Ian Johnson reports from the World OutGames in Copenhagen.
The World OutGames in Copenhagen is now in full swing.
Festivities commenced on Saturday 25 July with a march into the main City Square by the more than 5,500 participants attending this event.
It was encouraging to see people attending from many countries where to be gay or lesbian is still a difficult thing. Countries like China, Indonesia and Singapore were all represented.
The Copenhagen mayor, Ms Ritte Bjerregaard officially opened the gay games and welcomed all those attending.
In her remarks she paid tribute to the world's first couple to enter into a civil partnership in 1989 - represented in Copenhagen by surviving partner, 95-year-old Dane Axel Axgil.
Axgil was also responsible for establishing Denmark’s first lesbian and gay rights group way back in 1948. He’s a true pioneer and inspiration for the gay rights movement worldwide.
As well as a week of sports events where competitors race to set personal bests according to their age, a three day International LGBT Human Rights Conference has been taking place, with noteworthy people presenting thought-provoking and informative papers.
John Amaechi of Manchester and formerly of the US NBA professional basketball league talked about the power of sports to change people's attitudes towards homosexuality.
Virginia Apuzzo , a lesbian activist and political appointee under the Clinton administration, talked passionately about her experiences growing up first amongst Sister of Charity nuns and then as a member of a lesbian feminist collective.
"You might be surprised to learn that the change between the two institutions was not that large," she told the audience.
The International Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce presented an 'Out For Business' conference stream, at which a range of issues relating to workplace diversity, corporate social responsibility and LGBT marketing were discussed.
I presented a paper on understanding LGBT marketing in a global context, considering what this means to gays and lesbians around the world, and how corporate support can be harnessed to create tangible improvements in lesbian and gay lives.
There was a sour note on Tuesday afternoon when an anti-gay protestor threw a lit firework at a track and field meet which caused a slight injury to the hand of a runner from Seattle, Washington. A 31-year-old man is currently under arrest awaiting prosecution on a charge of reckless endangerment.
Finally, there remains the question of whether the OutGames in Copenhagen will be the last - as the original and longer established Gay Games event is set to return to Europe in 2010.
Many of the athlete participants in Copenhagen, especially those from the US, are questioning why the two organisations do not try harder to find a way to unite.
A paucity of sponsors and lower than planned numbers due to the economic crisis has perhaps sharpened people's focus on the issue here in 2009.
The OutGames was first held in Montreal in 2006, when the organisers of that city's Gay Games fell out with the Federation of Gay Games committee.
The OutGames II concludes in Copenhagen on Saturday 1 August, 2009.
Ian Johnson is the founder and CEO of Out Now Consulting, a market consulting company focussing on the gay and lesbian market. For more information visit theOut Now Consulting Website
Ian flew to Copenhagen with SAS, the official airline of the World Outgames. For reservations ring Reservations: 0871 521 2772
