3 to Know: Legacies of the Gay Games

Panel from left to right: David C. Barnett, ideastream senior reporter and producer; John Grafton, board member, Gay Community Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation; Phyllis Harris, Thomas Nobbe and Michelle Tomallo

As snow swirled outside and below zero temperatures enveloped the town, the City Club of Cleveland bell rang once again. Just more than six months after the closing ceremonies of Gay Games 9, a panel met Feb. 19 to discuss the lessons and legacies of the Gay Games. For our August 2014 cover story, we did the same, examining the impact and difficulties of the LGBT community on Cleveland, centered around the games. Economically, the Gay Games were estimated to have had a $52.1 million impact. Nearly 75 percent of games attendees came from outside of Cleveland.

Safety was a top priority, said Phyllis Harris, executive director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. Her organization conducted 40 trainings at the Cleveland Police Department academy over 40 weeks before the games. Harris led some of the classes herself, teaching 40-50 police officers at a time. "It was scary and it was life changing," she said. "In a way I think it set the tone for much of the training that continued to happen throughout the year."

The community center is in the process of purchasing a new headquarters building with an anonymous $1.8 million donation, announced during the games. The center has been located in a Gordon Square storefront since 1999. The network established during the games was instrumental to their move, said Harris. "People listen if I call now," she said. "They want to collaborate now, they had a good experience."

Here's three things you need to know from the discussion:

1) The 2014 Gay Games were the most profitable in the history of the organization, finishing with a surplus of $150,000. "From the outset of planning the games, our board and staff were really determined to see that these games finished in the black," said 2014 Gay Games executive director Thomas Nobbe.

2) The $150,000 surplus will be donated, with 80 percent going to form a new Gay Games legacy fund at the Cleveland Foundation, and 20 percent to the Gay Community Endowment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation.

3) Though the Gay Games were certainly a symbol of progress, both the panel and attendees were quick to emphasize that Ohio does not provide legal protections for same-sex couples. "We had all this grand success and there was all this celebration. It literally was palpable, all the energy, vibrancy and love," said Michelle Tomallo, president of the board of directors of Plexus, the LGBT chamber of commerce. "All of that happened in the context of a state where we don't have any protections for the exact people that we're celebrating."

How Gay Are We: GG9 Opening Ceremony Excites, Offers Surprises

Participants from Ohio enter the Quicken Loans Arena for the Gay Games 9 Opening Ceremony.

The Gay Games 9 Opening Ceremony was nothing short of astounding as participants from more than 50 countries and 48 states were welcomed Saturday night at the Quicken Loans Arena. The procession of participants was led by San Francisco, host of the first Gay Games in 1982, and countries that sent one representative received the loudest applause, among them Bulgaria, Chile, Iceland and Liberia. But the level of noise was incomparable when the Russian Federation arrived and they were greeted with hugs from Gay Games staff and volunteers and received a standing ovation from thousands of spectators. Akron joined the celebration with three drag stars as they performed Tina Turner's “Proud Mary” while dancers used giant tires as props in homage to the city's reputation for being the Rubber Capital of the World. The ceremony featured appearances by Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis and performances by Lance Bass and Bella Blue, Andrea McArdle, the Pointer Sisters and a breathtaking number by Glee star Alex Newell singing “I Know Where I've Been.” Plus, there were plenty of surprises, including a personal message from President Barack Obama and an address from Sen. Sherrod Brown and his wife Connie Schultz. “Welcome to the state of Ohio where we are moving ever closer, with one court ruling at a time, to marriage equality,” Schultz said. “In Northeast Ohio, we celebrate love in all its forms. We celebrate families in every configuration.” Michelle Tomallo, board president of Plexus, was among six local LGBT activists tasked with passing on the torch to New Zealand's Olympic speed skater, Blake Skjellerup. Check out our photos below, and stay tuned as we continue with daily coverage of the games.

Mexico's soccer team Didesex arrives at the opening ceremony. Photo Credit: Christopher Hawks

Photo Credit: Christopher Hawks

Lance Bass and Bella Blue perform their single, “Walking On Air.”

Dancers clad as superheroes perform to Bonnie Tyler's “I Need a Hero.”

Alex Newell and Andrea McArdle kick up the sass and perform Broadway hit “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic welcome Gay Games participants.

The Pointer Sisters kick off their set list with “I'm So Excited.”

Gay Games participants, city officials and Federation of Gay Games members celebrate the closing of the opening ceremony as the Pointer Sisters perform.