Montreal
Bv E. LYNN LEMONT ' V

fter two years of negotiations with the
Aitiederation of Gay Games (FGG),

ontréal 2006 has yet to sign a contract.
In a press release, Montreal 2006 co-presidents
Lucie Duguay and Mark Tewkesbury character- '
i2‘ed the lack of a contract as “a crisis situation.”

Montreal 2006 and the FGG‘have not \
agreed on a vision of the Games, its scope and
control over the financing it will receive.
According to the press release, Montreal 2006
requested arbitration with’ the FGG.

Charlie Corson, speaking for the (FGG,
set a November 7 deadline for an agreement to be ~
signed, reports Cyd Zeigler on OutSports.com.

The original proposal indicated 24,000
Vathletestand “an elaborate cultural component.” A
revised proposal allows for 16,000 athletes, which
could be expanded to 19,000 with additional fund-

Games Not 50 Gay?

ing guarantees. The FGG wants to restrict the
number of participants to 12,000.

Both sides say that the other’s numbers
are unrealistic and unworkable financially.
Montreal 2006_ says it has already secured spon-
sorships to cover a larger number of athletes, and
that some of those sponsorships will be at risk if
the Games are plarmed for a smallennumber.

' “We know this would be a financial dis-
aster, and to operate the Games without deficit, we

‘must aim for a minimum of 16,000 participants. In ‘

fact, the level of sponsorships is proportional to
the scopeof the event and our current funding is
already in place for this level of participation,”
according to a press release from Montreal 2006.
No one wants to risk another Gay

Games financial fiasco. The Sydney Gay Games
last year were nearly canceled due to financial
shortfalls. Z_eigler’s OutSports story cited the num-
bers fromthe Olympics, which generally turns out
10,000 athletes with many more resources than the

Gay Games can field.

Also at issue‘ is control over how rev-
enue is spent. Montreal 2006 says it will not relin-
quish control over funds from city, provincial and
national resources to the FGG. The organization
has financial commitments of over $5 million

‘ (CAD), according to the press release, “something -

never before been seen in the history of the Gay
Games.” Montreal 2006 also cited an unprecedent-
ed agreement for official event coverage with

~Radio-Canada as well as agreements with private" ‘

sponsors.
“For Montreal 2006, it is unthinkable
that financial decisions’ on the Games be ‘made by
anyone other than its Board of Directors, whofare
legally responsible for the outcome of the event,”
the group’s spokespeople declared.- '

Montre'al 2006 says it wants members ‘

: of the Federation, who will be meeting at the

armual meeting in Chicago November 9th to 15th
to decide the size of the -games. If no. agreement is

reached, it is likely that tliemembershjp willber-‘I. 7;  -
asked to move the games, and possibly-reschedule’ . 1 E
them for 2007. v ‘ ’ ’ :'

Both sides have fallback plans if negoti- '
ations fail to bear fruit, according to the report.
The FGG would consider moving the games to 1
Atlanta, Chicago or Los Angeles, the cities that
lost their original bids for the Games two years
ago, and Zeigler reports that Atlanta has already
expressed an interest if the games are moved.

For its part, Montreal would consider
hosting an athletic festival without the imprimatur , 2 - '.
of the “Gay Games.” ‘

“We still hope,” concluded Montréal’s _
Louise Ro_y, Director of the Games, “that the FGG’ ‘
and Montreal 2006 can come to an agreement and

 

‘that we will be able to announce this in Chicago. » h

Afier working on this project for two years, we
have now established links with some 500 gay and
lesbian sports teams around the world, which‘
means’ that we can look forward to an edition of
the Games on an unprecedented scale, regardless

' of thefoutcome of our negotiations with the

FGG.” V .

\_Ie_r;n_c_>I_11 flo_n1an Returns After  

1 3-Year Hiatus

ast month saw the rebirth of the for-profit
' Vermont Woman, the “printchild” of les-

_ ian publisher Sue Gillis. Featuring a pair
of open lipsticked lips replacing the “O” of
Woman in the monthly‘s logo (designed by
Creative Director Jan Doerler), the publication
appears aimed at a young, mainstream female
audience. '

At the October 9 launch party, Gillis
said she wanted to revive Vermont Woman
' because she wondered, “Where is my niece —
she was one when the first Vermont Woman
folded, and now she’s 14 — going to find our

collective women’s history?” And because of
her concern “at how we’re treated around the
world.”

Gillis characterized the first issue as
the result of a “production period from hell,”
and said the newsprint monthly is “a work in
progress,” inviting criticism and other feedback
from the invitation-only, warmly receptive‘
crowd at Burlington’s Boathouse. '

The ebullient publisher thanked the
audience and singled out for special noticeithe
paper’s financial backers, who included, among
others, Billi Gosh, Robin Lloyd, Ray Pecor,

rung t:N‘ W College exit}

Sallie Soule, and Dr. Ethan Sims. Politicians,
including Burlington mayor and cross-over
gubernatorial candidate Peter Clavelle and for-
mer Republican state Senator Barbara Snelling,
made an appearance. Snelling is also listed on
the editorial advisory board. '
v The first incarnation of Vermont

Woman appeared in 1985 and was published

monthly until it folded under financial stress in i

1990. Gillis went on to co-publish the weekly
Vermont Times (which was later sold), and
founded and published a newspaper in
Provincetown, MA. A

The reborn pub1ication’s new editor is
Deb Alden, whose column “Home Front” in the
inaugural issue inveighs against verbal “hus-
band-bashing” and encourages women to thank
their spouses for any household chores they do.

7t. performances will betra

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Also on staff is former OITM editor
Barb Dozetos as‘ assistant editor, weighing in
with a background piece on women in the
Vermont Statehouse. Original founding editor
and now contributing editor Rickey Gard
Diamond added a piece on hunger in Vermont

Other pieces in the first issue covered’
domestic violence, Bantu women in Vermont, Z ‘
Joan Baez, and Vermont women artists at the _
National Museum for Women in the Arts. 4;

The perspective, declared Gillis, is '
feminist, cross-generational, and cross-gender,
adding, “We know men and women are differ- 0
ent. We want men to read this.” 

Vermont Woman’s next public event ~ I
features Washington press corps dean Helen
Thomas on November 16. V