In early August the Netherlands’ capital was hosting the Fifth Gay Games held under the motto «Friendship through culture and sports». Like the Olympic Games, their gay counterpart gathers its participants once in four years, becoming each time increasingly powerful. In former times Gay Games were traveling around the USA and at last they were hosted by Europe, Amsterdam. Without any exaggeration they can be called a grandiose historic event in the life of the Western gay community with over 250 thousand of viewers and 15 thousand participants of cultural and sport activities come from all over the world (at the last Gay Games in NY their number was under 11 thousand).
Sadly, it is still next to impossible for us, citizens of the former USSR, to go to such festivities of our own will. Alas, we are still on the wayside. And we are not alone - in the same category are Africa, Asia, South America. That is the reason why the organizing committee of the Games created a special fund, whose aim was to bankroll the participation of activists of the gay movement from these parts of the planet. It is owing to this fact that we, two persons from Lugansk, became official representatives of Ukraine at the Fifth Gay Games.
The thing that strikes you as something special each time you make a quick passage from your homeland to the bourgeois West (slightly less than 2-hour flight on a white-winged KLM plane from Kiev to Amsterdam) is FREEEDOM. Having speedily reached the Dutch capital by train from the international Schiphol airport and having landed in the very center of Amsterdam, we found ourselves right in this pied and motley world. Multicolor punks, aged hippies loaded with tinsel, throngs of tourists from all over the globe, but the basic difference is faces, they display more smiles than sadness.
We were met by Chris, one of the organizers of the so called Storytelling festival - a shortish (unlike the Dutch as a whole), puny and very cordial man. I’d define him as a classic gay - there was something inimitable about him. First, a note-book with a brocade cover and embroidered flowers. Having seen our luggage - either of us had a small backpack - he expressed an utter surprise: «Wow, is this all? (raised brows) Listen, my dear ones, setting out to this or that place for just a couple of days, I cannot find room for all my things in a suitcase!» (probably called a make-up bag :)
To accommodate such a big number of people, besides providing rooms in all kinds of hotels, a special program was developed in keeping with which gays and lesbians - residents of Amsterdam, hosted guests in their homes, giving away a portion of their living space. We were hosted by Jan and Mark, a gay couple who by that time had been together for five years.
Imagine a three-level apartment with all minutiae thoroughly thought out: rooms, figurines, pictures, book shelves up to the ceiling, flowers, illumination, and the stuff. The roof houses a wondrous flower garden with a picnic place. All of this was in possession of our new friends - medical attendant Jan (working three days a week) and postman Mark (working four days).
That same night, making a closer acquaintance of our hosts and regaling ourselves on Ukrainian vodka (as a rule the Dutch take tiny quantities of strong drinks before meals as an aperitif, which constitutes a considerable cultural difference to which I failed to get used), I asked them why they work so little. «Why more?» - was their answer. Truly they do have everything and they are celebrating life.
Bookshelves are filled with volumes on history, philosophy and classic literature of the world (of course present were books by Tolstoy, Gogol, Dostoevsky). Their audio collection seemed inexhaustible to me (some time later we found ourselves discussing the difference between the Orthodox Christian and Catholic music, and Mark was accompanying the talk with a dozen CDs - it’s just an example). They do without a car, for they just need not one. In Amsterdam an automobile is something quite troublesome - problems with parking and negotiating narrow streets. Everyone rides a bicycle here. Their fridge is not crammed - a 10-minute walk will get you to a supermarket with fresh meat, cheese, salads, fruits, beer, vines and other foods.
They have each other and many good friends. And the world around is humming with lots of interesting things to visit, to watch, to listen to. Within the period of our stay Jan and Mark found the time to attend a carnival at Rotterdam (not in any way related to Game Games and not of gay nature at all) and a few concerts in the open air, as well as to watch a male ballet. And a couple of times they kept our company while we were touring through the city and at the evening get-togethers in candle light at their wonderful terrace full of different flowers. We were drinking beer, grilling meat and enjoying a leisurely talk.
It’s to be noted that everyone speaks English in Amsterdam - which is the consequence of cultural influence, school education and everyday life. So we had no language problems.
Mark and Jan, two ordinary Dutch gays, were our hospitable and caring hosts. This amiability was evident in each person we met on the Dutch land. A solemn-looking policemen at the airport’s passport control post inquired us of the purpose of our visit. «Gay Games», was our reply. The man gave us a sweet smile, stamped our documents and said: «Welcome!»
Amsterdam is a beauteuos ancient city which has endured wars and violence of nature elements. «Weirdness» of Amsterdam is known the world over. Here light drugs and hallucinogenous mushrooms are legally allowed (a paradise for Don Juan’s devotees!), prostitution is also legal here, so multicolored damsels are beckoning you from numerous brothels; same-sex couples are walking around holding hands without drawing any special attention... All of this was brought by the history. Qualities of a person as a go-getter ranked above everything else - their quirks just did not matter much. But this was just a basis of patience. The major contribution was made by the «queer» who changed people’s attitude toward themselves.
The thing that stunned me most was the utter openness, visibility of gays in society. Once we were discussing this topic in Mark’s and Jan’s flower garden. «Look at the house across the street. That apartment is occupied by a lesbian with a child, that other one - by a gay. We just greet each other. Over there an ordinary family lives. They were our guests and we also visited them. Another family occupies that apartment and we talk with them if meet at the shop or in the street...» A quite outlandish tradition - it is not customary in Holland to curtain windows, and neighbors can easily see each other. Who knows, possibly this was one of the factors that made for good-neighborliness and social tolerance as a whole. Tolerance, acceptance and understanding of gays have been nurtured and cultivated in the society, and have become as much known as Dutch tulips themselves.
This beneficial social climate appealed to the new gays, lesbians and transsexuals who settled here and enhanced favorable attitude toward themselves. Eventually this gave Amsterdam its unofficial title of one of the world’s gay capitals. Individuality is ranked high, and one’s skin color or sexual orientation cuts no ice.
So it is not for nothing that this city won the right to host the Gay Games. For gay events are held here on a regular basis. Yearly canal pride parades, organized by the Gay Business Amsterdam Association, attract thousands of viewers.
We took our place on the bank of the canal at the appointed time, but we had to kick our heels for quite a while. The long train of vessels moving along the special route toward the city’s center stretched for many kilometers and reached us an hour later. To describe all these big and small boats colored by God-inspired fantasy, is next to impossible. They were filled with still more extravagant passengers: «queens» in orange cloaks, males dressed-up in feathers, half-naked sailors with pumped muscles, gay pilots, gay football players and God knows who else, which did not matter, the most important thing was that everything was bright, cute and challenging. And this masquerade was accompanied by a cacophony of cries, whistles and music streaming from the vessels.
The process came out of control on one of the boats - its passengers forgot about the necessity to maneuver and their vessel pushed the stern of another one. But everything ended well.
A military police patrol who was keeping vigilant watch on the carnival, was also tempted to partake of the festivity - the officer revealed his naked knee to approving cries of the crowd! We were told that this parade looked quite on the puritan side compared to the last year’s one as the police asked its participants to abstain form shocking the audience too much. Hm, and what were they doing themselves?!
Later, rambling around Amsterdam, we dropped in the flower market. Amidst tulips and van Gogh’s sunflowers we saw ceramic souvenirs - salt-cellars in the form of a phallus adorned with the words «Love From Amsterdam».
That’s the way this traditional and traditionally queer city is...
The ceremony of the opening of the Game Games was held on the Holland’s largest stadium «ArenA». While still getting ready for the ceremonial march of the teams, we met with other participants from countries of the former USSR. Russia alone was represented by quite a big sport team - female basketball players from Petersburg. And only one or two persons came from each of other formerly Soviet republics, and they took part in cultural events or in the social program organized by Amnesty International.
We felt a tad sad - one of the biggest European countries of 50 million was represented by just two persons. Members of other teams came up to greet and to encourage us, just to say a few words - and it was great. By the way the number of participants of some teams exceeded a few hundred people. Sure the largest was the team from the United States. Evidently every city, every gay club wished to be represented - and not just in the common column but necessarily with its own attributes and flags.
So we’re stepping onto the stadium ground and find ourselves in another world - that of pride and euphoria. I’m carrying the sign «Ukraine». We are receiving cheers from 45 thousand viewers, people from all over the world - exultation, fanfares, thunder of applause - our team is tiny but we are present!
All of this called to mind the Olympic Games with every due attribute: words of hearty welcome from the Gay Games Federation and Amsterdam’s mayor; pompous coming out of the teams, songs and dances. Just torch-bearers were lacking. But let me assure you, fire of feelings and emotions, fire of pride and unity was flaming in each of us!
That sensation we experienced while marching through the arena, was one of the strongest over the whole of our stay in Amsterdam. The march was topped off with a concert. It was opened by a duo of two black females whose singing, despite their enhanced body weight, was quite fiery. Then everyone got overwhelmed with emotions when 180 sailors became stripping off to music. Sadly, the song finished when just tiny slips were left on the bodies - and sailors ran away, white pieces of uniform left strewn on the ground. Quite memorable was also the performance of Israeli transsexual pop diva Dana International who won the Grand Prix at this year’s Eurovision song contest.
I admit to having failed to visit any of the sports events. It’s a shame, but some other activities kept us from doing this.
The Gay Games featured competitions in 29 sports from swimming and basketball to such exotic ones as ball dances and body-building. Among sportsmen there were professionals and ordinary teachers, doctors, staffers of commercial companies; those loving sport and who had been fans of their clubs for many years, as well as those who do morning jogging erratically but who took delight in the marathon.
A short report from the competition field. One elderly athlete registered in 10 sports though his performances betrayed the fact he was a novice in all of them. «He was great at discussing them», was the opinion of one of the spectators. The man himself was left not in the least perturbed - he was enjoying himself. Ultimately in line with the spirit of the Gay Games participation ranks above victory.
Over one hundred records of different levels and categories were toppled in swimming, on tracks and fields though the overwhelming majority of participants were not pros. Incidentally, most competitions were held with active support from the Dutch national and Amsterdam sports committee.
As a result - everywhere you could spot lots of sportsmen with medals that flashed bronze, silver and golden light in the bright sunshine. And their pride was our common pride, giving rise to smiles all around.
I’d like to mention most touching attention and care displayed toward the disabled. Those in wheel-chairs could be seen in stadiums and dance-halls. Theatrical plays and all kinds of performances where interpreted for the deaf and those hard of hearing. No one was allowed to feel oneself crippled, belittled or helpless. A friend’s hand was always ready to help.
Volunteers who were responsible for organizing the major part of activities were wearing yellow T-shirts with the word «Friend». The time and energy given by three thousands of our friends made the Gay Games Amsterdam possible.
Regrettably, the festivity could not avoid a fly in the ointment - an intervention of the International Skating Union into the Gay Games program. Leaders of the Union declared that in line with its rules skaters could participate only in official competitions authorized by their organization, and in keeping with their antiquated rules same-sex pairs are barred from hitting the ice. It was stated in numerous speeches that this was the result of the fact that the International Skating Union is headed by dumb aged retrogrades. «It’s no secret that a lot of skaters are gays», Paul van Yperen, press secretary of the Gay Games, told me in an interview.
So that not to endanger the skaters’ future careers, the Council of directors of the Games chose to abolish competitions. But so that viewers were not left deprived of the enjoyment, and the sportsmen themselves, who had put so much time and energy into preparation of their performances, of the possibility to demonstrate their skills, a grandiose «public training» was organized. And it was a glorious sight indeed!
Speaking of annoying moments, I’m going to mention another problem which arose right on the second day of the Games - a financial scandal. Because of the over-expenditure of the financial means, the firm that had organized all official activities got on the verge of going broke. Nonetheless this did not take toll on their carrying out. Municipal Council showed its good will and covered the debts.
According to the explanations given by official representatives of the organizing committee, the situation was caused on one hand, by big spendings on reservation of hotels and other preliminary payments to other firms, and on the other hand, by drawing less cash from the events that had been expected. The latter fact reveals more profound reasons - the ideas of unity not being shared always and by everyone in our diversified population. Minorities get divided into still smaller minorities - to be divided still further until the individual level is reached. And the phrase «everyone is unique» sounds again.
But let us get back to the festivity. The Gay Games Five stood out by its scope of cultural events - a week-long cultural program was so extensive that to describe it within the framework of the given article seems just impossible. Festivals, exhibitions, film demonstrations, theatrical shows and other cultural projects fit for any, even the most twisted, taste. Most activities were held in the city’s streets and on the open stages attended by both well-known and unknown artists.
One of such stages was located in the Friendship Village. The «Village» was an Open House which accommodated the basic organizing services of the Gay Games - accreditation center, stalls of different programs and sponsors, press center - and was surrounded by lots of diverse buildings - cafes, souvenir stands - and leisurely crowds. Besides, highly popular was the program of events on the central Dam Square in front of the town hall attended by about 75 thousand guests over the time of the Games.
I was engaged in one of such cultural activities - the Storytelling festival aimed at providing Western listeners with the possibility of taking a look at the life of gays and lesbians in those parts of the globe which are still beyond the borders of the «civilized» world. The idea was embodied in personal life stories of the people who had come from different regions of the planet - Indonesia, Croatia, Morocco, Panama, etc. I was representing the former Soviet Union, telling about the life of gays in Ukraine and Russia. Everyone of the participants has their own destiny, struggle, hardships, joys and sorrows, and I’m not going to reproduce the stories heard there. But here are the words of one of the organizers of the festival, Chris whom I mentioned above: «Lots of people spoke to me about the Storytelling festival. The stories presented by you were just the thing for the sake of which this outstanding event was organized: we saw our solidarity. Sure, the struggle for respect and human rights is far from completion, but it has entered a new stage, where with your personal participation and your «coming out of the closet», as well as under the social and political influence, it has reached the world-wide scope indeed».
Would you believe, for the two weeks that we spent in Holland, we were up to ears in work: meeting people, participating in workshops. How could we pass up the opportunity to visit «Homodok» - the world’s largest archive and library of gay literature, or to attend the official party organized by the city’s mayor?
For some reasons Dutch mass media got interested in us and we were intensely interviewed by four TV channels and the biggest Dutch paper «De Telegraaf». It was fun to acquire fame in another country, and since then we were recognized by passers-by. We would be walking along an empty street, fully relaxed - and suddenly heard a cry from the balcony of a gay hotel: «Hei, Ukrainian TV stars!». It was also not easy to get used to being greeted by cops and tramps. Where do the latter watch TV, I wonder?
All this fuss invoked the desire to wander quietly around the city, take a boat jaunt along the canals, spend some time in a peaceful atmosphere of a pub and drop in different kinds of hang-outs in the evening ... but time is always on the wing and rushes at a much higher rate.
But probably the most stupendous thing within the period of these seven days of August was the gay Babylon in the streets. When the city got enveloped by the evening, festively idle and noisy crowd made its ancient downtown streets impassable, oozing into gay bars, drinking beer and discussing ongoing events. After a nice «warm-up» we could pick our next destination - disco or some «specialized» party. Here are just a few of the names: «Apocalypse night», «Back to the 70s», «Greeting to the athletes», «Time machine», «Wedding party». I guess those multifarious offers could meet the most out-of-the-way demands and tastes. And if you made new friends, your evening and night took a still more breath-taking and racy quality...
So, you could visit a gay sauna - a many-storeyed building with a lot of mazes and bathing-huts. The signs on the walls read: «No drugs», «No sleeping», «Safe sex». So that no one got lost in the labyrinth, the walls bore the names of the «streets» - in the corresponding spirit. And of course, there was a bar, swimming pool, jakuzi and the sauna proper. As young men :) we were given a discount.
As we could notice, the Dutch are very tall and big. We were explained that the underlying reason is the age-old tradition of eating cheese which promotes bone growth. The sauna revealed that not just their height is oversized - is this owing to cheese too?
Certainly, as any other event, the Gay Games were a commercial function as well, and most of the activities requiring payment were quite expensive. That is why «alternative» sports programs and discos appeared, and we found ourselves at a couple of such discos. I cannot admit to having been delighted - the places were too packed, stuffy, with heavy smoke and long lines for liquor. And the young generation itself was somewhat of an «alternative» type, undersized. They do not feed on cheese, was Sasha’s assumption.
However everything was still more aggravated at the official party of the Gay Games closing, in which Jimmy Sommersville and Grace Jones were engaged. Enormous shed with a beating music and long lines for drinks - so I opted for a ferry tour through the night Amsterdam.
Quite opposite to our hosts in many aspects were the guys we met just in the street. Onno (aged around 40, ever impulsive, lively, sexually obsessed, fiery-eyed) and Peter (a seedy-looking youth with a sweet and touching face) - a gay couple of over 4 years. They were hosting an American volley-ball player. It was so easy to communicate with them, and have fun as well. A half-hour later we were dancing together at one of the gay discos and the next day were invited to their home for the Chinese dinner. We were trying to guess who could be Natasha and Nikola indicated in their business card along with Peter and Onno. Those turned out to be a brash feline male and a fearful female cat. Peter is a slacker by our views, he does not work, indulges in studying the Czech language, paints, plays piano, and Onno is busy with nurturing a creative nature in him. Peter was touring Europe of late (on his dole) and brought hepatitis from his beloved Prague. It’s anyone’s guess what he was up to there, while studying culture.
Their apartment reminded me of a student hostel where folks live as one community. Apart from us there were two more guests, their young friends - a German man named Fedor (I hope, you’ve noticed Russian culture is not alien in the West) and a Chinese named Coco - a well-known singer in his homeland (it was he who cooked the diner).
We met this company again when we all visited the gay beach on the shore of the Northern Sea (a half-hour ride on train from the capital). The beach was a wide sand strip separated from the dunes by a straight line of barbed wire a few kilometers long. In the passages made in it the signs warned not to go beyond the beach territory naked. But those were just futile... The dunes were the places of the greatest appeal... We broke away from our companions, having left them between the «subsidiaries» of the two famed Amsterdam gay bars built in the form of tropical huts that stood right on the beach amidst the idle crowd. So we headed for the more remote - and hence «wilder» - part of the beach... To check out places.
Another person - Lutz van Dijk, writer, photographer, public figure and just a jovial and sympathetic man, also deserves a few warm words. He was the chief inspirer of the Storytelling festival. We met him a few years earlier in Moscow and, in fact, it’s mostly owing to him that we got to this great event in Amsterdam.
Once we dropped in on Lutz and his boyfriend Andreas who had emigrated some years earlier from Panama because of his sexual orientation. The festival was in full swing, and despite the late hour there were many guests in their home. This was quite a mixed company - a Mexican gay leader in sombrero, an Argentine lesbian Alicia, full of temperament, cheerful Alberto - Andreas’ fellow-countryman who had left Panama for the same reason. Owing to care and hospitality of the energetic host, all guests felt as if they had been known each other for a long time. The party resulted in the picture featuring a bunch of folks from different corners of the globe...
Inasmuch as our impressions of the Games were of the male nature, I asked Nina Oborun, president of the Lithuanian lesbian league «Sapho», to share hers.
- Lots of lesbians here wear very short hair or no hair at all, dyed green or red which is out of sync with our stereotype of a lesbian. The difference is not just external, to the same extent they differ in their relationships. Everything is much simpler. Romanticism is lacking.
- Does such diversity appeal to you?
- I must be conservative, I’ve got used to our women. What I’ve seen here is a bit unusual for me. I have a stereotype of my own. I can’t get used to women with a green crew cut.
Apart from Nina we came across more close compatriots; three guys were from Russia, one - from Ukraine (and what’s more - from Lugansk region!). Each of them settled in Holland in the similar way - having «gotten married» to an old Dutch man. The guys had been living there for a few years, some even managed to get divorced, doing odd jobs or none at all; no one of them wishing to go back to their homelands.
Yes, we were witnesses to a lot of unusual and bizzare things. Groups of travesties were strolling around the city - men two meters tall plus high heels, clad in a defiantly female, or rather, vulgar attire, with feathers, tinsel, trinkets. Or their opposite - males with shaved heads, huge mustaches, in leather and chains.
Yet all of this was extraordinary, out of the way. But such personages that stand out of the crowd are few - many people, even Amsterdamers, seem disgusted by them, while there were those who admired them and asked permission to be taken picture of by their side.
The rest of the people were just ordinary, undistinguished persons. But in those days they all but became a majority, and thus - visible. It in fact is so simple - to walk along the street hugging and kissing your friend openly, uninhibitedly looking into the eyes of passers-by. And no fears, affectation or hiding your eyes? - you may ask. Yes, it’s all in the day’s work, a norm.
All municipal services strove to give their support to this great event. So, special police groups were set-up whose slogan was: «Pride to be your friends». Municipal council was one of the sponsors of the Gay Games. At the press-conference I asked the mayor of Amsterdam, Mr. Patten: «Let us imagine you meet the mayor of Moscow or Kiev. What would be your answer to the question: What is the benefit of hosting such a big event?»
- The underlying factor is that we’re doing business. We calculated that the city would get about $75 million from hosting Gay Games. And this appeals to me as a businessman. But more important is the fact that this event will help gays the world over be their own self, show and manifest their individuality. This is the way it must be. And this is what is most important in the Gay Games.
To be visible - this was the subject of the speeches and what was seen around. This is what alters people’s outlook, their stagnant views, stereotypes of mentality, what debunks figments and slander. This is what gathered gays and lesbians from all over the world in Amsterdam. We spent that week in the spirit of openess and friendship - with the whole nation of the whole planet.
International brotherhood - these are the words that can portray this great event.
But the moment comes when all festivities are over. Streets are cleared of the Gay Games’ logo - yellow cloth with a red tulip and pink triangle. Same-sex couples merged with the crowd. Amsterdam got back to its usual everyday life. Moscow speech is heard amongst the tourists at the flower market.
The last interview that I took occurred aboard the plane that was taking us back to our native country. We got into conversation with the chief flight attendant. He was speaking about tolerance, adding that his air company was one of the sponsors and gave support to the Games, and that this would bring enormous success to the business. But what impressed me most - he showed us the picture of his little son and said: «Look how large are his eyes. And his demeanor differs from that of other boys. Hm. Probably he’ll be a gay. But I’m not against it. The most important thing is his happiness».
So we have departed to our countries with happy recollections and a bit fatigued. Bearing a spirit of freedom in ourselves.
Andriy Maymulakhin
Alexander Zinchenkov
(narrated from Andriy’s name)
P.S. It’s to be noted that the Gay Games were the event of the world significance which just could not have been hushed up in our mass media. Still the attention paid to it was incommensurable with its rank. And the reason is Holland gathered homosexuals, «men that are not quite men and women that are not quite women» as a TV-presenter of one of the Ukrainian channels put it, or «shit» as one paper described them, second-rate people according to the ideas dominating in our society.
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