For the first time in Olympic history, the LGBTTIQQ2SA community has a venue to celebrate the Games. Pride House offers a welcoming place for the community's athletes and their coaches, family, and friends to get together, enjoy sport, and be themselves.

Pride House has two locations to celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Pride House Whistler is located in the centre of Whistler Village at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village Centre Hotel, and includes a hip lounge with a cocktail bar and TV monitors to watch the Olympics. Pride House Vancouver, located at Q-munity, B.C.'s Queer Resource Centre, acts as the hub for special events happening around town, with immigration experts, free Wi-Fi and a TV to follow the sports excitement, as well as ambassadors to assist visitors.

Marion Lay, an Olympic swimmer who won a bronze medal for Canada in '68, spoke at Pride House Vancouver's opening ceremonies on Feb. 14. "When I started in my career, I was terrified that someone would out me," Lay said in her speech. "But when I did get outed, it was the best thing that ever happened to me." Check out Lay's full speech on YouTube.

Many of the athletes at these Games are in the closet, Lay said - and it's a fearful place, since coaches and administrators make many sports decisions and they often are biased. "It's fantastic for Vancouver and for Canada to have the first Pride House," Lay said, encouraging everyone at Pride House to help sport come out.

Bill Siksay, Member of Parliament for Burnaby-Douglas and the NDP critic for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, and Transgender Issues, also spoke at Pride House Vancouver's opening ceremonies. "It's a challenge to come out in politics - and it's just as tough in the sporting world," Siksay said. "I'm glad Pride House is here to show [the way]!"

The Olympics bring athletes together from all over the world, yet in over 70 countries, it is still illegal to be homosexual, and in 7 countries the punishment for homosexuality is death, according to the Pride House website (http://www.pridehouse.ca). Pride House aims to lead the way in educating and promoting change in homophobia in the sports culture.

-Words by Natalie Fraser, Media Committee Journalist