Competitors at 2014 Bingham Cup in Sydney, Australia (Photo: Bingham Cup/Erik Denison)
A throng of LGBT and allied rugby players has descended upon the city of Nashville for Memorial Day Weekend. More than 1,300 rugby players and supporters from 42 club teams and 11 different countries are in the midst of competing for the ultimate prize: first place in the Bingham Cup, an annual event that serves as the world championship for gay rugby teams.
Named in honor of Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player who helped found two gay rugby teams in San Francisco and New York who was killed on United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, the annual tournament is awarded to host teams by International Gay Rugby (IGR), the governing body of the sport. IGR hopes that the cup, and other tournaments, will help increase visibility and foster an environment where LGBT players and fans are welcome. IGR has previously worked with World Rugby, USA Rugby and other national unions to combat homophobia in the sport, among both players and fans.
“This is an exciting time for our IGR athletes, coaches, referees and supporters,” Jeff Wilson, IGR’s chairman, said in a statement. “We are delighted to bring the Bingham Cup Tournament back to the USA for the first time in six years and look forward to the largest and best gay and inclusive rugby tournament ever presented. Both Nashville and the campus environment of Vanderbilt University provide our participants with an open and accepting environment, with many sights and attractions off the pitch.”
This year’s selection of the Nashville Grizzlies rugby club as the host team marks the first time the tournament has been held in the Mid-South, providing an economic boom to the city. According to organizers, over 6,000 hotel and dorm stays have been booked by out-of-town guests, and official events off the field will bring in money to local bars and restaurants throughout Nashville. D.C. has a significant presence at the event, with two gay rugby teams, the Scandals and the Renegades, who will compete for the championship this weekend.
The choice of Nashville is particularly interesting given the defeat of an anti-transgender “bathroom bill” at the same time that Gov. Bill Haslam decided to sign into law a bill allowing therapists and counselors to refuse to treat LGBT clients. Nonetheless, city officials have made it clear that Nashville, at least, is more welcoming and accepting of the LGBT community than other parts of the state. Mayor Megan Barry praised IGR and its promotion of tolerance and respect for diversity, saying those values represent “exactly the type of atmosphere we have worked so hard to create — and will continue to defend — here in Nashville, with a thriving LGBTQ+ community that strengthens the fabric of our city.”
The actual games are being held at Ted Rhodes Park from May 27 through May 29, with closing ceremonies on Sunday evening. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN), which will also be hosting anti-bullying and suicide prevention classes throughout the weekend.
“This year’s tournament marks the return of the Bingham Cup to the United States and its first ever trip to the South,” Jon Glassmeyer, the chairman of the Bingham Cup Organizing Committee, said in a statement. “We hope you will enjoy some southern food, plenty of live music, and revel in the rugby brotherhood with over 1,200 players from around the globe.”
Editor’s Note: Contributing writer Fallon Forbush also contributed to this report.
February is shaping up to be a fantastic month for music lovers, filled with a healthy mix of new releases by LGBTQ stars as well as rising talents, and of course a handful of talents who have long been allies of the community and favorites among it as well.
From rock to pop to country (yes, country), there's a lot to listen to in February.
Shania Twain - Queen of Me
Release Date: February 3
One of the all-time greatest in country music is starting February off right with her first album in five years, Queen of Me. While her chosen genre isn't often associated with the LGBTQ community, Twain has made it a point throughout her career to embrace her gay fans, even appearing as a guest judge on a recent season of RuPaul's Drag Race. This time around, she's just as happily rooted in country pop as ever, which should delight her longtime listeners.
A Republican candidate for Congress found himself being confronted over a more than decade-old Facebook post in which he compared members of the LGBTQ community to people who are "sick, disease," suffer from bipolar disorder, or are addicted to drugs.
Leon Benjamin, the Republican Party's nominee for Virginia's 4th Congressional District, appeared on MSNBC's The Sunday Show last weekend, during which he was confronted by host Jonathan Capehart, a gay man, over the post.
In the post, which was posted in January 2011, Benjamin, a senior pastor at New Life Harvest Church, encouraged people to bring those in need of salvation to an event at his church.
Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has condemned laws around the world that criminalize same-sex relationships.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Francis called on Catholic bishops to welcome LGBTQ people into the church, even as it stands by its opposition same-sex marriage, gender-nonconformity, and out-of-wedlock sexual activity.
"Being homosexual is not a crime," Francis told the AP. "It's not a crime. Yes, but it's a sin. Fine, but first let's distinguish between a sin and a crime.
"It's also a sing to lack charity with one another," he added.
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