A fan zone that is decorated with rainbow-themed merchandise is located on the banks of the Seine River, and its purpose is to attract audience members in order to commemorate the unprecedented number of openly LGBTQ athletes who are competing in this year’s Olympic Games.
It was on Monday in Paris that the Pride House, which had been established for the first time during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010, opened its doors.
“The idea is to welcome everybody,” Jeremy Goupille, the event’s organizer, said (according to AFP).
“With a platform like the Olympics, we know we can change things.”
This year’s Summer Games will have 193 athletes who identify as openly LGBTQ, which is an increase from the 186 athletes who competed in the 2020 Games and the 53 athletes who competed in 2016.
Included in this group is the openly gay British diver Tom Daley, who, on Monday, won silver in the 10 meter synchronized platform event with his partner Noah Williams. This achievement earned him his sixth medal in five Olympic Games.
Brittney Griner, a prominent homosexual rights activist and basketball player from the United States, has returned to court after serving a grueling nine months in a Russian prison in the year 2022.
The most recent two Olympic Games, held in Rio and Tokyo, both resulted in her team winning the gold medal.
Additionally, Rafaela Silva, a Brazilian judoka who won a gold medal in the Rio Games in 2016, will be competing in this exhibition.
All of the Games that have taken place since Vancouver have included Pride House, with the exception of the Winter Games that took place in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
Athletes who identify as LGBTQ and compete in Paris are expected to serve as a source of motivation for members of the LGBTQ community all over the world.
As of right now, Human Rights Watch reports that at least 67 countries have made it illegal for consenting individuals to engage in same-sex relationships.
A “new high” has been reached in terms of violence and harassment against LGBTQ individuals in Europe over the course of the previous few years, according to the rights agency of the European Union.
“Paris is the city of love, of all loves,” remarked Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, the deputy mayor of Paris, during the inaugural ceremony that took place on Monday evening.
Lucas, who was 23 years old, and Remy, who was 26 years old, both of whom did not like to reveal their surname, were among the crowd. Both of them had painted their cheeks with a French flag and were quite thrilled about it.
“After the backlash of the right and the far right, it’s important to have a space that is welcoming, whatever a person’s gender or sexual orientation,” said Lucas, a student at the university.
Poppy Starr Olsen, an Australian skateboarder, stated that she would not be competing this year because she had already participated in the Tokyo Games. However, she was present to show her support for the idea.
Skateboarding is a very strange sport in and of itself. According to the individual, who is 24 years old, “It has been an extremely wonderful environment for me to develop as a queer person.”
“However, it is undeniable that you will encounter hatred on occasion, even if the individuals harboring it do not want to do so. Because it is still present, it is of the utmost significance to have a Pride House.
We are all on an equal footing.
According to Amelie Oudea-Castera, the Minister of Sports in France, she, too, believed that having the venue was essential to conveying “a message of inclusion.”
“It’s important for us to keep fighting against all types of discrimination,” she stated to reporters.
“We are all equal, and we all deserve to be respected,” she said to the conversation.
She made her remarks after the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which took place on Friday, caused some controversy.
The scene, which was a celebration inspired by Greek mythology and featured members of the LGBTQ community as well as a vocalist who was painted blue and semi-naked, had the intention of promoting diversity.
Catholic organizations and French bishops, on the other hand, have complained that it is a disrespectful imitation of the Last Supper, which took place between Jesus and his apostles.
The piece has been referred to as “a disgrace” by Donald Trump, who is running for president of the United States.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, issued a statement condemning the ceremony due to its “immorality against all Christians” and stated that he would denounce it to Pope Francis.
According to Oudea-Castera, the objective was not “to have any kind of provocation against any kind of religion.”
“It was a message of inclusion, reconciliation, and celebration of the Olympic god Dionysos,” she added. Dionysos was the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine. His message was a celebration of the Olympics.