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Tuesday, 15 January 2008 17:23
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 GLAAD, G-Force Sponsor
Public Forum on Gay Athletes
Former NBA Player John Amaechi and
Others Discuss Visibility of Gay Athletes
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and G-Force, an all-star gay ice hockey team, today announced a public forum titled, Gays in Sports – The Invisible Athlete. The event will address the role of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the realm of sports. Openly gay former NBA player John Amaechi, ESPN senior writer LZ Granderson, and Ryan Quinn, a cross country skier at the University of Utah, will participate in the forum. Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of the sports Web site Outsports, will moderate the event scheduled for Friday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, Colo.
 Participants will talk candidly about the role the LGBT community plays in the world of sports, the hostile climate of anti-gay prejudice that continues to keep LGBT athletes fearful of living openly, and the role media play in addressing homophobia in sports and in covering LGBT athletes.
Amaechi made history in February 2007 when he became the first former NBA player to come out publicly. Over a six-year period, Amaechi played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz. His autobiography, Man in the Middle, published by ESPN Books, is a New York Times bestseller. Granderson is a senior writer for ESPN and host of the ESPN talk show Game Night. Quinn is a member of the 2003 NCAA championship team in cross country skiing.
The forum takes place during Aspen Gay Ski Week and on the eve of the Fifth Annual Friendship Cup 2008. The Friendship Cup is a unique and highly anticipated event that pits an all-star gay hockey team against an all-star straight hockey team. Over the past four years, the contest is split at two wins a team, though the gay team enters this year with two consecutive wins.
Glenn Witman, captain of G-Force and event organizer is looking forward to another Friendship Cup win and to dispelling myths surrounding LGBT athletes and their role in sports.
“Our hope is to parlay this event and panel into a national tour to promote education, understanding and insight, as well as to facilitate discussion through sportsmanship in an open forum,” says Witman, “This event is a rare opportunity to interact with the players and spectators from across the nation and we are proud to be part of one of the most significant LGBT social events of the year, Aspen Gay Ski Week.”
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Those wishing to attend should e-mail Glenn Witman at
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About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, visit www.glaad.org.
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