The Gay Games are coming back to the United States in 2014. Only three cities submitted the necessary paperwork by this past weekend’s deadline, so organizers in either Boston, Cleveland or Washington, D.C., will be very busy in the next five years. Miami had been named one of four finalists last year, but they apparently failed to file necessary documents last weekend. The final selection will be in September.
While the final bid and specific local organization are important, I’ll throw out my odds for winning the final bid:
Washington (2/1): Given Barack Obama’s popularity with gay people and Europeans, if Washington is smart they’ll tie their bid to the President’s popularity and welcome voters with a reception near at the White House.
Boston (5/2): Boston’s got a big national and international profile, a huge sports tradition, and there isn’t another state in the union with gayer-friendly laws than Massachusetts.
Cleveland (5/1): The cities to have been selected to host past Gay Games: San Francisco, Vancouver, New York, Amsterdam, Sydney, Montreal, Chicago, Koln. All of these cities have strong international profiles and/or pro-gay reputations. Cleveland, despite what seems to be some strong local organizing, has neither.
Hat tip to Sargent.
on Mar 18th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I’d say D.C. Large streets, melting pot of cultures, great weather (in the summer), etc. Boston to me is just seen as a football and rugby state in my eyes.
I’m actually in trying to attend the 2010 gay games as a visitor, not a participant. It’s a great life and social experience IMHO.
on Mar 19th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Washington DC is too obvious for a site. What gay person hasn’t been there? Boston is too small of a city for competition. Need some breathing room. Cleveland has a nice big lake. Many metro parks. Many local colleges for facilities. And Cleveland is in the heartland which is what our community needs to be making strides in. Washington and Boston are quite frankly the same boring choices.
on Mar 25th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
I would call Washington DC many things but boring is certainly not one of them. All the things you listed as strengths for Cleveland, DC has as well and in better quality and/or quantity. Washington DC is located on the Potomac River and near Chesapeake Bay, and provides the scenic quality of the National Mall and its monuments is unmatched. The DC area is home to Georgetown University, George Washington University, University of Maryland, and several other colleges and universities; in addition, several men’s and women’s professional sports teams make their home in DC.
Most importantly, as Washington DC is the nation’s capital, bringing the Gay Games to DC will provide an opportunity to showcase the gay sports movement not just to the local community but certainly to the entire nation and likely to the rest of the world. Cleveland is just not on people’s radar as is DC.
There is a reason why many gay people have visited DC, as you allude to in your second sentence, and that’s because DC is a vibrant, world class city. If it were a boring city, it would not be as popular as it is with gay people as even you mention, or as it is with visitors of all backgrounds - gay/straight/white/black/brown/etc.
I believe DC is the best candidate to host the 2014 games.