The film that’s been called "brilliant, fascinating, essential, and inspiring" will be shown Saturday evening July 8 at 8:30 p.m. at the Village Improvement Association of Rehoboth, located on the north end of the Boardwalk next to the Henlopen Hotel. Called TAKE THE FLAME! Gay Games: Grace, Grit & Glory it is the tale of a visionary Olympic athlete who launched one of the world’s largest sports events—and added to gay pride and culture.

The movie premiere is open to all, including athletes from other city teams. Tickets will be available at the door or may be reserved via the Rehoboth Beach Film Society at 302-645-9095. Ticket price is $20 and includes wine and dessert, and net proceeds will go support the charitable programs of Team Rehoboth Beach and the Rehoboth Beach Film Society. Only 75 tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

The 85 Minute Documentary, narrated by Greg Louganis is written and produced by David Secter. Called a "jock doc" on sports in the gay and lesbian community, it tells of the 25 year history of the Gay Games and founder Dr. Tom Waddell. The film won rave reviews at New York and Chicago festivals.

Currently, with almost 14,000 athletes, The Gay Games have had more competitors than The Olympics—primarily because any adult can participate, regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, nationality, health status or physical/athletic/artistic ability. Besides, the definition of sports includes ballroom dancing, aerobics, chess, bridge, and such unique events as the campy classic Pink Flamingo Water Performance.

The Gay Games are held every four years and are set to take Chicago by storm this July.

The showing of the film will be a great way to kick off the celebration of the games, and the many Team Rehoboth athletes who will be participating, right here in Rehoboth.

Along with telling the history and how the Games helped with community pride, FLAME explores the status of sports as one of the last bastions of homophobia in the western world. Despite the prominence of gays and lesbians in politics, academics, arts entertainment and so many other fields, there still is not a single athlete who has come out of the closet while playing on a major American sports team.

The Gay Games began in San Francisco in 1982 as the vision of a remarkable man, Dr. Tom Waddell, who placed sixth in decathlon at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. Originally called The Gay Olympics, the name had to be changed when the United States Olympic Committee won a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the United States, barring use of the word "Olympic"—this strained relationship has since improved.

Games I: Celebration of Freedom attracted 1600 participants, with athletes from as far away as Israel and New Zealand. Sadly Founder Waddell soon learned he had AIDS and his health rapidly deteriorated. He was among many of the original male founders either dead or dying as the second Games were held in 1986, when the event attracted 3500 athletes from 17 countries.

Combining elements of the summer and winter Olympics, senior and handicapped sports, an ambitious arts festival, human rights conference and numerous parties, The Gay Games have become the gay community’s de facto summit meeting—a quadrennial queer convention. And since The Games’ history coincides with the global AIDS epidemic, it also celebrates health and courage in defiance of the scourge. Spanning a generation of extraordinary social and political changes, it tells the story of gay life in our times. The guiding principles are the values of participation, inclusion and one’s personal best. Some competitors are world-class athletes, including Olympic medalists, and several world records have been established at The Games. Participants range in age from 18 to over 88, and at least 50 have attended all six Games, while others come from countries where homosexuality is a capital crime.

The Games became truly international in 1990 when they were held in Vancouver, Canada, with 9500 participants from 39 countries, despite the vocal opposition of fundamentalist Christians. Games IV were held in New York City in 1994, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which launched the modern gay rights movement. There were 11,000 participants, a mile-long rainbow flag, and closing ceremonies in Yankee Stadium overflowed with 55,000 people. Ever since the first Games, when Tina Turner headlined, major celebrities performing at The Games have included such stars as Ian McKellen, Patti Labelle and k.d. lang.

See the extraordinary film FLAME about the Gay Games, and cheer for Team Rehoboth Beach as they prepare to head to Chicago for The Gay Games.