Why Cleveland Was Best Choice for Gay Games
As the editor of EDGE, I probably shouldn’t take sides in the selection that happened in Cologne, Germany, where the Federation of Gay Games’ board chose Cleveland, Ohio, over Boston and Washington, D.C.
After all, EDGE has a site in Washington, and Boston was our first site and remains our headquarters. So let me say upfront, I love both cities.
Boston isn’t nicknamed the Hub for nothing; since the 19th century, it has been the intellectual hub of the universe. All of those colleges mean lots and lots of cute young guys and gals swarming over Cambridge. The South End is a gleaming gayborhood. Chris Harris and other promoters have enlivened nightlife with some clubs that put New York to shame.
Washington is, of course, the hub of our nation. This is a city where gays (both out and not-so) rule the roost, from Dupont Circle outward to the Capital. Having spent five years a short drive from the District, I have fond memories (what I can remember, that is) of nights spent in Georgetown and along the M Street corridor.
So what does Cleveland, the dowdy, rust-belt-ravaged, snowbound mistake on the lake, offer? As it happen, the very fact that this is a city without the advantages of a Boston or D.C. made it so attractive to the committee.
Cleveland has long been attempting to remake itself as a post-industrial city. Tourism and sports are two of the anchors of that attempt. This is not just daydreaming. Pittsburgh, which showed itself off during the recent G-20 summit, has been able to do just that. (Cities like Buffalo and Detroit, on the other hand, are still struggling desperately to remake themselves.)
The enthusiasm paid off, as Roger Brigham describes in his EDGE on-site report. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, in a lead story, further explicates why the city made the final cut.
The entire city got behind the effort. The city even passed a domestic-partner ordinance, in part to attract events like this. The city has been promoting itself as a bastion of diversity. As a native Buckeye, I know that Ohio has not always had that reputation, so this effort should be applauded--and rewarded.
Both Boston and D.C. would have been honored to host the games. But Cleveland is downright thrilled. As Mayor Frank Jackson said, "You couldn’t buy the kind of international public relations we gained there. Every time someone does business in the city of Cleveland, they always leave with a great impression."
In other words, the city looks at this as a vital tool in its re-invention. A (straight) city councilmember is reported to be tearful in his joy as he told the Plain Dealer that the city won the bid. "It’s so emotional here," he said.
This sports-mad city has been making a concerted effort to attract major sporting events. The International Children’s Games were held there in 2004; the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four in 2007; the U.S. Figure Skating Championships earlier this year; and Senior Games, an event as large as the Gay Games, will take place in 2013.
The Gay Games thus becomes another bullet in the city’s weaponry to attract big-league sporting events. What is so gratifying about all of this is that, not only has there been absolutely no grousing about hosting a gay event, but rather the opposite.
I see this as a real progress. I’ve been to Cleveland several times, starting in childhood. My father grew up in a town about 25 miles away; my brother attended school there; and he now lives in an outlying town.
It’s a city with problems, but also one with a lot of charm. Its many ethnic groups provide a real flavor to neighborhoods like the Flats. The inner suburb of Lakewood has been ranked as the highest per-capita gay city in the country.
It’s almost refreshing to come across one nasty blogger. Joe Clarke complains that Akron, which will co-host the games, is overjoyed to be hosting the games. He quotes an official with the local convention bureau as saying "We are over the moon, with this news."
"Akron, in the midst of its worse economic crisis, is promising to roll out lots of cash along with the lavender rainbow carpet to host a sporting event that touts sodomy," he complains.
Of course, he doesn’t mention that both cities will reap far, far more in revenue than what they’re spending. And I hadn’t realized that "sodomy" was one of the events at the Gay Games.
Sign me up! At last, a competition in which I’ve had lots of practice.
