Gay Chess Players - Lawsuit against Polgar and Truong
Okay, so I was reading the complaint/lawsuit that Sam Sloan filed against Polgar and the complaint contained the follwing excerpt:
"During the recently concluded election campaign,
Polgar accused a rival candidate of being a homosexual pedophile with
a history of soliciting boys playing in chess tournaments he directed
for sex. Polgar and Truong have often accused Beatriz Marinello, a
member of the USCF Scholastic Council and a former USCF President, of
being a lesbian. (Marinello says that she is not a lesbian, that she
has been married twice and is currently married.)"
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.chess.politics/msg/054e0596b9524e6c
http://gambit.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/08/the-lawsuit-against-polgar-and-truong-et-al-a-forum/
It made me wonder if there were any famous gay chess professionals. So I started googling for gay chess players. I ran across this magazine.
I don't know if this magazine is still in publication.
Chess Pride Magazine edited by Eric C. Johnson
It's not unusual to see a new chess publication appear on the scene. However, occasionally one shows up that has a special mission. Chess Pride magazine is such a publication. Some may think a magazine which combines a concern for Gay Rights with chess is a rather strange idea. However, read what editor and publisher Eric C. Johnson has to say.
"Just as with so many areas of gay and lesbian history, our sports history is poorly documented. Many famous sports heroes have been gay or lesbian -- just think of Greg Louganis and Martina Navratilova. How many of our chess heroes have been gay or lesbian? Chess Pridewill be our publication of record, an historical reference for our past and a guide to our present (and future). ... There are approximately 85,000 members of the U. S. Chess Federation. Even using conservative estimates, that means there are several thousand gay and lesbian chessplayers in the U.S. who currently are members of USCF. ... Chess Pridewill raise the visibility of our gay and lesbian chessplaying community, so that our strongest players will be more willing to show their ... chess pride!"
Whatever happened to this publication? Is it still around and was it any good? I might be interested in subscribing on behalf of some other clubs' members in my town.
If it's not still around then I assume we're all straight or hidden deep in the chess closets.
I guess this is as good as a discussion starter as it gets.
BTW - Are there any known gay professional chess players? I couldn't find any. Just wondering.
I'm sure Batgirl will know. She knows everything about chess.