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.

Election Day advice on Issues 5 & 6, Cleveland mayor and council

Next door at the Cleveland Magazine Politics blog, I'm offering some Election Day advice.

See this post for advice and links about Issue 6, which would replace Cuyahoga County's government with an elected executive and 11-member council, and Issue 5, which would establish a charter commission to write a different proposal.

Cleveland is deciding whether to replace Mayor Frank Jackson with challenger Bill Patmon. City council elections may determine whether Jackson ally Martin Sweeney remains city council president, or whether rival Matt Zone can unseat him. For links to reports about the mayoral candidates and the contest for the council presidency, click here.

The polls are open until 7:30 p.m. To look up your voting location and see a sample ballot for your precinct, click here.

Buffalo soldiers documentary premieres at Cleveland library today

Inside Buffalo, a new documentary about African-American and Italian soldiers fighting together in World War II, premieres in Ohio today at the Cleveland Public Library.

Free screenings are at noon and 3 p.m. in the Louis Stokes Wing auditorium, East 6th St. and Superior Avenue.

Directed by Italian-Ghanaian filmmaker Fred Kuwornu, Inside Buffalo tells the story of the 92nd Infantry Division, a segregated division of African-American soldiers, fighting in Italy during World War II. They teamed up with Italian soldiers to liberate Italy from Fascist rule.

Mayor Frank Jackson helped bring the film to Cleveland. "The significant contributions of Italian and African-American soldiers to the overall war effort deserve to be recognized," the mayor said in the library's press release. "As an Italian African-American, I am very proud to have contributed to the effort of relaying this heroic story to the people of Cleveland."