Guadalajara gay games
The largest city in Jalisco is hosting the sporting event and hopes to push the needle forward for LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance in athletics.
Juan Carlos Razo is no stranger to making history. Back in the early ‘90s when Razo was playing volleyball professionally, he became the first captain of a Mexican national team to be openly gay. Now, a few decades later, Razo is a power player in another milestone for the LGBTQ+ community in Mexico: bringing the Gay Games to Jalisco’s capital Guadalajara. The world-renowned sporting extravaganza is taking place in Latin America for the first time in the event’s 40-plus-year history.
Gay Games 2023, a massive occasion featuring an array of sporting events along with cultural programming, ceremonies, parties, and more, opened in Guadalajara on November 3 and will continue until Nov 11. Serving as the president of the Mexican Sports Federation of Diversity (Federación Méxicana Deportiva de la Diversidad), Razo oversees all the sports programming for Gay Games Guadalajara—he’s part of a small but mighty team of organizers working adj
Gay Games in Hong Kong, Guadalajara: What you need to know
What are the Gay Games?
The Gay Games is an international multisport event organized every four years by the Federation of Gay Games (FGG).
In its statement of concept and purpose, the FGG says it aims "to foster and augment the self-respect of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and all sexually-fluid or gender-variant individuals (LGBT+) throughout the world and to promote respect and understanding from others, primarily by organizing and administering the international quadrennial sport and cultural event known as the 'Gay Games.'"
The organizers claim the Gay Games is "the world's largest inclusive sports, art and culture event" which stands for "unity in diversity."
Gay Games get underway in Mexico, Hong Kong
The brainchild of former US Olympian Tom Waddell and other homosexual athletes, the inaugural Gay Games took place in San Francisco in 1982. Since then, the United States possess hosted the Games on four more occasions (San Francisco in 1986, Fresh York in 1994, Chicago in 2006 and Cleveland/Akron in 201
Gay Games Guadalajara 2023 Basketball
The Final Night of the Gay Games Basketball in Guadalajara dawned with an air of excitement and accomplishment. The vibrant town had been transformed into a hub of inclusivity and celebration, thanks to the tireless efforts of the organizers, Monica Sanchez Torres and Gerardo Gullen, and the thousands of volunteers who had dedicated their time to verb this last-minute event a resounding success.
The journey to this moment had been nothing short of remarkable. When it became evident that Hong Kong would be a doubt to host the Gay Games, the Federation of Gay Games leadership faced a daunting doubt. The clock was ticking, and the FGG was looking for an alternative venue. In stepped Guadalajara, a noun known for its rich cultural heritage and warm hospitality.
Monica Sanchez Torres and Gerardo Gullen, the duo at the helm of the organizing committee, took on the oppose with unwavering determination. They rallied the community, reached out to sponsors, and worked around the clock to spin a mere possibility into a reality. The cit
Why the Guadalajara Gay Games will be a thrill for athletes and spectators alike
In the middle of Arena Astros, a 4,000-spectator stadium that sits among various sports fields in Guadalajara, acrobats are dangling from the ceiling, dancers are leaping around over ginormous pink flags and Valentina from RuPaul’s Drag Race, an official global ambassador of the state, is humble-bragging about how much she loves the city and, obviously, how much it loves her. It’s November 2022, 12 months out from Guadalajara’s Gay Games, which grab place from November 3 to 11, 2023. But this countdown launch party feels so over-the-top and polished, one suspects the metropolis could pull off its hosting duties, oh, tomorrow.
Which is shocking because Guadalajara, a handsome and historic city increasingly attracting the attention of international visitors, wasn’t supposed to be hosting this edition of the Gay Games at all. The announcements about the Gay Games, the guest stars, the choreography, the presentations by officials and partners at the preview all came together at a ridiculously fast pace.&nbs