THE FEDERATION OF GAY GAMES GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) is the body that ensures the continuation of the Gay Games movement and protects the integrity and spirit of the Gay Games. In fulfilling this role, the FGG is reliant upon the hard work, skills, and competencies of its General Assembly delegates, volunteers, and board of directors.

The Federation of Gay Games General Assembly consists of Member Organisations who nominate or elect delegates to sit within the assembly. A delegate position on the Federation of Gay Games General Assembly carries with it both rights and responsibilities. In order to continue its mission, the Federation needs hardworking delegates from Member Organisations that are able to serve competently and consistently in a growing international organisation.

The Federation’s Membership Committee is responsible for assisting those organisations that are interested in becoming Member Organisations of the Federation’s General Assembly. Please use this committee as a resource and contact them if you need help in understanding or completing the application process. They can be reached at Membership@GayGames.org.

The New Member Application can be downloaded here: New Member Application . You can download and review the Application Handbook here: How to Join the Federation's General Assembly. If you have any questions, please contact the Membership Committee at the e-mail address listed above.

We will be welcoming new members to the Federation of Gay Games General Assembly as their applications are approved during the year and more formally at our Annual Meeting in San Francisco in October 2007. We will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Gay Games at this year's Annual meeting, and we hope to see you there.

MEMBER ORGANISATION CATEGORIES

The Federation has two categories of Organisational Members on its General Assembly: Full Member Organisations and Associate Member Organisations.

A Full Member Organisation is an International Sport Organisation, a Multi-Sport Regional (or Local) Organisation, or a Cultural Organisation. These organisations are leaders of the Gay Games movement and play a vital role on the General Assembly of the Federation of Gay Games. Full Member Organisations are defined as follows:

v International Sport Organisations -- These organisations generally focus on competing in a specific sport. However, some organisations encompass more than one sport. In addition, their membership may consist of teams, individuals, or both. They strongly promote the Gay Games and assist the Federation in delivering the Gay Games and fulfilling its mission.

v Multi-Sport Regional (or Local) Organisations -- These organisations include regional associations (the term used in Europe) and city teams (the term used in North America ). They include members from more than one sport activity. They strongly promote the Gay Games and assist the Federation in delivering the Gay Games and fulfilling its mission.

v Cultural Organisations -- These organisations include organisational members that have more than one cultural activity. They strongly promote the Gay Games and assist the Federation in delivering the Gay Games and fulfilling its mission.

An Associate Member Organisation is an organisation that does not satisfy all criteria for Full Member Organisation status listed above, or is an organisation that simply prefers to apply for Associate Member status.

Full Member Organisations are allowed two delegates (two votes) in the FGG General Assembly to vote on the election of officers, bylaw changes and other important FGG business, such as the work of the sports, culture and outreach committees. They also share the privilege and responsibility of selecting the next site of the Gay Games. In order to participate in the site selection for Gay Games IX in 2014, an organisation must qualify for membership in the FGG's General Assembly by the FGG's 2008 Annual Meeting. This requires having representatives attend the FGG's 2007 Annual Meeting.

Associate Member Organisations are allowed one delegate (one vote) in the FGG General Assembly to vote on the election of officers, bylaw changes and other important FGG business. Associate Member Organisations are not able to vote in site selection matters.

For both categories of membership, a delegate represents his or her organisation's voice on the General Assembly, not him- or herself. The delegates are the liaisons between the Federation and their respective organisations.

APPLICATION REVIEW AND APPROVAL

We welcome applications from all organisations who are working to achieve the Gay Games mission. The General Assembly is the forum for grass roots community-based LGBT sports and cultural groups from around the world to participate and be represented.

There is a short application process for organisations who wish to join the FGG General Assembly:

1. The online application form will soon be available here at gaygames.org/membership. Please complete and submit your application.

2. Within 10 days of submitting an application, your organisation will receive an acknowledgement from the Membership Committee that the application has been received.

3. Your application will be reviewed by the Membership and Governance Committees to make sure it is complete, and your organisation’s information will be validated by a web search. The committees will identify any concerns about the application and will communicate these concerns to your organisation and attempt to resolve them.

4. Within one month of the date your application is received, your organisation will receive feedback from the committees.

5. Within two months of the date your application is received, your organisation will receive a preliminary notification that your application qualifies for membership, pending an e-vote by the General Assembly to formally approve your application.

6. Within three months of the date your application is received, your organisation will receive the results of the General Assembly’s e-vote to formally approve your application.

For information about how to pay FGG dues: FGG Credit Card Page

Again, should you have any questions at any time during the membership application process, please write to the Membership Committee at Membership@GayGames.org.

A two-page colour brochure containing highlights of this information is available for downloading here: Membership Brochure (Letter) -or- Membership Brochure (A4).

Membership in the Federation is rewarding and fun. Friendships are forged and mutual support for each other's organisations and the Gay Games strengthens the global LGBT community. We look forward to hearing from you!