Manuscripts Collection
The International Gay Olympic Association was founded by Tom Wadell, a former U.S. decathlon champion and representative of the United States at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, to permit lesbians and gay men throughout the world to participate in world class competition based on the Olympic ideal. The Minnesota Committee was formed in January 1981 with the intent and purpose of uniforming and sending a full slate of the best qualified gay and lesbian athletes from the state of Minnesota to the August 1982 games, which were held in San Francisco and hosted by San Francisco Arts & Athletics. By 1982, the Committee's goals had expanded to include hosting the first Winter Gay Olympics, proposed for 1986. In early 1983, the Minnesota Committee's proposal for the winter games was accepted and planning began in earnest, led by Committee co-chairs Robin Karas and Jean-Nickolas Tretter. Despite the initial enthusiasm and a great deal of support from the local community (including the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, members of the state senate and house of representatives, and several local council members), by mid-1984 the Committee was struggling. Several unsuccessful fund raisers, controversy over unauthorized use of the mailing list, and the subsequent resignation a number of committee members, including co-chair Tretter, all contributed to the decision in October of 1984 to abandon the ambitious plan.
Minutes, correspondence, notes, newsletters, and other materials documenting the efforts of the Minnesota gay and lesbian community to host the 1986 winter games of the International Lesbian/Gay Olympics (later known as the Gay Games) and the participation by Minnesotans in the 1982 games in San Francisco.
Records include extensive minutes and notes on meetings and other activities of the committee; correspondence with athletes, local supporters, and San Francisco Arts & Athletics, and others involved in organizing the games; and the proposal prepared by the committee in its bid to host the games. Also included are a series of files on each of the sports proposed for the winter games.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should
Accession number: 15,580
Processed by: Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov, March 2000
Catalog ID number: 09-00321715
Official monthly newsletter of the Committee. Just before the
first Gay Games took place in August of 1982, the United States Olympic
Committee challenged the International Gay Olympic Committee (IGOC) over the
use of the word "Olympic. " Court rulings directed the IGOC to eliminate this
term from speeches and other communications. In response, the Minnesota
Committee adopted the title
Information on each sport proposed for the 1986 Winter Games, including rules for each event, equipment or playing field specifications, background information, and other data.