btvancouver

It’s an Olympic-first!

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler — are the very first games to have a Pride House catered towards gays and lesbians who are taking part in the Olympics and watching the competitions, too.

While there aren’t any specific numbers on gays and lesbians competing in Vancouver and Whistler — there are many of them. But not all of them are publicly “out” with their sexuality. And that could be for a number of reasons. They’re not ready to take that step. They fear it could potentially damange their chances in judged competitions. They fear rejection from their colleagues. And in many countries taking part in the 2010 Olympics, homosexuality is outlawed.

The Pride House is a venue for everyone to feel welcomed and accepted at the Olympics. And it’s been a very popular venue in Whistler. It’s going to stay up and running in both Vancouver and Whistler until after the Paralympics end on March 21st. Then there are plans to continue this legacy at future Olympics — like in London in 2012. For more information on the Pride House — visit this website.

I had a chance to talk with Mark Tewksbury the other day. He is most famous for winning the Gold Medal for Team Canada back in 1992 at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. But when Mark was competing — he was holding back a very deep secret. Mark is gay. And he didn’t tell anyone for fears it would affect his chances at owning the podium. Mark went public with his sexuality in 1998. And is a huge advocate for gays and lesbians competing in sports. We ran some of my interview with Mark this morning on Breakfast Television — and also showed you the Whistler Pride House. Take a look at one of my live segments from this morning.

I’m off to Vancouver for a couple of days. But will be live once again in Whistler on Monday morning — as we look back at the Closing Ceremonies. And look ahead to what’s next for this community.

Have a great weekend! And enjoy what’s left of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler!

K