Stonewall Climbers International

Stonewall Climbers International was created at the end of the 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam, with the primary purpose of ensuring that competition climbing should be one of the sports represented at the Sydney Gay Games in 2002. The co-operation of all gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual climbers and climbing clubs worldwide is invited.

There is an international steering committee with representatives (currently) from the USA, Britain, Holland, Malaysia and Australia. Although Stonewall Climbers International borrows its name from an existing climbing club it is truly independent and international.

Sport climbing is high on the list for inclusion as a demonstration sport at Sydney, although it is technically too late for it to be a full competition sport. As such, however, it may still be able to offer prizes. Moreover, the attempt of SCI is to ensure that climbing has a permanent place on the organising committee of the Gay Games. This is the only way to ensure that it is automatically included as a competition sport in future Games.

E-mail information will gladly be sent to any climber, gay, lesbian, bisexual or straight who is interested, and we are very anxious to compile as comprehensive a list as possible of potential competing climbers to ensure full participation in future games. At present the focus is on the international Gay Games, but information from climbers interested in the EuroGames in Zurich in the year 2000 will be very welcome.

All gay climbing groups and clubs are particularly asked to submit their details. As this site develops, it will also serve as an email directory for gaylesbi climbers throughout the world. It will also serve as an international link facility for any clubs etc. who wish to provide website details and are preparted to reciprocate.

So far SCI has sent two representatives to the November 1998 meeting of the Federation of Gay Games in Seattle, WA. Craig Pack, Chair of the Steering Committee, writes:

• Richard and I were able to attend a few of the 1998 Annual Federation of Gay Games meetings in Seattle, Washington U.S.A. The Federation is made up of many nice queers who represent a variety of groups, cities, and countries. It is a very democratic organization with about a half a dozen committees. Since neither Richard nor I are Federation members, we were not allowed into some of the meetings.
• I was however able to attend the Membership and Sports committee meetings. The one I was most interested in of course was the Sports committee. Here is a summary of the important information I acquired:

- There are 12 sports seeking the 4 open demonstration sport slots for Sydney 2002.

- A committee in Sydney will be selected in January, 1999 in order to review the criteria for the demonstration sports selection.

- The 4 remaining demonstration sports will be selected in June, 1999 by this committee.

- Stuart Borrie is the Sport Director for all sport events in Sydney 2002.

- Stuart has a team of 8 Sports Team Directors, who are each responsible for 3 to 6 different sport events.

- The Sport Team directors work with Sport Coordinators in order to develop detailed sports plans.

- The sports coordinators are typically local (Sydney) representatives who guide the Sport Coordinators in the plan development.

- It is possible that once a demonstration sport is selected, the Federation Sports Committee can make a motion to designate it a "core" sport.

- The next annual Federation Meeting, sometime late in 1999, will be held in Berlin, Germany.

Since then, the 'Minimum Requirements" which have to be submitted before a sport can be recognised for the Gay Games have been submitted (Summer 1999). It is fully hoped that as a demonstration sport at least, climbing will be recognised.

SCI is in its infancy and offers of help are welcome. Designers are invited to submit a possible logo for SCI.

Please feel free to copy the information on this page and send it to any climbing journals within your own country as a press release, or to any suitable periodicals within the gay, lesbian and bisexual community.

Our e-mail address is sci@bi.org. Whatever else you do, please email us right now to make sure we build up as full and accurate a mailing list as we can of gaylesbi climbers worldwide, to ensure that sport climbing is featured in Sydney and beyond.

Some Useful Links

Miscellaneous

• Gay Games, Sydney, November 2002
• Federation of Gay Games
• Eurogames Zürich, June 2000
• Gaysport (networking site)
• International Gay and Lesbian Outdoor Organization (IGLOO)
• United Kingdom Climbing Directory (basic information site)
• Climbers Net
• European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (EGLSF)

Sports/climbing clubs

• Gay Outdoor Club (UK climbing organisation, other sports also)
• GOC Munich
• GOC Berlin
• GOC Hannover
• GOC Mittel Hessen
• GOC Bremen
• Ch'ti Randos (French walking group)
• Stonewall Climbers, USA
• ACTOUT (Australian Capital Territory Outdoor Group)
• Sydney Spokes (Australia)
• Lavender Cavers (USA)
• Out & Out (Canadian outdoor group)
• Sydney Spokes (Australian cycling group)
• Southern Cross Outdoor Group (Australia)
• TOGS Team Johannesburg (gay sports organisation for RSA)
• Wilderness Network of Georgia
• International directory of outdoor sports organisations supplied by Central Virginia Outdoors

This site first constructed 16th December 1998; don't wait for the pretty bits to send in your details! Thanks to Nick and bi.org for hosting it.

This page has been visited times since 4th February 1999

Last modified