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Champion weightlifter honoured

Gary Hart July 26, 2015

World champion powerlifter, Chris Morgan inducted to the National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.

Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan

The ceremony took place on Friday, July 24 at the Centre on Halsted Street in Chicago, Illinois.

Chris an eight-times world champion powerlifter is active in Europe’s campaign against homophobia in soccer, and made first appearance at Gay Games V in Amsterdam.

He has been a loyal and active global Ambassador for the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) for many years.

The Chicago based National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, was established in 2013 to honor individuals and organisations whose achievements and efforts have enhanced the fields of sports and athletics for the LGBT community.

In addition, the Hall of Fame preserves the history of LGBT individuals who have impacted professional and amateur sports and provided outreach and education to the sporting world so that LGBT youth all across the nation feel welcome and safe to participate in any and all athletic related activities.

To see a full list of Inductees and bios, click here:

The list of 2015 inductees include:

Kye Allums, an activist and the first out transgender Division I basketball player.

Megan Rapinoe, an American pro soccer player, Olympic gold medalist, and 2015 World Cup champion who came out as lesbian.

Roy Simmons, a former pro football player who came out as gay after he retired and who died in 2014.

Helen Hull Jacobs,  a top-ranked tennis player who won 10 Grand Slam titles and was known to be a lesbian. She died in 1997.

Dale Scott, the first out active Major League Baseball umpire

Among the Class of 2015 are several with a strong connection to the international Gay Games movement…

Roger Brigham, the Federation of Gay Games Honorary Life Member who was the first openly gay sports editor at a major metropolitan daily, the Anchorage Daily News, in 1982. He also the founded the Equality Coaching Alliance (now with more than 200 members). He’s also the author of the Bay Area Reporter.‘s “Jock Talk” sports column.

Gene Dermody, who is a rare veteran of every one of the Gay Games. He is the pioneer of LGBT wrestling and has served the FGG in many capacities, including President and Technology Officer. He is an FGG Honorary Life Member and in 2014 received the FGG’s highest honor: the Tom Waddell Award.

Robbie Rogers who is a professional soccer/football player who is one of the only male professional athletes active on a team sport while being openly gay. He famously appeared in a video with NBA star Jason Collins shown at the Opening Ceremony of 2014’s Gay Games 9 in Cleveland.”

The next Gay Games are scheduled to take place in Paris in 2018.

For more information about the Paris Games, click here:

For more information about the Gay Games, click here:

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