Dear athletes, dear sportswomen, dear sportsmen,
Dear members of the European gay & lesbian sport federation,

welcome to Stuttgart for the Annual General Assembly of the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation. I am very pleased that this year the Europe-wide conference takes place in Stuttgart.

Stuttgart, a city characterized by the diversity of its residents, fits perfectly to the plurality and diversity of sport. Therefore, I am excited to be the patron of this assembly.

People connect to each other due to sport. Sport is a symbol of achieving a common purpose together. However, queer athletes are still facing exclusion while they practice a sport.
That’s the reason why the fight of the EGLSF for the acceptance of queer athletes in sport clubs, events and competitions is exquisitely important and necessary. It’s magnificent that the federation with its 15thousands members takes a firm stand all over Europe.

Discrimination of queer humans can be found in each age of sport. We will end this discrimination together!
It’s likely that Tom Waddel shared the same purpose while he founded the Gay Games in 1980. The Gay Games quickly succeeded and in 1986 the founder, Tom Waddel, won the gold medal in javelin throw before he died of aids in 1987. In 1989 the idea of the gay games crossed the Pacific Ocean to Europe. As a result, the sport club Abseitz was founded and since its foundation queer athletes have enriched the culture and society of Stuttgart. Moreover, I am contented that the competitions are inspired by the tradition of international workers’ sport applies to the competition: Participating is important and not the qualification of the individuals!

Each resident of Baden-Württemberg can be proud of our diversity, of our CSDs and our queer sports clubs. Though, the success of right-winged parties in member states of the European Union is accompanied by an increasing intolerance and discrimination against LGBTIQs. For instance, in Russia “homosexual propaganda” is a criminal offence. In Germany homophobic attacks against queer athletes are still happening.

Our fight for the acceptance and equal rights of queer athletes is not over. We must campaign together against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

But now I am looking forward to the EGLSF annual meeting in Stuttgart und - most importantly - I would like to thank all participants and volunteers of the Abseitz sport club for preparing and organising this event.
Finally I want to quote Elton John:
“Music brings people together – like sport. These are the two great movements that unite people!”

Brigitte Lösch MdL
Queer political spokewoman of the Green parliamentary group in the state parliament Baden-Württemberg