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Review of “Claiming the Title: Gay Olympics on Trial”

Claiming the Title provides a resonant ? if brief ? history lesson from LGBT rights movement’s not-so-distant past. A short documentary about the history of the Gay Games and its legal battle to use the term “Olympics,” it captures the flavor of 1980s activism in the United States.

The Gay Olympics/Gay Games were started in 1982 to serve as a healthy, positive community-building event, presumably one that would increase positive gay visibility to the rest of the world. Dr. Tom Waddell, a gay physician and Olympic athlete himself, started it all, and the first games drew thousands of athletes and supporters to the bay area to compete and celebrate.

Ample archival footage from the early events paints a very appealing picture. Athletes from all over the LGBT spectrum compete for cheering, smiling, gay flag-waving crowds. Same sex couples embrace at medal stands and after races, making the games a wonderfully inclusive montage of queer goodwill. The excellent 1980s hair and fashions (short shorts for everyone) certainly don’t hurt the visual appeal either.

Of course, despite the fact that there were countless other organizations that used the term “Olympics” as part of their titles, the National Olympic Committee placed a restraining order on the Gay Games for their use of the word, and took the case from the lower courts all the way to the top. “Gay” was seen as a derogatory, negative term, something that the Olympic Committee didn’t want any association with.

Thus begun the battle to literally claim the title.

As the film points out, this was a pretty tough era to try and pass progressive legislation. Literally weeks before the case went to the Supreme Court, the infamous Bowers v. Hardwick decision had passed, ruling that a Georgia anti-sodomy law was constitutional. In other words, gay sex had just been deemed illegal where anti-sodomy laws were still held ? and that such laws were perfectly fine.

As interviewee Lisa Keen (the executive editor of queer newspaper The Washington Blade from 1983-2001), states, “It wasn’t just another case. It had a huge impact.”

Clearly, this was a time of rampant institutionalized homophobia. But that didn’t stop Mary Dunlap ? an out lesbian lawyer and good friend of Waddell ? from taking the case to the Supreme Court. Literally weeks after the Hardwick decision, Dunlap donned a skirt (for the first time anyone had ever seen her in one) and took her righteous anger to the bench.

The film frames Dunlap and friends’ actions as a brave rebellion against the prevailing conservatism of the times. Contrasting footage of truly saddened protesters holding vigil after the Hardwick case with scenes of Dunlap’s fired up rhetoric, Claiming the Title makes it very difficult to feel apathetic about the conflict. It may have just been about a word ? but it represented so much more.

A small subplot to the main events involves an insider profile of justice Harry Blackmun, who voted in favor of progressive causes, despite having conservative feelings himself. Chai Feldblum, an out lesbian who served as a Supreme Court clerk during the case, is on hand to discuss her experiences with the Justice, including the day she actually came out to him. It’s a nice, unexpected side story in an otherwise very focused short film.

Despite the emphasis on a court case and the presence of some mild “legalese,” the movie is entertaining and emotionally moving throughout. The production values are top-notch, and the quick pace assures that this particular slice of history is brief, brisk and effective.

The interviews go a long way in making the case come alive. Keen offers excellent community insight and in-the-courtroom recollections, while athlete Susan McGreivy (who was an Olympic swimmer) gives her own perspective on the importance of the games. Maureen Mason is particularly moving with her true insider perspective ? as Dunlap’s wife, she went through it all.

If there can be any criticisms, it’s the subject’s potential for over dramatization. Surely, the queer community at large understands the importance of language and the words we use to describe ourselves, but many folks without proper context could easily look at the legal battle and shake their heads in confusion. There is much ado about one little word, and in a time when GLBT people are now fighting for marriage rights and the ability to serve openly in the military, fighting vehemently to use a name seems almost silly.

This is a privileged viewpoint, of course, from a time wherein the GLBT population has made serious inroads. All the hard work put in twenty years ago paved the way for these larger issues to even have a chance of being discussed.

It’s a heartening remembrance of just how far we have come ? and a sobering reminder of how far there is to go.

Clearly, this was an overlooked yet important moment in gay rights history, and one that is tastefully and poignantly highlighted in Claiming the Title. It’s a short, sweet, complete documentary, filled to the brim with the sort of insights that younger members of the community would benefit from learning.

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