With early bird registrations closing on October 31, the number of people registering for the 2^nd AsiaPacific Outgames each day has more than quadrupled “Numbers are running ahead of our forecasts,” says Registrations Convenor Peter Gordon.

For some sports, a third or even a half of the final expected numbers have already been achieved – with four and a half months still to go.

The first keynote speakers for the AsiaPacific Outgames Conference have been announced. This powerhouse lineup includes people from New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, India and Nepal.

LOTL's Nicky Breen gets caught up in the action of Sydney Women’s Baseball League…

It would be easy to dismiss baseball as  primarily an American game….after all it boasts a world series, made up of only Canadian and US teams. But, in reality, the nine players  per side sport is played in more countries than cricket. 

The LGBT community takes it to the beach for CoastOut - a LGBT surf festival complete with beach party and surf carnival!

On July, 31 the Gay Games VIII Cologne 2010 start with a spectacular opening ceremony – and center.tv broadcasts live. Already at 6:30 pm the presentation duo Uwe Lautenschläger und Stefan Sartorius starts with the pre-coverage out of the transparent studio on the northern tribune. There they are welcoming tribune guests and sportsmen and –women who will be active in the events till Aug, 7.

The Blue Mountains based Lesbian bushwalking group, Bush Lemons, will be entering a team into their fourth Oxfam Trailwalker in August.  “It’s hard to explain why we keep going back to this event year after year,” says team member, Jocelyn Williams. 

Nicky Breen dives in the deep end with the Glamourhead Sharks

Schoolteacher, Natalie Gray, felt a little fraudulent when she attended the Glamourhead Sharks "Welcome to youth" night. Taking a close friend along to, literally, hold her hand, Gray said she felt she was “tipping the bucket, at age 30.”

Call her the Wonder from Down Under, a small-town girl in Australia who is making it big in bodybuilding and the health and fitness industry. Nickie Ware's latest accomplishment is winning the prestigious National Amateur Bodybuilders Association (NABBA) 2010 "Miss International Physique" championship in Melbourne, Australia on May 23, 2010 - for the second year in a row.

Australia’s Youth Mental Health Foundation, headspace and the AFL Players Association (AFLPA) have joined forces to say no to homophobia.

 headspace today released an online video campaign to highlight the fact that positive messages about inclusion and diversity, delivered by high profile members of the community, can have a positive impact on mental health.

Jason Akermanis’ recent contentious column warning gay footy players to keep their sexuality under wraps was a timely reminder of the health issues at stake. 

His opinion piece appeared in The Herald Sun the same day that VicHealth released an Australian-first report into the experiences of GLBT people in sports.   

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) recognises the importance of tackling homophobia and has formed an important partnership with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) to address homophobic attitudes and behaviour in sport.

Gay Games Cologne Opens October 2nd 
12,000 participants from more than 70 nations are expected for Gay Games VIII in Cologne 2010, the largest sporting and cultural event in the world. Cologne’s Lord Mayor Fritz Schramma will clear the registration system for athletes and those involved in the cultural events at 18:45 (CEST) with the famous push of the red button.