2. Olympics Out of Cobb: Izzy safe in Cobb County

Sportshour

This documentary contains discriminatory and homophobic language that some listeners may find offensive.

In 1993 the legislators in Cobb County, Georgia passed a resolution stating that “lifestyles advocated by the gay community are incompatible with the standards to which this community subscribes". Cobb County was due to welcome the Olympics in 1996 hosting the volleyball competition as part of the Atlanta Games.

Narrated by Wanda Guenette, a member of the 1996 Canadian volleyball team who identifies as gay, and who faced the prospect of having her Olympic dream turned into a nightmare, forced to compete in a place that had made it clear she and other gay athletes were not welcome.

In Episode 2 we meet the driving forces behind the “Olympics out of Cobb” movement, Jon-Ivan Weaver and Pat Hussain and their life partners Diego and Cherry. They explain the lengths they had to go to, to have their voices heard.

This is the inspiring story of a small campaign group who took on one of the most powerful organisations in the world and forced change. With the help of an Olympic legend and after months of high-profile peaceful protests, the Atlanta Organising Committee finally stripped Cobb County as a host venue and diverted the torch relay away from its streets.

Photo Credit: Carol Brown/Georgia State University Library