
This year, the ninth Gay Games will be played in Cleveland. And this year, for the first time, a religious denomination will be showcased as a major sponsor.
The United Church of Christ, headquartered in Cleveland, recently announced its support for the event, which will take place in August. If the match seems unlikely, well, it’s not, really.
UCC actually has a long history of supporting LGBT causes. “The United Church of Christ has been a leader in L.G.B.T. inclusion. No matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey, you are welcome here,” the Rev. James Moos tells the New York Times. More than 300 of the church’s members participated in last weekend’s Cleveland PRIDE events.
More than a dozen individual churches have also signed on as “faith partners” for the Gay Games.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2014.

Bless their hearts.