Pride in the Moment: Day Five

Pride is not holding back. Local photographer Shane Wynn snapped this vibrant shot at the daylong Flair Fest, held at Akron's Lock 3 Thursday, that encouraged crowd members to accentuate their unique qualities while they took in music from the Indigo Girls and local and regional acts. Wynn and three other photographers continue to capture the games for Summit Artspace's online exhibit Pride in the Moment where new images can be seen daily at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Check back tomorrow for another picture from the exhibit.

Flair Fest, Lock 3, Aug. 14
Photo Credit: Shane Wynn

How Gay Are We: Choir Teacher Runs to Raise Funds to Support Youth

Mario Clopton admits he is lucky. When he came out at 21 years old, he had a strong support network. "Whether I came out at 13 or 21, I knew my family was going to be there for me," he says. But he Shaker Heights choir teacher is aware that not every kid is as lucky. So he decided to run in the Gay Games half marathon this Saturday and raise $40 a mile to donate to youth programs at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. So far, he's raised $600. “I look at some of these kids and their families are abandoning them, but they are steadfast," he says. "They still have their goals, and I felt that I have to support them in some way. Listening to their stories and how strong they are just inspires me.”

Common Ground: He has been pleased to find people from all walks of life at the games, even those outside the LGBT community. “I was waiting in line for a drink, and the guy in front of me turned around," Clopton says. "It was one of my teacher friends, and he was there with his girlfriend. I mean everyone feels welcome here.”

Chief Moment: Clopton took a year off from college to campaign for then-Sen. Barack Obama. So he was ecstatic when the president expressed his support for the games via a video shown at the opening ceremony. “Sometimes it just kind of seems, as a gay man, that the stars and stripes doesn’t include you," he says. "But when I saw that I was like, ‘The gay community is represented in that flag.’”

Sidewalk Therapy: As a choir teacher, Clopton says there is constantly noise in his head. “Running allows me to just clear that space and just have time with myself,” Clopton says. Struggling with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as a child, Clopton found that running was a great combatant. “I didn’t want to take medication, because it made me not feel like myself so my doctor said, ‘Well, you should try running to get rid of some of that energy.’ I was going into seventh grade, and I signed up for cross-country. I loved it, and the rest is history.”

Pride in the Moment: Day Three

Pride is the ability to authentically share your identity with others. The Gay Games is certainly bringing that out in athletes such as this martial arts competitor photographed by David Alan Foster at the John S. Knight Center Tuesday. See more pictures snapped by Foster and three other area photographers as part of Summit Artspace's Pride in the Moment online exhibit documenting the international sporting event at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Visit our blog daily this week for an exclusive photo from the exhibit. 

Martial Arts, John S. Knight Center, Aug. 12
Photo Credit: David Alan Foster

Pride in the Moment: Day Two

As thousands of LGBT and straight athletes compete daily, the Gay Games stirs up emotion for all involved. Akron-area photographer Shane Wynn caught this poignant image at the International Gay Rodeo Association's rodeo Monday as a part of Summit Artspace's Pride in the Moment online exhibit that documents people involved in the games. See more from Wynn and three other photographers at prideinthemomentgg9cle.com, prideinthemomentgg9cle.org, akronareaarts.org and gg9cle.com. Check our blog each day this week for an exclusive photo from the exhibit.

IGRA Rodeo, Summit County Fairgrounds, Aug. 11
Photo Credit: Shane Wynn

How Gay Are We: The Cleveland Fury Debuts as a LGBT-Friendly Soccer Team

It had been 10 years since Ted Rosati had laced up his cleats for anything close to a formal competitive soccer game, but that never meant he stopped loving the sport. With the Gay Games coming to Cleveland, Rosati realized his hometown didn't have a LGBT-friendly soccer team. So he created the Cleveland Fury to compete in the games. After months of practices at Cleveland's Michael J. Zone Recreation Center, the Cleveland Fury debuted in two matches today at the Copley Road Soccer Fields in Akron. "I am looking forward to the games," says Rosati. "I've got a lot of pent up soccer in me."

Young Start: "I grew up playing it, since I was 5 years old," says Rosati. "My dad played for CSU and ingrained it in my and my sisters."Rosati played soccer competitively through high school, but stopped in college, hitting the field only recreationally.

Masking His Identity: "Not many people came out in high school," Rosati says. "I wasn't even out at the time." It was common in the sports culture at his high school to act a certain way: tough, aggressive, competitive. "If they're [a player of] the more sensitive type, they're labeled very negatively," he says. "Those are things I've heard and definitely pushed me deeper into the closet."

 Field Work: Starting a new job at MetroHealth helped Rosati reconnect with soccer through pickup games — and get involved with Cleveland's LGBT community. "I never really embraced gay culture, to be honest," says Rosati. "I joined the gay-straight alliance at work, and two months later the people leading it asked me to be the chairperson." It was through that role that Rosati learned about the Gay Games. "They [MetroHealth] gave $25,000 to the Gay Games for scholarships," he says, referring to awards that would help selected athletes pay for expenses such as entry fees.

Team Effort: "Even though there's a lot to handle, it's been great," says Rosati, on creating Cleveland's first LGBT-friendly soccer team for the game."We're being ambassadors to the sport." Over half of his team's  18 players are LGBT, so for once, he's in the majority. "Being with these guys ... they embrace the culture," he says. "It's the first time I feel like I could be myself. I don't have to hold back anything."

Update 8/13: So far, the Cleveland Fury has went 4-0 in the Gay Games soccer competition. The team kicks off its next game at 10 a.m. Thursday against the San Francisco Spikes.

How Gay Are We: Night Before 9: Out For Art

Hundreds of Gay Games participants and art fanatics showed up in their best-dressed to the Cleveland Museum of Art last night for a fabulous pre-Gay Games celebration Friday night. Against a backdrop of rainbow-colored lights, Escort, a 15-piece electronic disco orchestra, performed with all of its members for the third time in eight years outside of New York City, bringing down the house while guests danced and kicked back in a nearby club-inspired lounge area in the recently renovated atrium. A few familiar faces from Cleveland Magazine's "Out Loud" cover package were in attendance, including Jacob Nash and his wife Erin and George Vassos and his husband, Henry Hawley. Also in attendance was Phyllis Harris, executive director of the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland — and she had a lot to celebrate. Just two days ago, the center received a $1.8 million dollar donation from an anonymous source and a $500,000 matching grant from the Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, allowing possible relocation and expansion of its facilities and programs. There's much more to celebrate now that the Gay Games are here in Cleveland, and the Night Before 9 was the perfect event to kick off a prideful week.

Jacob and Erin Nash

Phelan Spence, Mindy Roth and Brittany Lynne

George Vassos

How Gay Are We: Out and About During GG9

Let the games begin. Yes, Gay Games 9, kicking off Friday, offers more than 35 sporting events, but it's also one hell of a coming out party. In addition to these three epic soirees and five diverse cultural events, this week is packed with these 16 can't-miss prideful events — from a drag show in the water to a poignant photo exhibit of LGBT families — that are wickedly fun but also socially conscious.

Aug. 8
Night Before 9: Out in Art
Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland, 216-707-6875, $25, 8 p.m.-midnight
Escort, described as a powerful party disco orchestra, performs its critically acclaimed tunes for LGBT A-listers and allies at this kick off bash. Disc jockey Darrell Stout opens.

To Be Takei
Nightlight Cinema, 30 N. High St., Akron, 330-252-5782, $8.50, 9:30 p.m., Aug. 8, 5 & 9:30 p.m., Aug. 9, 9:15 p.m., Aug. 15, 5 & 8:45 p.m., Aug. 16
You may know him as Hikaru Sulu from Star Trek, or if you’re like us, Kaito from NBC's Heroes. But he’s also an openly gay man advocating for LGBT rights on social media and making his way onto your newsfeed. This documentary addresses his crusade, plus his time spent in a Japanese-American internment camp during WWII.

Aug. 9
International Rainbow Memorial Run
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 1100 E Ninth St, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Free, 8:30-10 a.m.
Before each Gay Games, hundreds of people across the map participate in rainbow runs with the final leg being ran at the host city on the opening day of the games. This 1-mile run, which begins at the Rock Hall and loops around FirstEnergy Stadium, is in memoriam of all the members of the Gay Games family lost, particularly to AIDS and breast cancer.

Love Makes a Family
Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave., Second floor gallery, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Aug. 9-17
Having been used to prevent bullying in schools, universities and other settings, this poignant traveling exhibit chronicles LGBT families through pictures and interviews.

Neon Party
Bounce, 2814 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-357-2997, 9-11 p.m.
The popular gay club has a party every night of the games, but be sure to stop by this one featuring drag divas Varietese and Pepper Mashay. Lance Bass and some GG9 athletes are expected to show, plus look out for specials on Svedka, $3, and Three Olives, $5.

Aug. 10
Festival Village
Mall C, 602 St. Clair Ave NE, Cleveland, 216-479-6470, Free, Aug. 10-15
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Pandora Boxx hosts events Monday through Friday, but don't miss electro-pop musician Bright Light Bright Light Tuesday and Detox, a fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant, Thursday.

Hot in Cleveland Casino Night
Horseshoe Cleveland, 100 Public Square, Cleveland, 855-746-3777, Free, 8 p.m.-midnight
At Vintage 51 on Level 2 of the Horseshoe Cleveland, DJ Smoov spins as male models and showgirls mingle with guests and special drink Taste the Rainbow, $5, gets served in a commemorative glass.

Trans* Pride Party
The Velvet Dog, 1280 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 330-240-1600, Free, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Transgender people from throughout the world can meet to talk about issues or just kick back and relax on the roof of the Velvet Dog in an inclusive environment. A local DJ spins and free hors d'oeuvres are provided.

Aug. 12
Queer Christians: Celebrating the Past, Shaping the Future
United Church of Christ Amistad Chapel, 700 Prospect Ave., Cleveland, 216-736-2177; Free, 2:30-3:30 p.m
Hosted by UCC, Pilgrim Press and R.W. “Obie” Holmen, author of Queer Clergy: A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism, this symposium addresses the LGBT journey toward inclusion within the church. Panelists include the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, a national officer of UCC, and the Rev. Don King of Hope Lutheran Church.


Aug. 13
The Victory Party for Women
The Velvet Dog, 1280 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-664-1116, $25, 8 p.m.
GG9 organizers handpicked Club Skirts' the Dinah, the largest girl party and music festival, to roll out the games’ official female pride party. The massive gathering features Robin S, three floors of DJs and go-go dancers and  an appearance by comic Erin Foley.

Del Shores: My Sordid Best!
Highland Theater, 826 W. Market St., Akron, 330-253-0100, $25, 8 p.m.
Comedian Del Shores, who was a writer and producer for Queer as Folk, came out to his Southern Baptist family and later created the play, TV series and film Sordid Lives, which is based on the community he grew up in. He tells his favorite sordid stories and some new ones.

Gay Games 9 Choral Extravaganza
State Theatre, Playhouse Square, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-444, $60, 7:30 p.m.
Artistic director Dennis Coleman leads more than 400 singers to celebrate the Gay Games in the “Big Cleveland Sing.” Festival and Ohio choruses join with host chorus the North Coast Men’s Chorus.

Black Party
House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-523-2583, $20 advance, $25 day of show, 9 p.m.-2:15 a.m.
See eclectic DJ Honey Dijon, who mixes Chicago, New York and other metropolitan sounds to create the ultimate party atmosphere. As a producer, she runs the label Digital Disco and, along with Sebastian Manuel, has remixed everyone from R.E.M. to Cyndi Lauper.

Pink Flamingo
Robert F. Busey Natatorium at Cleveland State University, 2451 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-479-6470, $30, 7:30 p.m.
Consistently one of the games’ most popular events, Pink Flamingo is essentially a drag show in water. The only rule is that nudity, feathers and sequins are off limits, but don't worry it's still a good time.


Aug. 14
FantAsia
Negative Spaces Gallery, Asian Town Center, 3820 Superior Ave., Cleveland, Free, but register on Eventbrite, 8-11:30 p.m.
Nosh on Asian appetizers in a dance club atmosphere presented by Asians and Friends Cleveland, the city’s Asian LGBT organization.

Gold Party
House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com/cleveland;  $20 advance,  $25 day of show, 9 p.m.-2:15 a.m.
Two-time Grammy Award-nominated DJ, producer and singer-songwriter Tony Moran, who has worked with artists from Rihanna to Madonna, spins his renowned house beats. 

How Gay Are We: Natalie Sade of Israeli GG9 Delegation Arrives in CLE

Natalie Sade, executive director of the Aguda

As delegations from all over the world are beginning to arrive in Cleveland for Gay Games 9, this becomes our city's defining moment: Will we welcome them with open arms? That’s the question we sought to answer in our August cover story. Tonight, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland will answer that question with action as they welcome a delegation of athletes, musicians, public officials and community members from Israel with a reception at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage featuring live Israeli music and a screening of Yeal Bartana's film Inferno. We chat with Natalie Sade, the executive director of the Aguda: The Israeli National LGBT Task Force, who is speaker at the event, about her visit.

CM: Coming to Cleveland, what are you expecting?

NS: We want to celebrate diversity. We see gay rights as human rights and human rights as gay rights. So we see ourselves taking part in a global gathering for equality and human rights.

CM: What’s the attitude of the delegation?

NS: Some people already participated in the previous Gay Games. Everyone is out, so there’s no issues about compromising identity. In Israel, you can be openly gay, so the delegation is very excited.

CM: As someone who advocates for inclusiveness, what does the Gaza conflict look like from inside Israel?

NS: We are a human rights organization. Before you are Israeli or anything else, you are a human being. If you are LGBT, you’re a human being. That, for us, comes before being Israeli or Arabic or Palestinian. So, for us, if you are LGBT and you are in need, we will help you. Of course, as far as we can reach – our reach at the moment in regards to Palestinians isn’t perfect due to the situation, but we are a human rights organization and we see humans in need. We will always do the best that we can for people that are LGBT and in need.