``You have to stand up and be who you are. That's what
Corey wanted to do. Football coaches I've talked to throughout the league
and all over have said the kid has to have a lot of guts to go into that
arena and tell them. It's unusual.

``This kid has moved a lot of people, including adults. He's done a lot
for the football program and the school and you'll continue hearing a lot
of good things about Corey.''

Asked what advice he would give other gay athletes, Pugh says: ``I think
it's a kid's individual choice. Not all kids would be as comfortable
dealing with the stupid remarks of some ignorant people. You have to be
pretty strong. Here he is coming out knowing that he could take quite a
bit of abuse from a lot of people, so it's perhaps not the best thing for
every kid. But as you break down these barriers, we have to deal with it
and accept it.''

Pugh credited the school, parents, the community and, particularly Jeff
Perrotti and Deb Levy of the Massachusetts Safe Schools program. ``They
were with us all the way. Jeff came to many, many meetings at the
school.''

Dan Woog, author of ``Jocks: True Stories of America's Gay Male
Athletes,'' told Bay Windows he agrees with Pugh's assessment: ``Corey
is my hero. He has done something that, to my knowledge, has never been
done before. And he has done it with dignity, poise, intelligence,
passion -- even a bit of humor. He is the epitome of what a high school
student-athlete should be. Corey has opened the eyes and hearts of minds
of so many people.

``From now on, I hope, gay boys who love football will be able to feel
there is a place for them there -- and straight athletes will know that
having a gay teammate is not wrong or bad or weird. It just IS. Corey has
accomplished plenty on the football field -- and a whole lot more off
it.''

INTERNATIONAL GAY RODEO ASSOCIATION-ANNUAL CONVENTION AND COUNTRY WESTERN DANCE CONTEST

JULY 1, 1999

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THOM SLOAN AT 505-272-2670 OR TSLOAN@SALUD.UNM.EDU

The International Gay Rodeo Association [IGRA] will be holding it's annual convention in Long Beach, CA on July 29-August 1, 1999. The host hotel is the Westin Long Beach, 333 East Ocean Blvd., Long Beach.

The Golden State Gay Rodeo Association [GSGRA] is hosting the event and it is being sponsored by Bud Light and Avis. GSGRA was founded in Long Beach in 1984 and sponsors the four gay rodeos in California each year, including the upcoming Sierra Stampede in Sacramento, August 20-22 and the San Diego Rodeo on September 17-19.

Most of the meetings are open only to IGRA members but there are some great public events. Most notable is the 1999 Country Western Dance Competition. Dance couples from all over the U.S. will be entering this year for competition in 4 levels of dance competition from amateur to professional. The competition is open to the public with a charge of $5 at the door. It will be held at the Dance Factory, 266 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. This is a professional dance studio with a 1,000 square foot dance floor. There is a second dance floor available for open dancing throughout the evening. The contest is from 6 PM to 11 PM on Saturday, July 31st.

A welcome reception will be open to the public with a cash bar on Thursday, July 29th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on the Grill Terrace of the Westin. This is being hosted by the GSGRA Capital Crossroads chapter which will be hosting their first Sierra Stampede on August 20-22, 1999 in Sacramento, CA.

There will also be a Cowboy Bar Crawl along many of the bars located in the East Broadway corridor of Long Beach.

IGRA will be making changes to it's bylaws and operating rules during the weekend of business meetings as well as electing officers for the year 2000 and setting the 2000 IGRA Rodeo Schedule.

Please visit our website at www.igra.com or call Thom Sloan, IGRA Public Relations Spokesperson at 505-272-2670 for more information.

The Federation of Gay Games, Inc.
San Francisco, California, USA
6 May 1999

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Charles Carson at (212) 226-1573 or cacarsonjr@aol.com
Gene Dermody at (415) 821-2991 or gdermody@pacbell.net

NEW DATES ANNOUNCED FOR SYDNEY 2002 GAY GAMES

New dates for Gay Games VI and a change in Federation of Gay Games
leadership highlighted the Federation's mid-year meeting in Montreal, Canada
from 21-26 April.

"Gay Games VI and Cultural Festival - Under New Skies" will now be
held in Sydney, Australia from 2-9 November, 2002. Although the original
September dates were to coincide with the end of the northern hemisphere
summer, Sydney organisers cited warmer local weather and longer daylight
hours as the deciding factors in changing the schedule.

"At the Gay Games last summer in Amsterdam, the streets were filled
with people having a great time late into the evening," said Tom Seddon,
Sydney 2002 board member. "In September the sun goes down in Sydney around
5:30 p.m. (1730 hours), but by November there are an extra two hours of
daylight. We're convinced this change is the right thing to do, and we're
happy the Federation Board has approved it enthusiastically."

Sydney 2002's representatives announced ambitious outreach goals for
the Asia/Pacific region, an area of the world underrepresented at previous
Gay Games. They also described their staffing structure, with many
volunteers already in place, and their plans for obtaining government
support and corporate sponsorships.

Sports competitions will be clustered in two main zones, one at the
Olympic Park in Homebush and the other downtown at Sydney Harbour, making it
easy for participants to attend a number of different events in close
proximity. Sydney 2002 also plans to bring some cultural events directly to
the athletic sites.

In a separate development, the Federation of Gay Games Board of
Directors replaced its Executive Committee when the officers stepped down to
permit a change of leadership.

"The Federation is a very different organisation now than when it
was founded 10 years ago," said Acting President Gene Dermody. "We have
more and more sports and cultural groups joining the Federation Board and
fewer individuals. The groups have taken an increasingly active interest in
the day-to-day business of the Federation, and that's requiring us to
examine our internal management structure."

"Over the next several months we're going to look at improving
communication between the Acting Executive Committee officers, the other
directors and the Federation's various committees," Dermody said. "It's a
tribute to the commitment of our former officers that they have remained on
the Board to help us go forward with the Federation's work."

The Acting Executive Committee consists of Dermody (San Francisco,
California, USA; International Wrestling Alliance), Vice President Derek
Liecty (Oakland, California, USA; Individual Federation Director), Treasurer
Joseph E. Pasquarella Smith (Seattle, Washington, USA; Team Seattle),
Recording Secretary Charles Carson (New York, New York, USA; International
Gay & Lesbian Aquatics), and Corresponding Secretary Roy Vestal (Denver,
Colorado, USA; Lesbian & Gay Bands of America).

The acting officers will serve until regular elections are held at
the Federation's Annual Meeting in Berlin from 18-22 October. The meeting
organiser will be Team Berlin, which had one of the largest contingents at
Gay Games V in Amsterdam.

"Our transition team has a lot of work to do over the next six
months," said Dermody. "We got a good start in Canada last week thanks to
our host, Equipe Montreal. It will be great to take the Federation back to
Europe for its next meeting."

For information about the Federation of Gay Games and its ongoing
committee projects, go to its website at http://www.gaygames.org.

SOURCE: 'Express' [GLBT] newspaper.
Issue Date: 18th March, 1999.
EDITOR: Ms Claire Gummer
Telephone: + 64-9-361-0190
Facsimile: + 64-9-361-0191
P O BOX 47 514
PONSONBY
AUCKLAND 2
NEW ZEALAND
express@outnet.co.nz
http://gaynz.com/express

Boat team performs well in National Champs.

Gay and lesbian dragon boating is alive and well after a strong third
placing by the Bojangles Direct 'express' dragon boat team at the
recently-held National Championships.

Competition for the Nationals began at Wellington's Freyberg beach for the
[Radio] 91ZM "Draggin' the Boat Competition."
Two team members sat in a small yellow aluminium dingy while the other
eight pulled it along a course on the sand. The Bojangles Direct 'express'
team narrowly beat [Wellington's] Victoria University's Oarsome team,
and Swift justice from [Law Firm] Bell Gully came in third.

In the fashion section held that night the team won with a near flawless
performance. In Saturday morning's race the team performed well against
some of the best teams in the country finishing a credible fifth. In
Sunday's first race the team were hit by an uprising rip that lifted the
boat and turned it by about 30 degrees.

However, they went on to maintain a solid fourth place. The semi final
got off to a slow start because of a southerly swell, with the team finishing
in fourth place. By the time of the final, the swell was causing chaos.
In the five races immediately before the final, there were five capsizes.
The race was closely fought, with less than half a boat length between first
and third. Bojangles Direct 'express' came third in an excellent time.
The crew were tired but happy with their efforts and partied well into the
night.

The next section of the Championships will be held at Karapiro on the
20th of March.

SOURCE: South China Morning Post, May 6, 1999
Hong Kong
(E-MAIL: jfenby@scmp.com ) ( http://www.scmp.com/news/ )

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Rome.

Amelie Mauresmo's rise from tennis obscurity has been rapid. A year
ago, the French player was slinking away from a side court at the Foro
Italico, a straight-set loser in the first round of the Italian Open
qualifying tournament.
This week, Mauresmo made her main-draw debut in Rome on centre court as
the US$1 million clay-court event's 10th seed � and routed her opponent.
"Conditions couldn't be much different. Things are much better now,"
Mauresmo said after overpowering Canada's Maureen Drake 6-2, 6-1. "I'm just
more consistent during a match and from week to week."
The 19-year-old Frenchwoman was next scheduled to play Russia's Elene
Dementieva.
"I'm very happy to be out there on centre court to start. Certainly
this year is different from last year," Mauresmo said. "I'm finishing points
more often at the net and am stronger mentally."
She showed her mettle in the Australian Open, blowing past
then-top-ranked American Lindsay Davenport on her way to the final, all the
while dealing with questions and comments about her open lesbian relationship.
After her victory on Tuesday, Mauresmo deftly handled an Italian
reporter who hemmed and hawed as he tried to formulate a question about her
private life, with about as much subtlety as a Venus Williams overhead smash.
"Come on, go ahead," she prodded, smiling, before parrying the eventual
query by saying, "I've already said all I had to say. I would only repeat
myself and it wouldn't be interesting."
Mauresmo is the first player on the women's tour since Martina
Navratilova to talk publicly about being a lesbian.
In Melbourne, she said her decision to do so had helped her tennis game.
She followed up her on-court breakthrough in Australia by reaching the
final of the Paris Indoors, where she lost to Serena Williams. Mauresmo's
WTA Tour ranking is up to 16th, compared to 67th at this time last year.
American sisters Venus and Serena Williams were the first two players
into the third round. Venus, the third seed, edged Spain's Gala Leon Garcia
7-5, 4-6, 6-4, and number six Serena had less trouble ousting Russia's
Tatiana Panova 6-2, 6-1.
Seeded players Conchita Martinez of Spain, a four-time Italian Open
champion, South Africa's Amanda Coetzer and Romania's Irina Spirlea all
reached the second round with straight-set victories.