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President Barack Obama has helped kick off the international Gay Games in Cleveland with a surprise video message shown at the opening ceremonies. […] The president said the United States has come a long way in its commitment to equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. He also noted that some athletes come from places where publicly acknowledging their sexual orientation can put them at risk. …

President Obama made a surprise video appearance at the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland on Saturday. Joining Greg Louganis, Lance Bass, the Pointer Sisters, and Broadway’s Andrea McArdle and Alex Newell in celebrating the event, Obama said, “Since 1982 the Gay Games have given lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender athletes and supporters around the world a chance to come together to compete, celebrate, and inspire others.” President Obama, who is vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard, noted how the country has changed since the games began in 1982. “We’ve also seen America change in that time, even since...

The left-leaning protestant denomination United Church of Christ announced that it will sponsor the sporting event "Gay Games 9" in August as the first mainline denomination to provide major financial support. The event, which takes place every four years and attracts LGBT athletes, will be hosted in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the UCC's national headquarters, where church leaders will help organize events for 30,000 participants in an effort to embrace the LBGT community. "Serving as a major sponsor of Gay Games 9 is a perfect fit because of the UCC's longstanding commitment to social justice issues," said the Rev. Dr....

Left Silent as Muslim Cabbies Reject Gay Games Ads By Julio Severo According to FoxNews, 25 Muslim drivers dispatched to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport are refusing to drive cabs adorned with advertising for the Gay Games, which will be held on Aug. 9-16 in the region. The drivers said that their decision was based on their religious convictions. Ann Gynn, a spokeswoman for the Gay Games, said the protest is an “isolated” case, meaning that drivers of other religions (especially Christianity, considering that this religion is still dominant in the U.S.) did not complain about making involuntary propaganda for...

Some Cleveland taxi drivers are dropping out of a dedicated cab service at the city’s airport because they don’t want to drive vehicles with signs promoting the upcoming Gay Games.WOIO-TV in Cleveland reported that at least 17 drivers have refused to drive cabs with Gay Games signs. Most of the drivers are Muslim and have cited religious objections, the station said.Cleveland Hopkins International Airport hosts a dedicated service in which three local cab companies use special vehicles and preset rates.According to the airport website, the drivers who participate in the service receive “enhanced customer-service training.”Gay Games Executive Director Tom Nobbe...

Recording artist Cindi Lauper performs during the closing ceremony of the Gay Games VII at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green) (July 22, 2006)

In the early years of AIDS, when many people thought a deadly disease dubbed "the gay cancer" might be transmitted via drinking glasses or doorknobs, Congress added HIV to the list of infections that could prevent a foreign visitor from entering the country. Nearly two decades later, as the international Gay Games begin in Chicago this weekend, the law still bars any HIV-positive foreigner from visiting the U.S., whether it is to play basketball, attend a business meeting or stand up in a family wedding. Though immigration officials have granted a waiver to allow athletes to attend the games--just as...

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL DISSOCIATION FROM THE 2006 AND ALL FUTURE SO-CALLED "GAY GAMES" Marcella V. Meyer, M.D., M.P.H, 10416 South Bell Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60043, claiming beneficial ownership of 200 shares of common stock, submitted the proposal set forth below. RESOLVED: That in the best interest of our company Kraft Foods Inc. as well as in the public interest, Kraft Foods does hereby disassociate itself from the 2006 and all future so-called "gay games", and that no future financial support be given for the 2006 "gay games" or any other future activities supporting, proselytizing, promoting or encouraging homosexual activity or life...

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (AP) -- Among the items on the City Council's agenda seems a simple matter: Whether to give rowers a permit to have a boat race this summer on a small man-made lake. But because the rowers are gay - participating in something called the Gay Games - what would normally be a mundane debate about parking and street closures is instead a heated battle between those who see the event as a threat to their small-town way of life and those who see such views as simply small-minded. On Tuesday, the City Council was scheduled to discuss...

This year the Seventh "Gay Games" -- an Olympic-style event with an unusual twist -- will be held in Chicago July 15-22. However, a leading corporate sponsor of the games may have gotten into a public relations nightmare that won’t go away. The other day I received three emails from the brokerage firm where I maintain three investment accounts: one a fund to keep me from starving in my “golden years,” and the other two set up to provide a college fund for two of our grandsons.The purpose of these emails was to notify me that Kraft Foods, Inc., of which I...

A conservative group is pressing the Bush administration to revoke special visas allowing HIV-positive foreigners to compete in a Chicago sports event. A 1993 federal act prohibits people with dangerous diseases from entering the United States without a special visa. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Homeland Security granted the visas for those competing in the upcoming Gay Games in Chicago. A similar waiver was granted for the 1994 Gay Games in New York. But Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, said HIV-positive people will threaten the public. He said the eight-days of sporting events will be less sport...

State Dept. Lifts Ban on HIV –Positive Visas for ‘Gay’ Games      2/23/2006  The ‘Gay’ Games, a homosexual mock Olympics, will be held in Chicago July 15-22, 2006. Thanks to the work of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, (D) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, (D-Illinois), the U.S. State Department has created a special “designated event status” for the event which will allow HIV infected athletes and spectators to enter the country despite a national prohibition. This matter is greatly troubling to Peter LaBarbera, President of the Illinois Family Institute, who notes that ‘gay’ bathhouses and sex parties are already on the entertainment...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/02/03/attack_at_gay_bar_leaves_3_injured/

Focus on the Family objects to donation to gay rights group. The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family has closed all its Wells Fargo accounts because the San Francisco bank contributed to a gay rights group that promised to use the funds to "fight ... the anti-gay industry." A Focus on the Family official would not disclose how much money the organization kept with Wells Fargo, its primary bank, but said the nonprofit group's income was $146 million last year. "We don't expect corporate America to do our bidding on the issues, but when they use the proceeds from...

Thank you for your e-mail regarding Walgreens role as the official HIV/AIDS Prevention Sponsor for the 2006 Gay Games, an athletic event to be held in Chicago. As you are likely aware, we have heard from many people on this issue. As Walgreens CEO, I want you to know why we are doing this. Whether you disagree or agree, we think it only fair that you understand our reasoning. I cannot be more emphatic when I say that this sponsorship has everything to do with healthcare. We are advocating HIV/AIDS awareness. We are taking no position on the gay lifestyle....

A conservative Illinois Christian group is once again chastising a corporation for sponsoring the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. The Illinois Family Institute in Glen Ellyn is squaring off against Walgreen Co. for its $100,000 contribution to Olympic-style games to be held in July. Walgreens joins PlanetOut Inc., which runs an online network for the gay community and the national gay television network Q Television, as a Platinum-level sponsor of the event. The Illinois Family Institute recently attacked Harris Bank and Kraft Foods for each contributing $25,000 to the Gay Games VII. "The Gay Games are about homosexuality, and I...

CHICAGO - The five Republicans on the county board withdrew their names from a routine proclamation welcoming the 2006 Gay Games to Chicago. The Illinois Family Institute is urging Democratic commissioners to do the same. "There's a big difference between tolerating and celebrating homosexuality," said Peter LaBarbera of the group. "For governments to be using taxpayer money and big corporations spending money to sponsor this, we think the average Joe sees that as being just a little bit off." The Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the ceremonial proclamation without opposition last month as one of a group of routine...

Dear Caroline, Kraft Inc. is sponsoring the upcoming Gay Games in Chicago. I want to show you what Kraft proudly supports. But before I do that, you need to read what Marc Firestone, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Kraft Foods Inc., said in refusing to cancel their sponsorship. "Diversity is more than a word many people like to say. At Kraft we truly respect all kinds of differences. And diversity is not a selective concept. By definition, it's nothing if not inclusive. We respect diversity of ethnicity, gender, experience, background, personal style and yes, sexual orientation...

Two conservative Christian groups are criticizing Kraft Foods Inc., and Harris Bank for contributing $25,000 each to the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. Gay Games officials say it's the first time any of their sponsors have been attacked since the quadrennial sporting event began in 1982.

Marketing campaign lauds Illinois travel ahead of Gay Games By Kathy Bergen Tribune staff reporter Published March 31, 2005 With Gay Games VII coming to Chicago in July 2006, the state is launching its first targeted push for gay and lesbian travelers, broadening its efforts to sell Illinois to niche markets. "We will have our first-ever media-familiarization trip focusing on the affluent gay and lesbian market," Jan Kostner, deputy director of the Illinois Bureau of Tourism, told 600 travel professionals gathered Wednesday at the 18th annual Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism.