Pride House an Olympic first

When a room in an upscale hotel in the heart of Whistler becomes the first-ever Olympic pavilion for gays, lesbians and their supporters during next month's Winter Games, former Canadian gold medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury plans to be there.Pride House is being billed as a hip, gay-friendly cocktail lounge where visitors can watch Olympic events on TV or just have a few drinks and hang out.There wasn't anything like it when Tewksbury was an elite Olympic athlete two decades ago, terrified about the consequences of coming out in a world where teammates routinely tossed around the word ``fag'' in the locker room.But he hopes Pride House represents some small progress in addressing the homophobia that he says is still very real in sports culture.``I don't think it will be that pivotal breakthrough moment, but I do think it's an important next step that will lead to the breakthrough one day,'' says Tewksbury, who came out in 1998 and later wrote ``Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock.''``It's just crazy that in North America, (gay culture) is very visible, yet sport truly does lag behind. I think it is a matter of time before that changes.''There will be all sorts of pavilions and hospitality houses in Vancouver and Whistler during the Games, a long-standing tradition typically put on by competing nations and corporate sponsors. But Pride House is an Olympic first.In 2002, there was a so-called ``gay space'' at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, but not a dedicated pavilion open throughout the Games for gays and lesbians, as well anyone who wants to come out and show their support.``It's the first time that there's been a real pavilion that's been created for gay diversity,'' says Dean Nelson of Gay Whistler, which is organizing Pride House.``We anticipate there's going to be a lot of different people that will stop by, from the local gay community, to the travelling gay community to athletes that are open-minded and want to celebrate that diversity _ they could be gay, they could be straight, that doesn't matter.''However, Pride House is about more than simply creating a party spot in a village that will be bustling with Olympic activity.Nelson says organizers want to create a dialogue about homophobia that still runs rampant within the sporting world.There are only a handful of openly gay and lesbian athletes at most Olympics, but Nelson says his group doesn't know of any who will be competing in Vancouver and Whistler.``If you are a gay person who's very passionate about your sport, you have to make a choice: Do you want to do the sport, or do you want to live an authentic life?'' he says.``If you go into the sports side, you always have to suppress this other side of you, and by doing so, it's actually causing more harm to you, because you always have this thing over your head, where somebody might find out that you're gay and your whole career could be over.''Nelson points out that many athletes are living in countries where homosexuality is illegal. Even in countries like Canada, where same-sex marriage is legal and there are human rights protections for the community, he said gay athletes still fear reprisal from teammates, fans or even corporate sponsors.Caroline Fusco, a professor at the University of Toronto who has studied sexuality and gender within sport, says gay and lesbian athletes miss out on much of the ritual and celebration of the Games.They can't, for example, celebrate with their partner if they're afraid to come out.``Sport is one of the last great bastions of where homophobia operates, sporting culture is one that is not very open to people declaring their sexuality,'' says Fusco.``There are people in high-performance sport that aren't automatically included, whether it's posters or talking about husbands and wives. There are people that are left out about certain conversations about sport.''Fusco says even if there are no openly gay athletes competing next month, Pride House is an important gesture.``And it's not just for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer) individuals, but also allies who believe it's important for all athletes, no matter what kind of sexuality they have, to have a safe environment.''The Pride House pavilion in Whistler opens Feb. 8, just a few days before the opening ceremonies, and operates until the end of the Paralympics in March. During the lull between the Olympics and Paralympics, it will be part of the annual gay ski week at the resort, known as Winter Pride.There isn't a similar pavilion planned for Vancouver, but a sports bar in the city's west end _ considered Vancouver's gay enclave _ will serve as the main celebration spot for the community.