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Fun and Gaymes--
The Gay Games, Part II
by Brian Sands
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

If the main business of Gay Games V was the sporting competitions, put a few hundred thousand queers together and you know there's gonna be some parties happening. And so it was for the first week of August in Amsterdam.

The festivities kicked off Saturday afternoon with a marvelous Canal Pride Parade with dozens of fabulously festooned boats making their way along the city's beautiful canals. With drag queens, go-go boys and an enormous inflatable bodybuilder doing push-ups, the parade allowed all of Amsterdam to share in the Gaymes' fun and excitement.

That evening at the huge ArenA, the Opening Ceremonies formally commenced Gay Games V. The hour long parade of athletes saw New Yorkers throwing beads, Aussies tossing stuffed koala bears and the folks from Montreal sailing frisbees to the crowd. Small teams from Uruguay, Indonesia and Zimbabwe were mixed in with huge teams from America, Germany and the Netherlands as competitors from all over the world proudly marched in under their countries' banners.

In their snazzy purple and gold outfits Team New Orleans exuberantly entered the stadium led by Team Captain Warren Woods. The large contingent from Austin looked similarly dashing in their red, white and blue suits. And proving that size isn't everything, the small but hearty team from Houston displayed a banner that let everyone know who they were.

After the thousands of athletes were seated, the Ceremonies began. Highlights included a videotaped message from Martina Navratilova, speeches from designer Jean Paul Gaultier and Harvey Fierstein, whose "Yes, we are extraordinary" became the Gaymes' unofficial motto, and a performance by the Weather Girls accompanied by a few hundred sailors who stripped down to their skivvies.

The Opening Party followed at the Docklands warehouse which the crowds got to via a short, scenic ferry ride. If the evening's headliner Right Said Fred singing (yet again) "I'm Too Sexy For My Hat" didn't blow one away, there were lots of other things to hold one's attention including seven foot high drag queens, fire-eaters/flame-blowers and S & M performance artists. Apparently, the music really peaked from 5-7am but by then yours truly had already departed.

In the week that followed, numerous cultural events augmented those on the playing fields. Among the highlights were the thrilling terpsichorean talents of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and the vocal panache of La Gran Scena Opera Co. (For those not in the know, these two drag groups let neither ballet slippers nor Adam's apples prevent them from creating the illusion of highly trained feminine artistry.)

Hanna Schygulla, star of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films and now a chanteuse, presented a cabaret evening and while she's still a consummate performer her songs tended to all sound the same.

In the visual arts, the august Stedelijk Museum led the way with "A Queer Look at Art" featuring artists from all over the world. Among many other museums and galleries, the Rijksmuseum and the Anne Frank House also had special queer-themed exhibits. At the Friendship Village headquarters, in addition to daily performances of all types, there was even a showing of art that had been mailed to the Gaymes.

Of course, there was artistry on the playing fields as well. At the bodybuilding finals, Vince Taylor wowed the crowds as his legendary, award-winning physique cheekily danced to the Macarena. And at the actual dance competition, in addition to the phenomenal contestants, Women Unchained gave a scintillating performance in a variety of dance styles.

(Though I thought they were three of the most beautiful women I've ever seen, a German lady turned to me and said, "I want to see the butch ones." I told her to go to women's basketball where fists were swung and the playing was fierce. On the other hand, at the bodybuilding competition, when the winners' names were announced, many broke into tears. And these were the men. Only at the Gay Games.)

Of course, being Amsterdam, the action went on long after the sportsgrounds and theaters had cleared. Reguliersdwarsstraat (aka Homostraat) looked like Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras as the popular bars April and Havana were packed to overflowing. Nearby, the dance club iT rocked to the wee hours of the morning, while at the leather bar Cuckoo's Nest other things rocked till the wee hours.

Sidelined by a broken wrist, this reporter could only look on as a long line formed outside the legendary Thermos Night Sauna, which was so packed that it joined its sister sauna, Thermos Day, to remain open for a steady 24 hours. The basic mood was best expressed by one participant who said, "I haven't fallen in love with anyone but I've gone home with someone from a different country each night."

(While one Lesbian did say, "I've already seen my future wife 100 times today," I'm not sure if the ladies got quite as randy as the guys. Then again, with Women Only parties going on nearly every night, I suspect the large female contingent, much larger than four years ago in New York, had just as much fun.)

The Gay Games finally had to end but not without a big bang. The Closing Ceremony was marked by an even greater sense of comraderie than the Opening one as all celebrated medals won and friendships made. The huge runway stage was initially cloaked in black but was unzipped to reveal a gigantic rainbow flag underneath. The Gay & Lesbian Marching Band of America played and bunches of motorbikes roared by. Bananarama performed "Venus" and other hits as the crowd sang along and the Weather Girls triumphantly returned with their 200 stripper-sailors.

One hated to leave the ArenA but since the Docklands beckoned again for the Closing Party, one did. And here the Gaymes closed in the most fabulous fashion imaginable. After Jimmy Somerville warmed up the crowd, Grace Jones came on at four in the morning and kicked ass. With simple but brilliantly inventive outfits, she cast a magical spell over the crowd with "I'm Not Perfect," "La Vie en Rose," "My Jamaican Guy," "Liebertango" and many other classics.

Bumming joints and cocktails that her fans gladly offered, she got trashy without ever letting go of her haute persona. As she crouched down and let the audience paw her, she purred, "If you keep putting your hands on my pussy, you're gonna make me wet." What a wonderful woman! Finishing around 5:30am with an encore of "Sex Drive," she sent her worshipful throng out for the ferry ride back to reality as the sun was coming up over Amsterdam.

Among the many memories one will always have of Gay Games V, one of the strongest will be of the hosts' incredible hospitality and warmth, particularly the words of support expressed by numerous elected officials including the Dutch Prime Minister and the Mayor of Amsterdam as well as various City Council Members and other government representatives. Their statements did not seem to be the glib utterances of politicians but the sincere feelings of enlightened and admiring individuals. Which is why Amsterdam was the perfect place for Gay Games V.

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