PRIDE AT THE VANCOUVER OLYMPICS

By Roy Heale
It's official---the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics will include the first PRIDE House for gay athletes and their companions. The Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre will be the host venue during the 2010 Olympics and celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres will be asked to join in.
The producers of GayWhistler, the annual WinterPRIDE festival, secured Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre as a partner. In a news release the Pan Pacific's general manager Jim Douglas described the decision as an easy one to embrace.
After much hard work and negotiations the accomplishment is significant for the producers of Gay Whistler."We are so excited to be able to work with Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, a hotel chain that embraces similar values we hold dear; the value to be authentic, the value to embrace diversity and the value to be inclusive. Together, we will create a safe space for our gay and lesbian community and their allies to go to during the Olympics," Dean Nelson, CEO of GayWhistler, said in a news release.
The goal is to create a safe space for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, coaches, family, fans and allies to hang out during the Games. The venue will feature a lounge where guests can watch events and relax.
"It is our desire to have a couple of key OUT celebrities, such as Ellen DeGeneres or Neil Patrick Harris, to come out and be part of the magic of PRIDE House," Nelson said in the news release.
Congratulations to all who worked hard to make this a FIRST at any Olympic games recognising the contribution of GLBT athletes to these events.