| First Ever Pride House at the 2010 Olympics & Paralympics an Unprecedented Success |
| Winter Pride, Whistler |
| Thursday, 04 November 2010 00:00 |
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The 2010 Pride House organizing committee released the findings for the first ever Olympic and Paralympic Pride House Pavilion. The report outlines the successes and learning experiences in creating the Pride House Pavilion for the Vancouver Winter Games. The report will be passed on to future organizing groups for London 2012, and Sochi in 2014 to help break down the barriers of homophobia and transphobia that exist in the sports world and in general. "Sport has the power to help address homophobic and transphobic violence and harassment," said Dean Nelson, Pride House Founder and Executive Producer. "We hope that what we learned from these past games will continue in London 2012 and Sochi in 2014." Blake Skjellerup the New Zealand speed skater was not out when he competed at the games but spent time at the Pride house pavilion. He credits this experience with inspiring him to come out publicly after the games. Jennifer Birch-Jones, author of the report says there is still much work left to do to address homophobia and transphobia in sport. "This historic first ever Pride house is a true beacon of hope and a catalyst for positive change in the LGBT community here in Canada and around the world." |