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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2011)
T H E YE A R IN OREGON'S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE sports Rugby sensation Ben Cohen came to town to represent the StandUp Foundation. coalition of athletes, journalists and sports figures to address and educate on the imple mentation of measures designed to combat bullying in sports. Among the facets of the project was the Team Respect Challenge, which encourages sports teams and clubs to make a strong, public commitment to live the values of re spect and inclusion for all team members, spanning differences such as race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and religion. In tandem with that effort this year was the much-ballyhooed work of Ben Cohen, and the establishment of his new anti-bully ing project the StandUp Foundation. Co hen—known to Americans as either one of the finest rugby players ever to take a pitch, or a shirtless calendar model, depending on your devotion to international sports—re tired from the Sale Sharks of the England Rugby Union International in May, rededi cating his life to combating homophobia and bullying. The foundation supports the development of its own anti-bullying work, as well as those of groups like the Human Rights Campaign and GLSEN. “It’s been very fast moving, and we re learning a lot,” Cohen told Just Out in No vember. The foundation has given away $50,000 in the first five-and-a-half months of its existence. “The support has been over whelming. We know that we re really creat ing awareness and creating a movement and a following that’s helping us drive that cul tural change.” Portland LGBTQ_ sports continued its ascent with the establishment of the Port land Gay Basketball Association, as well as the reemergence in popularity of sporting orgs like Portland’s Adventure Group, whose outdoor expeditions defy the whims of the weather. In 2011, PAG celebrated 25 years of hiking, kayaking, backpacking, bicy cling, car camping, huckleberry-picking trips and much more. Standards like Team Portland Tennis, RCSA, Portland Gay Volleyball and the NetRippers Football Club—that’s soccer to us yankees—all reported increases in membership. The latter almost certainly re ceived an enormous push by way of the in augural season of the Portland Timbers, Major League Soccer’s newest expansion team. Although they didn’t make the play offs—ultimately posting a respectable 11- 14-9 record—the Timbers managed to ig nite a previously hibernating Portland pro sports contingent. The lines around the Bagdad Theater, coupled with the sight of post-home game, swaying, green-and-yel- low garbed iiber-fans downtown spoke vol umes of that. In 2012, our wish is for active sportsman ship, vibrant competition and a bye year for petty business speed bumps. JW ► CRUISY ARCADE M H U000 PLU CHANNELS ERGONOMIC GLORY HOLES! C "&oup, rx e sH ÆNP TRÆSJSCehJPèMT: