RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Isadora Cerullo got no medal at these Olympics. A ring will have to suffice.

Cerullo is a rugby player for Brazil and her team finished ninth at the Rio Games out of a 12-team field, well out of medal contention. When the competition was over, a volunteer walked onto the pitch and eventually got around to asking her a question.

The volunteer was her girlfriend, Marjorie Enya. The question was “will you marry me?” And as others surrounded them and held red heart-shaped balloons, Cerullo said yes.

Unlike the Sochi Games two years ago, where gay rights were called into question over anti-gay laws enacted by Russia’s government, the Rio Games seem to be increasingly tolerant by comparison. It hasn’t been flawless – for example, homophobic slurs were shouted by some in the stands at a U.S. women’s soccer match as the games opened – but there’s certain signs of progress on the inclusion front.

“That’s what I hope for and I feel like our society is going in the right direction,” said U.S. women’s basketball star Elena Delle Donne, who came out and announced her engagement last week. “That’s not a story. It’s normal.”

The new normal, perhaps.

Gay marriage is legal in Brazil, though tolerance seems far from universal. One gay rights group says that on average since 2013, about one LGBT person each day has been killed in Brazil. The organization called Grupo Gay da Bahia calls Brazil “the world champion of crimes motivated by homophobia and-or transphobia.”

“I know all the prejudice that exists in society against homosexuals,” said 2012 Olympic beach volleyball bronze medalist Larissa Franca of Brazil, who is competing again in Rio. “We don’t choose our feelings, let alone control them.”

So far in these Olympics, there seems to be far more cheering than prejudice.

Whether it was a transgender model appearing in the athletes’ parade at the opening ceremony, two men kissing during their leg of the torch relay along Copacabana Beach or the British women’s field hockey team including two teammates who are married – an Olympic first – it has already been a games unlike any other for the LGBTQ community.

“A lot of support,” Delle Donne said.

That’s as the International Olympic Committee intended, too. After Sochi, the IOC required future Olympic host cities to abide by rules that forbid any kind of discrimination, including with regard to sexual orientation.

“It’s in the charter that we don’t accept any discrimination on grounds of race or religion and sexuality is now included in that. But this kind of takes it even further,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said Tuesday. “It’s a celebration of that and certainly made me feel good this morning when I heard about the story. So it’s excellent, excellent news.”

Cerullo’s engagement quickly made global headlines given the stage on which it occurred. Enya appeared, gave a rather impassioned and emotional speech about how Cerullo is the love of her life, and the couple sealed the moment with a kiss.

“That certainly made her very happy,” said Brazil rugby player Rachel Kochhann, one of Cerullo’s teammates. “We felt this joy in our group.”

Outsports.com reported that there are at least 46 publicly known LGBT athletes in the Rio Games, the highest number of any Olympics. British diver Tom Daley won a bronze medal in the synchronized competition, with his fiance in the stands to cheer him on – and whatever buzz that created didn’t seem to overshadow the medal accomplishment whatsoever.

Daley came out in 2013 and said he’s never been happier.

“I’m at my most consistent,” Daley said. “I feel ready physically, psychologically, everything, so I’m really excited.”

Daley said the support he’s gotten has been empowering, and British racewalker Tom Bosworth can relate. When Bosworth revealed his sexuality publicly last year, he said he was blown away by the support from those who already knew and people he never met.

“It’s actually spurred me on,” Bosworth said. “It’s actually given me more motivation. … Now I feel like I’m doing it for even more people than before.”

For Cerullo and Enya, it was an Olympic moment they’ll never forget.

The stadium was largely empty when Enya walked onto the grass with a microphone, volunteers gathered around as she spoke about what Cerullo means to her. The “ring” that Enya gave Cerullo was a simple piece of ribbon.

Gold ribbon, that is. After all, it was at an Olympics.

“I wanted to show people,” Enya said, “that love wins.”

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STELLENBOSCH, SA (AP) – It seems the sports world just doesn’t know what to do with an athlete like Caster Semenya.

The South African runner, and others like her, may present one of the greatest dilemmas for the perception of fairness in sports.

Athletes like Semenya with intersex conditions – those that don’t conform to standard definitions of male or female – debunk any presumption that everyone fits neatly into those definitive categories in sports.

According to sports scientist Ross Tucker, “the biology isn’t quite as simple as that.”

Semenya’s story is well-known. As an 18-year-old newcomer at the 2009 world championships, she dominated the best women’s 800-meter runners. The gap between her and the defending world champion, who finished second, was astounding. Semenya celebrated by showing off her bicep muscles, stoking a controversy sparked hours earlier by revelations that she had undergone sex verification tests.

She was later sidelined for 11 months by world track’s governing body, the IAAF, and was only cleared to run again in 2010. She returned and won a silver medal in the 800 at the 2012 Olympics.

Now 25 and the favorite for gold at the Rio Olympics, Semenya has been pursued by gender questions. But her case has never been about a man masquerading as a woman.

Semenya is a woman because she says she’s a woman, was legally recognized at birth as female, treated as female, and identified as female. Nobody can dictate to Semenya what gender she is.

But since the 1950s, track and field has conducted sex testing to protect women’s competitions, initially using very basic sexual anatomy tests, and later using chromosomes. The tests didn’t work.

Sex testing in sports should be about preventing an unfair advantage and, therefore, not about genitalia or chromosomes, which don’t make athletes run faster, jump higher or throw farther.

What does, according to the IAAF, is testosterone.

The IAAF says testosterone is the most significant factor in athletic performance. Men, generally, have more testosterone than women. In 2011, the IAAF officially drew a line between men and women in terms of testosterone.

The issue it sought to resolve was hyperandrogenism – high levels of naturally occurring testosterone in some women that apparently gave them a competitive advantage.

Tucker said research conducted by the IAAF showed six women with intersex conditions competed at the 2011 world championships. Joanna Harper, an expert on gender in sports and a consultant to the IAAF, thinks two female medalists at this year’s indoor world championships are probably intersex, and estimated 5-10 intersex athletes will compete in track and field at the Rio Olympics.

Six years after Semenya was subjected to the IAAF tests, the lid was lifted on her situation in 2015. That’s when Indian sprinter Dutee Chand went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport – the highest court in world sports – and challenged the IAAF rules that regulated testosterone in hyperandrogenic women.

The case forced the IAAF to publicly defend its rules that for hyperandrogenic women to be eligible to compete as women, their testosterone levels must be below a certain mark. It came down to a tiny measurement: how many nanomoles – a billionth of a mole – of testosterone a woman had per liter of blood. It couldn’t be 10 nanomoles or more per liter, roughly the lower end of the male range. If it was 10 or higher, it had to be lowered.

Harper said the testosterone levels of these hyperandrogenic women could be lowered either through the removal of internal testes or with hormone-suppressing medication.

Former Olympic runner Bruce Kidd, a professor of physical education and an adviser to Chand, opposes the testosterone-limiting rule. He argues that the testosterone is natural in these women, and although men produce more of it, “there is nothing to say that testosterone is a male hormone.”

“Dutee and Caster are (competing) with their own chemicals,” Kidd said. “They are fully in keeping with the Olympic spirit of being true to yourself and playing without doping. So why are they being castigated for that? I think it is so unfair.”

Significantly, the IAAF accepted that its rules were basically discriminatory but were devised in search of a greater justice: fairness for women’s track and field.

Opponents of the testosterone rule pointed to the natural advantages of other athletes that aren’t regulated, such as Usain Bolt’s fast-twitch muscle fibers, Michael Phelps’ big wingspan and former cyclist Miguel Indurain’s huge lung capacity.

Harper, who supports the testosterone-limiting rules, explained that sports competitions don’t have categories for athletes with slow twitch, short arms or small lungs. But women’s sports are protected because if they weren’t, there would be serious ramifications for Olympic qualification.

Chand – and by default, Semenya – won an interim decision last year in the Court of Arbitration for Sport case, but on a different reasoning. The IAAF didn’t have definitive evidence to show how much of an advantage the extra testosterone gave hyperandrogenic women. CAS gave the IAAF until July 2017 to provide the evidence needed to reinstate the rule, which won’t be in place in Rio.

The IAAF said it doesn’t comment on individuals who were managed under its hyperandrogenism regulations, but it still believes in the rules. Work is ongoing to find evidence.

Harper is involved in that process and expects to be an expert witness for the IAAF when the case returns to court.

The best evidence might be provided right now by Semenya.

Since the testosterone regulations were shelved, Semenya has won every major 800-meter race she entered this season – running a personal best last month and the fastest time anywhere in seven years. Her best time this year is around four seconds faster than last year.

Tucker predicted it.

At the start of the season, when Semenya was competing at the South African national championships, Tucker posted a tweet saying she could break Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 33-year-old world record of 1:53.28 for the 800 this season. He thinks that without testosterone regulation, Semenya, a good athlete anyway, could become untouchable.

“You need a person who comes along and has got all the attributes that would make an elite athlete, plus they have high testosterone. Then you will get a freakishly good athlete, and that’s the case with Semenya,” Tucker said. “If I was a woman 800-meter runner right now, I’d be looking to change careers. You can’t beat this advantage. It’s too big.”

But Alice Dreger, a historian of medicine and science who has written about Semenya, poses a question with regard to the testosterone regulations and what the IAAF is trying to achieve with its proposed limits:

“The data they have indicates it causes the athlete’s performance to drop precipitously, basically eliminating them from play,” Dreger said. “So what does it really mean to say ‘you can compete if you get these interventions,’ if the interventions mean you can’t really compete anymore?”

Semenya, often media-shy, smiled and spoke easily with reporters at the nationals, saying she was starting to enjoy the sport again.

“I haven’t had fun, you know, in a while,” she said.

___

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NASHVILLE–The Melbourne Chargers have won the 2016 Bingham Cup, held in Nashville from May 26-29, 2016. The Bingham Cup is the world championship of gay rugby and is one of the largest Rugby Union tournaments in the world.

The Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament is named after Mark Bingham, a gay rugby player who died on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Mark played for UC Berkeley and the San Francisco Fog RFC and was one of the founding members of International Gay Rugby (IGR), a registered non-profit dedicated to promoting equality and diversity in the sport. He was also involved in the founding of the Gotham Knights RFC, the gay and inclusive team in New York City. at the time of his death.

The Melbourne Chargers defeated the San Francisco Fog and the Washington DC Renegades A before facing the Sydney Convicts in the final game for the the Bingham Cup. The final score was 20-7 with Sydney scoring and converting a try in the final minutes of an exciting match. This was the first time the club won the Bingham Cup.

The Nashville Grizzlies gay rugby team hosted the 2016 tournament and welcomed over 1300 players and hundreds more spectators, coaches and supporters to Nashville for a week of events leading up the tournament itself. In addition to nightly social events, Raptors Coach Andre Snyman hosted player and coaches clinics and instructors from Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network were on hand for suicide prevention training for all interested players.

The tournament officially kicked off at the opening ceremony at Vanderbilt University. Mayor Megan Barry, State Representative John Ray Clemmons, Vice Mayor David Briley and Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor and many other local and regional officials welcomed players from around the world to Nashville. Mayor Barry put on a Grizzlies jersey presented to her as honorary co-chair of the host committee.

The Nashville Grizzlies, hosts of the tournament, won their third trophy in club history, taking the Hoagland Shield.

“This tournament was a journey and we are so proud to have played to our full potential and won the Bingham Cup. Everything we did on and off the field was for the team as a whole. Our game against Sydney was the final challenge and we made history today,” said Chargers captain, Iain Abbot.

“The IGR trustees, board and community would like to thank all of the participants, officials and supporters of the 2016 Bingham Cup. The 8th Annual Bingham Cup was our largest, safest and most successful ever. We would especially like to congratulate the Melbourne Chargers on their win of the Bingham Cup championship over the Sydney Convicts, through outstanding athletic performance and award winning sportsmanship,” said outgoing IGR Chairman Jeff Wilson.

“Everyone involved with the Bingham Cup 2016 tournament would like to thank the city of Nashville, all of volunteers, and all the teams that came so far to participate. A big congratulations goes out to the Melbourne chargers on their win!” said Bingham Cup organizing committee chairman Jon Glassmeyer.

Photo Credit: igrugby.org

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TEL AVIV, IS — It what has been labeled as the largest event of its kind in the Middle East, 200,000 people turned out to celebrate Tel Aviv Pride. Openly gay members of the Israeli military were evident, showcased for all to see by going shirtless in the crowd.

Despite its location near orthodox Jerusalem, Tel Aviv is one of the world’s most popular gay destinations. Since its founding, Israel has expressed tolerance for all sexual orientations, a rarity in a region where Muslims are prevalent. Israel made same-sex sexual activity legal in 1988. Although same-sex marriage is still not recognized, same-sex cohabitation is.

During the Pride parade, a moment of silence was reported in memory of Shira Banki, a 16-year-old who was stabbed to death during Jerusalem’s parade last year. A radical ultra-Orthodox Jew was convicted of the crime.

Photo Credit: timesofisrael.com

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MOSCOW–Elton John performed to a capacity crowd at a Moscow concert Hall last Monday, and during the performance thanked Russian president Vladimir Putin for inviting him to “discuss some serious issues in Russia, including LGBT and HIV and AIDS,”

Unfortunately, Putin ultimately refused to see the world-famous singer in a private audience. John said that he still held hope that “eventually” the two will meet.

Earlier in the year, John had been openly outspoken about his disapproval of a Russian law which forbids gay “propaganda” in the country. In addition, Putin has gone on the record stating that he feels that gay people prey on children.

It was widely reported last September that Putin had telephoned John and spoken to him at length about meeting with the gay rock star to discuss his concerns about the propaganda law. Only later was it revealed that it was a prankster, not the Russian president who placed the call.

Photo Credit: washingtontimes.com

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A former winner of the Mr Gay UK competition is set to be sworn in as the new Lord Mayor of Manchester.
Carl Austin-Behan, now 44, had taken the coveted Mr Gay UK crown back in 2001 while working as an events manager, well before deciding to enter politics.
The former pageant winner later built a career as a Labour councillor on Manchester City Council, and was named earlier this year as the Labour group’s choice to be the city’s new ceremonial Lord Mayor.
Mr Austin-Behan, who was forced out of the RAF in the 1990s because he is openly gay just years before the military ban was lifted, will be the first openly gay person to take on the role when he is sworn in today.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I thought it was time we had an openly gay lord mayor. We have had different races and cultures doing it – so this is a recognition of the LGBT community.

The new Lord Mayor tied the knot with his partner Simon last year – after 12 years together.
He said: “We have come such a long way but there are still barriers there. I think people don’t understand [trans issues] so well. It’s about awareness and education. We also need to look at HIV. It’s still on the rise and Manchester is one of the worst places.
Mr Austin-Behan told the newspaper he will be bringing his own flamboyant twist to the role, adding: “I won’t be wearing the traditional black and grey trousers and I think I only have one white shirt in my wardrobe.

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ANKARA, TR (AP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed Western countries, saying they care more about gay and animal rights than the fate of conflict-stricken Syrians.

Addressing a large crowd Friday in northwest Turkey, Erdogan also accused the West of possessing a mindset “remnant of slavery and colonialism.”

His latest anti-Western outburst came amid a standoff with the European Union over its demand that Turkey amend its anti-terrorism laws to secure visa-free travel in Europe for Turks.

Erdogan said: “Shame on those who don’t show sensitivity … to the women and children who reach out to them for help.”

He added: “Shame on those who deny the sensitivity they show to … the whales, the seals and the turtles in the sea to 23 million Syrians.”

Photo Credit: krmg.com

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LAGOS, NI (AP) – The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria says it is suspending aid to Nigeria’s AIDS agency over evidence that $3.8 million was stolen by its workers and consultants.

Spokesman Seth Faison said Friday that Nigeria’s government has promised to repay the money to the Geneva-based agency and to prosecute suspects.

A report by the fund’s inspector general says seven government workers and three consultants stole the money over five years between 2010 and 2014. The report said the fraud continued because the National Agency for the Control of AIDS did not have proper audits.

The missing money is 95 percent of the amount budgeted to implement, administer and train users of a web-based reporting platform but a fraction of the $1.4 billion the fund has spent in Nigeria.

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NEW DELHI (AP) – Police in Bangladesh say unidentified assailants have stabbed two men to death, including a gay rights activist who also worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Mohammed Iqbal, police officer-in-charge in Dhaka’s Kalabagan area, identified the activist as Xulhaz Mannan and said he previously worked as a protocol officer for a former U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh. He said the other victim of Monday’s attack was a friend of Mannan’s named Tanay Majumder.

Iqbal said Mannan was an editor of Bangladesh’s first gay rights magazine, Roopbaan.

The banned group Ansar-al Islam, the Bangladeshi branch of al-Qaida on the Indian subcontinent, has claimed responsibility for the killings of a gay rights activist and his friend in the capital, Dhaka.

The group said in a Twitter message Tuesday that its members targeted Xulhaz Mannan, the editor of Bangladesh’s only gay rights magazine, Roopbaan, and his friend Tanay Majumder.

The killings occurred two days after unidentified men hacked to death a university professor in a northwestern city.

The attack was similar to recent killings of atheist bloggers by radical Islamists in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Photo Credit: pen-international.org

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LONDON–The British government is advising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens to pay special attention when traveling to North Carolina and Mississippi.

The travel advice update was posted on the British government’s website Tuesday.

The British advisory says new laws in North Carolina and Mississippi may affect LGBT travelers and directs those seeking more detail to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization. The advisory adds that attitudes toward LGBT people differ widely across the United States.

North Carolina last month adopted a law that limits LGBT protections and requires transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth. Mississippi’s law allows merchants with religious objections to deny service to customers.

Photo Credit: yahoo.com

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