Quebec Gay and Lesbian Council calls on broadcasters to apologize for homophobic slurs on skater Johnny Weir

Montreal, 18 February 2010 – The Conseil québécois des gais
et lesbiennes (CQGL) expressed its indignation at the outrageous homophobic
statements by Alain Goldberg and Claude Mailhot on the show “Le réveil
olympique,” aired February 17 on Quebec;s RDS sports network. The CQGL is
calling for a public apology from these persons for their offensive and degrading
comments regarding figure skater Johnny Weir and his short program performance
the previous day.

The CQGL regards it as unacceptable for a sports commentator
and host to mock and denigrate an athlete in this way because of his demeanour
and non-conformity with gender stereotypes. Throughout the exchange, Mailhot
and Goldberg, while paying lip service to Weir’s right to be who he is, attacked
Weir for his supposed negative effect on the sport, and even suggested that
Weir should undergo gender testing.

Among the statements, each more insulting than the last,
Alain Goldberg went so far as to say that Weir gives a bad image of figure
skating and is a very poor example because people will think that boys who
practise this sport will become like him. Worse yet, Mailhot and Goldberg
suggested that Weir should undergo testing to determine if he is a man or a
woman, and wondered whether he should not be participating in women’s figure
skating instead.

“These people attacked not only the athlete, but also gays,
bisexuals, and heterosexuals who do not conform to social stereotypes of gender.
Their words perpetuate homophobic stereotypes,” said CQGL chair Steve Foster. “It’s
even more distressing considering that one of them used to be an assistant deputy
minister in the Quebec Ministry of Education, Leisure, and Sport.

“Their comments are a blot on the Olympic spirit and their
professions,” Mr. Foster concluded.

Jeff Sheng - Fearless @ Pride House

Just a quick reminder that we have Jeff Sheng in Whistler today (Sat., Feb. 20th). If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by and see the entire collection of Fearless. http://www.pridehouse.ca/PRIDEhouseArtists/JeffShengsFearless/tabid/64/Default.aspx

Whistler 3-9PM Today in Whistler - Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre at 4299 Blackcomb Way

On Sunday, Feb. 21st - Jeff will be in Vancouver
Vancouver Pride House from 2-5PM - Qmunity at 1170 Bute Street

Hope to see you OUT!

Cheers,
Dean

InterPride Announces Historical Participation in PRIDE House at the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

GayWhistler Welcomes the InterPride Organization as its latest sponsor of the historical PRIDE Pavilion that spans the Olympics, WinterPRIDE and the Paralympic Winter Games

Whistler, BC – GayWhistler, the producers of the annual WinterPRIDE festival and of PRIDE House, are excited to announce InterPride, Inc (The International Association of Pride Organizers) as one of their latest sponsors of the LGBT Pride Pavilion due to open February 8th, 2010. The goal of Pride House is to help commemorate and enhance the Olympic experience by including all people and celebrating diversity while creating a dialogue on homophobia and transphobia within sports. Pride House will represent the global LBGT* community while InterPride will represent Pride organizations worldwide. It will offer athletes and visitors attending the Olympics and Paralympics a new perspective on the Games.

Mark F. Chapman, Co-President of InterPride said “this is a ground-breaking initiative and will enlighten the world with the human right inequalities existing for millions of LGBT* people around the world”.

“Having InterPride’s official support of Pride House is quite significant for us as it gives us the political voice and complements other partnerships such as the Gay Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA), the Canadian Association for Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) and Q community – which will help ensure that both the Whistler and Vancouver Pride House reflect the voices of the international, national and local communities,” explains Dean Nelson, Executive Producer of the Vancouver/Whistler Pride House 2010. “Having this international organization associated with PRIDE House only enhances the overall experience by ensuring we have information on all the various pride events around the world and also help liaise with the future Pride Pavilion at London 2012 where World Pride will happen in conjunction with the summer Olympics,” continued Nelson. “It is our hope that the London Organizing Committee along with the IOC will continue to recognize the need for a welcoming space for LGBT athletes, participants and opportunities for Pride House to be a legacy we pass onto future Olympics.”

PRIDE House will be open from February 8th through to March 21st and will take in three incredible events: The Olympics (Feb. 12-28), WinterPRIDE in Whistler (Mar. 1-8), and the Paralympics (Mar. 12-21). http://www.pridehouse.ca


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* LGBT refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two Spirited (gay First Nations people), Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and their friends, family and allies.

ABOUT GAYWHISTLER
GayWhistler (www.gaywhistler.com) is a year-round promoter of Whistler to the gay and lesbian community, and promotes and produces the annual Gay Ski Week. GayWhistler is a subsidiary of Alpenglow Production Corporation. WinterPRIDE 2010 runs from March 1-8, 2010, and continues to revolutionize the traditional gay ski week format with its unique blend of four winter festival elements: Sports, Culinary, Health and Wellness, and Entertainment. In addition to the world-class skiing and snowboarding being offered in Whistler, many of WinterPRIDE's 2009 highlights will return for 2010, such as an array of dance parties, culinary events, zip trekking and dog sledding. WinterPRIDE 2010 also offers an expanded program of on-and-off mountain events, including special events for lesbians and bears.


ABOUT InterPride
InterPride (www.interpride.org) is the world association of Pride organizations which promote Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride on an international level, to increase networking and communication among Pride Organizations and to encourage diverse communities to hold and attend Pride events and to act as a source of education.