Designated Protest Areas For Gay Games

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - Mayor Daley urged Chicagoans Monday to attend and embrace the Gay Games, but said the city would provide a forum for peaceful dissent.
Police Supt. Phil Cline said protest areas would be designated outside Saturday's opening ceremonies at Soldier Field and near Wrigley Field, where closing ceremonies are scheduled to be held July 22.
"We encourage those individuals who wish to express their First Amendment rights to do so in a peaceful manner," Cline said.
Kevin Boyer, a Gay Games organizer, said he anticipates peaceful protests from those who don't want an event that Daley described as "more than just an athletic competition" in Chicago.
"Our answer to them is that we are a strong, vital part of this city and that, as the mayor has indicated, we're welcome. We play a role in the economic, political and social vitality of Chicago. We're ecstatic to be in a place where we're welcomed by every facet of life, whether it be government, business or nonprofits," Boyer said.
'A preliminary' to 2016 Olympics
Boyer was asked why gays need their own, separate Olympics when the real Olympics are open to all athletes, no matter what their sexual orientation is.
"The Gay Games are different than the Olympics in that the Gay Games are open to elite as well as recreational athletes. . . . The idea is to provide an experience . . . completely open to everyone. The secondary mission, of course, is to reduce stereotypes and to eliminate bigotry," he said.
"Thus, the focus on the gay and lesbian community. But, it is open to everyone -- straight or gay. And, in fact, more than five percent of the participants in these Gay Games will be heterosexual."
Daley, an outspoken proponent of gay marriage, was asked whether Chicago's decision to host the Gay Games would enhance his administration's reputation as "pro-gay."
"I hope so. Yes. Definitely," he said, to a round of applause from event organizers.
"It's very simple. First of all, they are great residents of Chicago. They're our doctors, our teachers, our lawyers. . . . They're involved in child care. They're parents. They're raising families. Definitely. They're great citizens of Chicago."
The Gay Games -- the seventh held since the first in 1982 -- are expected to attract 11,655 athletes from 65 countries and as many as 75,000 spectators. Daley called the event "like a preliminary" to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games that he's vying to host in Chicago.
"It shows the venues and everything we're using and how we coordinate emergency, police, fire -- everybody involved. It really is like a showcase for us," the mayor said.
from The Chicago Sun Times