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Pride House International campaign

The Football v Homophobia campaign and its parent organisation Pride Sports recently joined a coalition of LGBT sports and human rights organisations, Pride House International.

Pride House International is made up of  organisations and individuals who have been involved in delivering, or are planning to deliver Pride Houses at international sports events. You may remember the Pride House in Warsaw at UEFA EURO 2012 (http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/pride-house-will-be-safe-place-euro-2012-football-fans010612) or indeed the Pride House in London during the same year (http://olympics.time.com/2012/08/09/olympic-homophobia-why-are-there-so-few-openly-gay-athletes/).

LGBT activists in Russia applied for a license to hold a Pride House in Sochi during the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, but this was refused by a Russian judge who described the idea as “extremist” and claimed it would offend “public morality”. Pride House International have responded to the ban on Pride House Sochi in three campaigns:

– Asking the IOC to host a Pride House in Sochi and to amend the Olympic Charter to include sexual orientation and gender identity

– Asking National Olympic Committees to host Pride House events in their National Houses at Sochi          http://www.pridehouseinternational.org/?p=164

– Asking LGBT community groups and their allies to host remote Pride Houses in their own communities             http://www.pridehouseinternational.org/?p=216

IOC responded that they were unable to deliver a Pride House, and we are still working on National Olympic Committees (NOCs). However, LGBT communities and allies are beginning to mobilise around the world to hold remote Pride Houses in their own communities, and we already have a number confirmed in Brazil, USA, UK and Canada. 

If you would like to support the campaigns, there are three things you can do:

– Sign and share this petition to urge NOCs to host Pride House events (http://www.change.org/petitions/urge-national-olympic-houses-to-host-pride-house-celebrations-during-the-2014-sochi-olympic-and-paralympic-winter-games)

– Write to your NOC and ask them to host a Pride House event

– Host a Remote Pride House in your city in partnership with your local LGBT community

For further information please contact Lou Englefield at Football v Homophobia.