The city of Perth, Australia, will host the 2030 Gay Games, beating out Denver for the opportunity to host the athletic event, Australian media reported.
The Gay Games had picked Denver as one of the top two finalists among 25 candidate cities, and Gov. Jared Polis, Mayor Mike Johnston and a group of LGBTQ leaders had lobbied to bring the festivities to town.
Instead, some 12,000 athletes from more than 100 countries will be headed to Australia.
The organizers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. With more than 35 events, Denver leaders had hoped for a significant boost to the city’s tourism economy.
Colorado has built a reputation as a sanctuary for transgender people fleeing other states with anti-trans laws. But the United States’ recent turn toward anti-transgender federal policy left many global leaders wondering if a U.S. city would be a safe destination for the event.
President Donald Trump has signed sweeping executive orders attacking transgender people. One order denied all gender expressions other than "biological sex." He signed another order banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports. The State Department has eliminated the “X” marker from passports — an issue that advocates have asked the Supreme Court to consider.
Multiple European countries have issued warnings for transgender and nonbinary people or people with third-gender markers against traveling to the United States.
Additionally, the Trump administration’s mass deportation of immigrants has many international travelers worried about coming to the country, and foreign tourism has dropped. A Trump advisor suggested ICE could have a presence at this year’s Super Bowl.
Public support for LGBTQ protections has fallen nationally, according to polling from the Public Religion Research Institute. Meanwhile, hate crimes against LGBTQ people have been on the rise in recent years, according to FBI data.
The announcement about the games was made days after Denver saw a string of window-smashings at prominent LGBTQ businesses and months after transgender hair stylist Jax Gratton was found murdered – a case that remains unsolved.
