OPINION: Earlier this year, Martina Navratilova, a much-lauded lesbian role model, caused a media storm with her remarks on transgender athletes, saying: “It’s insane and it’s cheating.”
“Participation, Inclusion and Personal Best”
by Katrina Allen
The Gay Gam
es, a huge sporting event, is held, like the Olympics, every four years.
It first took place in San Francisco in 1982, featuring 17 sports, 12 nations and 1,350 participants. It was a huge success and it was clear that this LGBT+ sporting celebration would continue.
Since then, the event has been held in cities such as Vancouver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney and Cologne. Each time the numbers have increased. By 2006 there were 30 sports and cultural events, 70 nations and 11,700 participants.
This year, the sporting extravaganza is to be held in Paris from 4th -11th August.
The Gay Games was initially known as the Gay Olympics but objections were raised by the Olympic Committee and the name was changed. It was a reasonable request since the whole ethos of the Gay Games is about inclusion, not just within the community but also across various standards, which go from beginner to expert. The Olympics, of course, is all about excellence, world-class athletes within their sport.
From synchronised swimming to pétanque to wrestling – you name it … The full list of sports can be found at https://www.paris2018.com/sports-list/ Read More
This article appeared in Diva Magazine in June 2018
Back in 2014, I wrote an article for Diva Magazine about Amélie Mauresmo, a former World No 1 tennis player. She had just been appointed coach to Andy Murray, which rocked the tennis world since it was the first time a woman, let alone a lesbian, had coached a top ten male player. Read More
This article appeared in Givemesport.com
It’s the scandal that shocked the cricket world and two months on, it is still a hot topic of debate.
We get beyond our 50’s and start to collect injuries: bad backs, tennis elbow, dodgy knees, and then the eyes start to go. That bit has only hit me in the last few years and it’s depressing. Read More
(I have interviewed the Mistress, Her House Slave, Her P.A., a Freudian Psychoanalyst and a sex therapist for a comprehensive article on this subject.)
(the word Mistress and related pronouns are traditionally in capital letters)
A friend told me one day – ‘I have a really interesting opportunity. If I tell you, promise not to laugh.’ I duly promised. ‘I’m going to be helping a Dominatrix. It’s mostly personal assistant work, answering the phone, taking bookings, optimising the website etc. It’s also a really great writing opportunity.’ Read More
I recently went back to the Calais Jungle as a volunteer for the third time within the last twelve months.
(photograph by Katrina Allen)
So, what’s changed during that time?
Well, when I was first there last October, there were an estimated 5,000 migrants at the camp. According to a census a couple of weeks ago, conducted by two of the charities helping out, the numbers have now reached 9,000, with a 29% increase in just one month and around 70 new arrivals every day.
(full piece available on request)
I recently met a woman at a meet-up group who makes her living out of writing male-to-male erotic romance. What is even stranger about this is the fact that some 70% of readers are women.
The LGBT community has a far higher incidence of mental health issues than the heterosexual one. Why?
(Photograph by Katrina Allen)
WHEN ANDY MURRAY HIRED LESBIAN TENNIS CHAMP AMELIE MAURESMO TO BE HIS COACH, THE SEXIST AND HOMOPHOBIC RESPONSE RECALLED THE REACTION WHEN MAURESMO CAME OUT 15 YEARS AGO. HAS ANYTHING CHANGED IN TENNIS?
This is what happened to me after playing tennis for half an hour in New Zealand without applying suncream. Read More
It seems ludicrous to penalise people who fish perfectly edible food out of the likes of Iceland’s bins. Surely the main problem is that the supermarkets have so much waste in the first place. Read More
There’s been so much press recently about the dangers of London cycling. Many years ago, in my twenties, I cycled everywhere in London. I covered about a hundred miles a week. I must have been very fit but I’m just amazed I never had an accident.
I thought I’d do something different last Christmas – the idea of slobbing around and eating too much, watching The Snowman and the Queen’s Speech yet again, didn’t appeal. Read More
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