Rugby Gods Ben Cohen (above), Gareth Thomas (below) Cheer Tournament, Inclusiveness in Sports
Top Dating Site Gaydar.net is #1 Sponsor
Below: Interview with gay rugby superstar Gareth Thomas (Soundcloud) and video of the winning play by 2010 Bingham Cup champs, The Gotham Knights
Come June 1, jetloads of rugged rugger men from around the world will descend upon Manchester, England for the 2012 Bingham Cup, the now world-famous gay-inclusive tournament which numbers over a thousand players and a hundred times as many fans. Among the dozens of competing teams will be a clutch of top US clubs, including the Atlanta Bucks, Boston Ironsides, Chicago Dragons, Dallas Diablos, Denver's Colorado Rush, Kansas City Carnivores, Los Angeles Rebellion, Mayhem RFC (Minnesota), San Francisco Fog, St. Louis Crusaders, Washington Renegades, and 2010 Bingham Cup winners, the Gotham Knights.
"We'll be celebrating with a sport I love, which is rugby. Rugby is very diverse anyway; it takes all shapes and sizes to play. It's a sport that's played by all and it's very good to see that it's really big in the gay community," British World Cup champion, (straight) gay activist and all round babe, Ben Cohen told MSN UK looking forward to The Bingham Cup. Read the full MSN UK interview here.
"We'll be celebrating with a sport I love, which is rugby. Rugby is very diverse anyway; it takes all shapes and sizes to play. It's a sport that's played by all and it's very good to see that it's really big in the gay community," British World Cup champion, (straight) gay activist and all round babe, Ben Cohen told MSN UK looking forward to The Bingham Cup. Read the full MSN UK interview here.
Cohen, who is married with two beautiful daughters admirably retired from rugby in just over a year ago to raise a family and focus on his StandUp Foundation -- which promotes gay inclusiveness in all sports. He recently made headlines everywhere posing with StandUp supporter, Prince Harry.
The Bingham Cup is named after gay rugby player Mark Bingham (above) who died on United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. The tournament has grown from six teams in 2002 to the 33 teams and over 1000 players 10 countries expected to participate in the 2012 event. Previous host cities included San Francisco, Dublin, New York and Minneapolis. A screening of the “With You” documentary about Mark Bingham will take place during the tournament weekend. More about the film at www.withyoufilm.com
Fellow Brit gay activist and former British Lions captain and forthcoming NAKED Attitude Magazine star Gareth Thomas recently hailed as the most influential gay man in the UK--championed bringing the Bingham Cup to Manchester, said, “I’m passionate that anyone, regardless of their background, should be able to play rugby. Events such as the Bingham Cup help break down barriers and bring more people into our great sport.” Listen to the full Gareth Thomas interview above or here.
For a taste of the action, take a look at the winning play by 2010 Bingham Cup winner, NYC's Gotham Knights, of which Mark Bingham was co-founder. A documentary film about the team release in 2009 was also titled “With You” and was released in 2009)
Fellow Brit gay activist and former British Lions captain and forthcoming NAKED Attitude Magazine star Gareth Thomas recently hailed as the most influential gay man in the UK--championed bringing the Bingham Cup to Manchester, said, “I’m passionate that anyone, regardless of their background, should be able to play rugby. Events such as the Bingham Cup help break down barriers and bring more people into our great sport.” Listen to the full Gareth Thomas interview above or here.
For a taste of the action, take a look at the winning play by 2010 Bingham Cup winner, NYC's Gotham Knights, of which Mark Bingham was co-founder. A documentary film about the team release in 2009 was also titled “With You” and was released in 2009)
Gaydar.net, the UK’s most popular gay dating website, is the headline sponsor of the tournament. “The Bingham Cup is a hugely important and influential sporting event which is helping to drive homophobia out of sport. Rugby is known as a tough and masculine sport, and the tournament broadcasts a strong message to everyone that gay guys are no different to their straight counterparts, and every bit as much up to the challenge."
“With more than six million members globally, Gaydar is one of the largest and most vibrant gay communities in the world, so it’s essential for us to get our weight behind The Bingham Cup and help ensure it continues to grow year-on-year.”
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Check back here for some great post-Bingham Cup photos.
