Proposed Gay Games Event Divides Ill. Town

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. - Among the items on the City Council's agenda seems a simple matter: Whether to give rowers a permit to have a boat race this summer on a small man-made lake.

But because the rowers are gay — participating in something called the Gay Games — what would normally be a mundane debate about parking and street closures is instead a heated battle between those who see the event as a threat to their small-town way of life and those who see such views as simply small-minded.

On Tuesday, the City Council was scheduled to discuss whether to allow the Olympics-style Gay Games to hold its rowing event in this bedroom community of 40,000 about 50 miles northwest of Chicago.

One look at the angry letters to the editor that have frequently appeared in the local newspaper reveal it isn't the logistics of the race that's on residents' minds.

"Make no mistake: The purpose of the Gay Games is to legitimize homosexuality and make it appear as a wholesome lifestyle choice," wrote Tim Coakley, a critic of the games.

In the same day's paper, Perry and Christine Koste dismissed such views. After wondering if Crystal Lake's motto should be "homophobic capital of the Midwest," they asked, "How proud are we to live in such a narrow-minded, backward hateful community?"
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One of the Gay Games' missions is to raise awareness about gays to reduce stereotypes — a point organizers kept discussing during the park district hearings, said spokesman Kevin Boyer.
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The furor in Crystal Lake about the games goes to the heart of why many people say they stay in or move to such a community.

Coakley said one reason he and his family moved to Crystal Lake a decade ago was because "there is more of a family values kind of atmosphere" there.

It's the same with Sunita Stone. "Crystal Lake is a G-rated place," she said. "There's no reason to start making things racy. If you want to go to Chicago to do that, that's fine. I'm not going to go there."

More: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060404/ap_on_re_us/gay_games

and all other "games" because there are gay people among the players... and among those that are the super stars of the games?

Gay germs will get into the lake and turn the children gay! :scared:

"there is more of a family values kind of atmosphere" - these freaks are really scary!

I'm not far from the area and have been following this in the local media. Yes, there is some homophobia involved. Crystal Lake is in a predominately Repugnican area. However, it's more the crowds and noise that are raising the ruckus, not the lifestyle. For years there's been on-going problems in that area and other communities along nearby lakes with rowdy crowds coming out from the city...messing up the local traffic and costing the communities in overtime for local cops and other civic services (like garbage clean-up). The area's transformed from rural to urban and the traffic in that area is bad even on a good day.

Honestly more people are pissed about the possibility of Route 14 turning into a portable parking lot than a bunch of guys stroking in the lake.

revenues this would bring as well?

the sales taxes?

would they have the same objections if the promise keepers showed up?

people learn to hide their biases.

This was a resort area that's turned into suburbia...one of the few areas where you can find a starter home...or a retirement one. The population has mushroomed and the infrastructure hasn't. There are no interstates in the area (locals are fighting a 15 plus year proposal) and the area's services haven't kept up.

These people don't see the sales taxes...only the property tax increases that a larger local police department to patrol the beaches.

Again, I'm sure there's some bias involved, but that's not how it's being portrayed in the local media. The controversy revolves around the large number of people such an event would attract and how the community is hard-pressed to handle it.

i'm from illinois -- and i know how conservative that particular area can be.

so my question stands -- would the same reluctance be there if this was another group?

it's hard to say.

I understand your questioning and, again, I wouldn't be surprised that there are some on that village board who are homophobes or would have voted differently had it been a church group or some other "less objectionable" group.

However, I honestly think this is more a "quality of life" issue. I travel into that area regularly and 2 and 4 lane roads with tons of stop lights predominate. I can get from my Northwest suburban home to Midway airport...40 plus miles, in far less time than it would take me to drive Highway 14 from Paletine to McHenry.

The other issue had been just the nature of partying on the lakes. A lot of these commmunities have clamped down on the number of permits and the size of the parties permitted on beaches along the Chain Of Lakes. A lot of it was a safety issue as drunken boaters were filling up the local hospitals. Many of the old "inns" and bars on the lakes have either closed down or restricted the partying as well.

I first noticed this story about a month ago in our local paper. The angle at that time was the noise issue. Obviously, once it got hung up and it hit the Chicago media...now it's going to be a bigger story than it originally was.

Hopefully they'll take the competition and the money north to Wisconsin. I have a feeling Lake Winona would be a great setting.

Cheers...

So, somehow having gay people rowing makes it racy? Wow. Glad I live where I do. It's quite G-rated here... even though there are LOTS of scary gay people. :eyes:

Whatever, pugs. Think what you like.

Just stop spoiling everything for everyone else, huh? Just stop RUINING everything all the time? Hm?