By Ken Craig–
In the midst of a world that often stifles diversity and marginalizes the LGBTQ+ community, the Gay Games stand as a beacon of inclusivity, empowerment, and acceptance. My journey with the Gay Games began in the early 1980s, but my first opportunity to participate in the Games came much later, in 2006, during the Chicago Gay Games. In the next few paragraphs, I will attempt to recount my life-changing journey, from my introduction to the Gay Games while living in Scotland to my involvement in founding the Triangle TaeKwonDo Club in San Francisco and eventually becoming a dedicated supporter of Team San Francisco and the Federation of Gay Games (FGG).
My initial encounter with the concept of the Gay Games occurred through a small newspaper article while I was working in the United Kingdom at the tender age of just nineteen. The year was 1982, when the inaugural Gay Games took place in San Francisco, a momentous event that celebrated the spirit of inclusivity and unity within the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, my work and financial fluidity at the time prevented me from attending those first Games, however, the idea of an international multi-sport and cultural event that welcomed participants regardless of their sexual orientation had sparked a flame of curiosity within me and I kept a keen eye on the media for additional news about the Gay Games.
I devoured news about the Gay Games through the second Games in San Francisco in 1986, then Vancouver in 1990. My life had taken a significant turn as I moved to the United States to work as a consultant in 1988, first in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, then in Long Island, New York. I dearly wanted to attend Vancouver, but my work commitments made it impossible, so I missed the third Gay Games.
I moved to the Bay Area in 1990, living for many years in the East Bay, and developed one of my passions for traditional martial arts into a 1st Degree Black Belt in the Korean art of TaeKwonDo. Teaching as an assistant instructor at a predominantly straight school that catered to children and adults, I was perhaps quite unique at the time in that I was “out” as a gay man to the instructors, parents, and students at the school.
I quickly advanced in rank to 3rd Degree Black Belt and I had the trust and support of everyone at the martial arts school at a time when the LGBTQ+ community was very much still ostracized and marginalized by most media and most people. I had discovered the importance of being authentic and embracing my true self early on in life, and I recognized that finding true and honest allies and friends was much more important to me than simply “fitting in” or living a lie.
The brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998 sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community, serving as a stark reminder of the prejudice and violence that still existed in society at that time. This tragic murder was a pivotal moment for me and my life. It galvanized me to take action and do something meaningful for my LGBTQ+ community. Within just one month, I founded Triangle TaeKwonDo Club in the Castro, which provided a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ individuals to practice martial arts, learn self-defense, and find community.
At the outset, Triangle TaeKwonDo Club operated out of the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, offering two free evening classes each week. As fear of HIV/AIDS continued to force many LGBTQ+ individuals out of their own traditional martial arts schools, Triangle was a beacon of hope and acceptance, welcoming former students from many other schools and martial arts disciplines. We provided an environment where people could train, build friendships, and learn without fear of discrimination or prejudice. Within five years, Triangle had grown into the Triangle Martial Arts Association, offering traditional martial arts classes in TaeKwonDo, HapMoosaKiDo, JuJitsu, Karate, and YongChulDo five nights a week and on Saturday mornings. We led more than thirty students to 1st Degree Black Belt and a half dozen more to higher Black Belt and instructor certifications.
As the Gay Games of Chicago in 2006 approached, I was finally in a position to participate, and I encouraged my Triangle students to participate also. I was extremely proud and elated to accompany a team of fifteen martial artists to Chicago. The Games were a life-changing experience for all of us.
I had personally traveled much of the world by this time, and I had seen wonders and horrors along the way, but the emotional impact of walking into the stadium as the first group with Team San Francisco during the parade of athletes was overwhelming. I knew well that I was not alone as a gay man. I knew well from living in San Francisco that the LGBTQ+ community was strong, proud, large, and vocal, yet standing on the field, in that huge stadium, with thousands and thousands of other LGBTQ+ athletes and artists entering to the applause of the watching audience is something I will never forget. As an ex-British Military person, and someone who is rather stoic and analytical in most things, I found myself with tears in my eyes, overcome with emotion. It was not simply my own awakening, but that of my students who were with me, and the thousands who surrounded me in that moment.
The Games serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of fostering and living a sense of belonging, a sense of camaraderie, a knowledge of acceptance and love. One truly remarkable moment was toward the end of the parade of athletes into the stadium when thousands of us were standing on the field and the announcer introduced each country and city into the stadium, with most groups numbering in the hundreds or at least twenty to thirty participants. The announcer introduced a single athlete who had traveled from Africa to participate in Gay Games Chicago. He came from a country that outlawed the LGBTQ+ community, and he was taking a huge personal risk to attend, but the huge round of applause and support he received when walking into the stadium alone was literally breathtaking and is a moment seared in my brain, reinforcing the incredible power of good that humans have within them, when it is provided the opportunity to flourish.
On returning to San Francisco from the Chicago Gay Games I made the decision to support the local efforts of Team San Francisco who work with San Francisco and Bay Area athletes and cultural participants to help them prepare and attend each quadrennial Gay Games. My solidified belief in the value and efficacy of the Gay Games movement led me to join Team San Francisco in late 2006 as a Board member at large, dedicating much of my time and energy to help foster the growth and success of Team San Francisco and the Federation of Gay Games as a whole.
Over these many years, I have remained actively engaged in promoting both Team San Francisco and the Gay Games. Team San Francisco is an entirely volunteer run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is solely focused on promoting the interests of LGBTQ+ athletes and cultural participants in every way possible, in fostering and furthering the efforts of sports clubs and cultural organizations within the Bay Area, and in supporting the quadrennial Gay Games every cycle.
Team San Francisco and the Federation of Gay Games have witnessed, and survived, many changes and challenges over the intervening years. The internet allowed access to news, information, and online registration that could have led to the demise of Team San Francisco, but they adapted and amended their focus to support local clubs and generate fundraising throughout the year, which permits scholarships to be offered for each Gay Games cycle. The scholarships assist athletes and cultural participants who need a little financial support to get to the Games each cycle and are a vital function of what Team San Francisco accomplishes each year.
The Federation of Gay Games has also had challenges with the competing World Outgames splitting the focus of LGBTQ+ participants for many years, and then the COVID-19 pandemic threatening to make the current Gay Games XI impossible to deliver. As with Team San Francisco, the Federation of Gay Games adapted and amended their concepts, with the Games taking place at the same time in two different cities around the world.
My involvement with Team San Francisco and the Federation of Gay Games has strengthened my commitment and belief in the objectives and goals of both. As we continue to fight discrimination, inequality, and injustice—even today after decades of struggle—the Gay Games provide an invaluable opportunity for individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities to come together, compete, celebrate their talents, and forge meaningful long-lasting connections.
My personal journey is a testament to the power of the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience and the impact that dedicated individuals can have when they choose to stand up for what they believe in. In a world that often attempts to silence and marginalize LGBTQ+ voices, Team San Francisco and the Gay Games provide a platform for us to speak loudly, express ourselves authentically, and demonstrate that we are here, we are proud, we are accomplished, we are capable, and we will continue to make our mark on this world.
Ken Craig is the Secretary of Team San Francisco and the Co-Chair of the Sports Injury & Risk Management sub-committee of the Sports Committee for the Federation of Gay Games. A Grand Master ranked martial artist, he is a member of the Board of the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Martial Artists.
Published on November 2, 2023
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