GLAAD Announces Sponsorship of the 2008 Gay Softball World Series

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today its in-kind sponsorship of the 2008 Gay Softball World Series Championships, to be held August 25–30 in Seattle.

The Gay Softball World Series are jointly organized by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA) and is the largest annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) sporting event. In addition to assisting with promotions and media communications, every athlete who competes in the tournament will receive a free one-year membership to GLAAD.

"GLAAD is proud to support the 2008 Gay Softball World Series and all of the athletes competing," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "This event gives softball players from across North America the opportunity to compete in an inclusive environment, and we are proud to highlight the achievements and stories of these athletes."

Nearly 4,000 athletes representing 179 teams from 41 member cities across the United States and Canada will gather in the Emerald City. The teams will play games at five different King County softball complexes to crown national champions in eight divisions.

"Northwest Quest – Series 2008 is excited to have GLAAD as our newest sponsor. We believe this is just the beginning of a great partnership with GLAAD," said Media/PR Director Ron Taylor, media and publishing director for the series. "GLAAD's reputation, contacts and promotional expertise can only lead to better awareness and appreciation of the LGBT community and sports."

GLAAD is sponsoring this athletic event under its Sports Media program, which was created in 2007 to ensure that the stories of LGBT athletes, coaches and fans are included in media as a way to combat anti-LGBT attitudes in American sports culture. Previous events sponsored by the Sports Media program include educational forums that have featured openly gay athletes, including John Amaechi, Dave Kopay and Esera Tuaolo, and the sponsorship of the 2008 International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championships.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.

About ASANA
Created in 2007, the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA) is a new non-profit sports association dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay and lesbian community. ASANA's current focus is on the development and support of women's softball with 26 member cities and as host to the Softball World Series. Before emerging as its own organization, the women's division was a part of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) with its first women's division competition played in Milwaukee, WI in 1985. For more information, please visit www.nagaaawomen.org.

About NAGAAA
Created in 1977, the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) is a nonprofit international organization comprised of men and women dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community. NAGAAA's current membership includes over 680 teams from 37 leagues throughout the United States and Canada. Teams representing these leagues participate annually in NAGAAA's Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), hosted each year by a different member city. For more information, please visit www.nagaaasoftball.org.