Recently, an official LGBTQ+ safe zone called the Pride House was inaugurated for the Paris Olympics on a barge along the Seine River between the Grand Palais and Place de la Concorde in Paris’ city center. During the Olympics and Paralympics the barge will act as a space for LGBTQ+ athletes and visitors following the opening ceremony on July 26. According to the official Olympic statement, the goal of the space is to “celebrate LGBTI+ athletes and ensure their visibility with a programme of celebratory, cultural, and educational activities throughout the Games period.”
According to AP News, this initiative “is part of a broader movement of pushing the rights of LGBTQ people through major sporting events, with the first Pride House established during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.” Slowly, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been relaxing rules on restricting expressions of belief or identity. In 2021, they allowed the wearing of rainbow colors at the Tokyo Games. For 2024, the IOC plans to allow athletes to freely express themselves while not competing in Paris.
On top of the Pride House central location on the Seine, an additional Pride House pop-up will move throughout the games to meet fans and raise awareness about LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement “At the Olympic Games we are all equal. There is no discrimination…This is the fundamental spirit of the Olympic Games and the Olympic Village, where athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team live together in harmony under one roof.”
