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How Frank Ocean, Chick-fil-A, and Exodus International Shaped the Gay Times July 2012 Issue



In July 2013, it was announced that Gay had tested positive for a banned substance; he subsequently withdrew from consideration for the World Championships in Moscow. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended him until June 23, 2014, and stripped him of his silver medal in the 4 100 m relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics.


The move to the college in Great Bend, Kansas, marked further progression for Gay: in 2002 his 100 m and 200 m times dropped to 10.08 s and 20.21 s respectively, albeit with wind assistance.[13] He improved upon his legal personal bests too, recording a 100 m run of 10.27 s and 20.88 s in the 200 m.[14] He also continued to outstrip the competition, winning the 100 m at the NJCAA National Championship.[9] Returning to the NJCAA event the following year, with the wind in his favour, Gay took bronze in the 100 m with 10.01 s and silver in the 200 m with 20.31 s.[15] Injuries upset the rest of 2003 for Gay, and his coach Brauman moved on to work as the sprint coach at the University of Arkansas where Gay followed.[9]




Gay Times July 2012




He ended the 2005 season on a positive note by winning the gold medal in the 200 m at the World Athletics Final, his first major championship title. His time of 19.96 s was his second fastest that year and fourth fastest of any sprinter that season.[24] Although he stated that the quality of the competition and memories of Helsinki had made him nervous beforehand, he went on to beat all three American sprinters he had lost to in the World Championships, becoming the first athlete to beat Gatlin over 200 m that season.[31] It was not only his rival sprinters that would cause future difficulties, however, as Gay's coach Brauman was indicted for various crimes relating to his time at Barton College and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He had helped athletes gain funds and credits that they were not entitled to.[9] Following Gay's testimony, the courts ruled that Brauman was guilty and, as a result, Arkansas' two NCAA titles and all of Gay's college track times were annulled. None of the athletes were charged with any wrongdoing.[6] Although he was imprisoned for 10 months, Brauman continued to train Gay, periodically updating him with coaching routines and techniques.[32]


Gay's 200 m performance at the 2006 IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart was the culmination of a highly successful year. He became the World Athletics Final champion with another improved personal best of 19.68 s, making him the joint third-fastest 200 m sprinter with Namibian Frankie Fredericks.[41] Gay was pleased that Fredericks was on site to see his best equaled: "To run that time in front of Frankie is a privilege. He's someone I admire a great deal both as an athlete and as a man."[42] Gay also won a bronze medal in the 100 m, finishing behind Powell and Scott. However, Gay proved himself over 100 m at the 2006 IAAF World Cup, taking gold with a 9.88 s run.[43] At the end of the season, with Gatlin banned from competition, Gay dominated the Track and Field News US 2006 list, having run six of the seven fastest 100 m, with Scott in third, and four of the top six 200 m times (behind Carter and Spearmon).[44] Furthermore, he was the second fastest 100 m runner in the world that year, second only to world record holder Powell.[45] Having proven himself to be adept at both 100 and 200 m, Gay reflected upon his development as a sprinter:


Following Brauman's release from prison, Gay set out preparing for the Beijing Olympics, training with both Brauman and Jon Drummond in the off-season.[68] Returning to competition in May, he continued as he had left off in 2007: winning the 200 m in Kingston, taking gold in both sprints at the Adidas Track Classic, and finishing second in the 100 m at the Reebok Grand Prix with a 9.85 s run.[69][70] However, Gay now faced a new, emerging challenger in Usain Bolt; at the latter event Bolt had beaten Gay with a world-record-setting 9.72 s.[71] Taking this into consideration, he realized that a world record time would be needed to beat both Bolt and Powell at the Olympics; Gay aimed to run below 9.70 s.[72] With athletes running such quick times, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) sought to counter claims of performance-enhancing drugs use through "Project Believe", a regular, extensive drugs testing program. The BALCO scandal and banning of high-profile athletes, including Gatlin and Marion Jones, damaged the public's perception of sprinting, and USADA recruited Gay to prove clean athletes could be just as successful.[73][74]


Gay returned to competition after the indoor athletics season, recording a new 400 m personal best of 45.57 seconds in May.[91] In his first 200 m outing of the season at the Reebok Grand Prix, he set a personal best and meet record of 19.58 seconds. This was the third fastest 200 m run ever, after Bolt and Johnson's world record-setting times.[92] Following a wind-aided (3.4 m/s) 100 m run of 9.75 s at the US Championships, Gay stated that he could beat the world record if he improved his technique.[93] Record holder Bolt dismissed the challenge, saying that it would be difficult for Gay as "he is more of a 200 m runner".[94] At the Golden Gala in July, Gay beat Asafa Powell's 9.88 season's best with a 9.77 second run, equaling his own U.S. record. This improved upon Bolt's previous world leading time of 9.86 seconds.[95]


Showing readiness for the 2012 Olympic Trials, Gay ran in a low key "B race" at the adidas Grand Prix, running ten seconds flat into a headwind.[117] Gay qualified for the 100 meters at the 2012 Summer Olympics after finishing second at the U.S. Olympic trials with a time of 9.86 seconds behind Justin Gatlin.[118] Underlining his return to fitness, he won the 100 m at both the Paris and London legs of the 2012 Diamond League prior to the Olympics.[119]


The 2012 Olympic 100 m final was the fastest-ever Olympic race: seven men under ten seconds. Bolt won in 9.63 seconds and was followed by Yohan Blake. Gay's run of 9.80 meant that he missed out on a bronze medal by one-hundredth of a second to compatriot Justin Gatlin.[120] Gay was visibly upset about his failure to reach the Olympic podium and cried during the post-race interview, saying, "I felt like I ran with the field and I just came up short".[121] The 4 100 m relay final brought Gay his first Olympic medal and an American-record time of 37.04 seconds alongside Trell Kimmons, Gatlin, and Ryan Bailey. Despite equaling the previous world-record mark, the Americans took the silver medal behind Jamaica, whose team improved that record by two-tenths of a second.[122] However, he was later stripped of this medal after failing a drug test in 2013; this also cost the rest of the relay team their medals.[123] In the last two Diamond League 100 m races, he ran 9.83 as runner-up at the Athletissima meet, where Yohan Blake equalled Gay's personal best time,[124] and false started at the Weltklasse 100 m series final.[125]


Weightlifter Ilya Ilyin of Kazakhstan, three-times world champion and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games gold medallist, takes a break during his training for the London 2012 Olympics, in Almaty March 20, 2012. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov


The Sexual Health Survey was deployed online six times from the Spring of 2012 to the Fall of 2014. The men were between 18 and 40 in all six surveys and they elected to participate in the survey, so the results cannot necessarily be extended to the wider community.


In the Fall 2012 survey, 3.5 percent of the 347 men reported PrEP use in the six months prior to taking the survey. That increase may have resulted from the attention the FDA approval received in July 2012. In both 2013 surveys, the percentage of men reporting recent PrEP use was below two percent, then it increased to 2.9 percent in the Spring 2014 survey.


Sources state that Albanian society is homophobic (AFP 17 May 2012; Pink News 10 May 2013). The US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012 also reports that "homophobic attitudes" continue to be present in Albania (US 19 Apr. 2013, 25). Sources note that sexual minorities hide their sexual orientation because they fear for their "safety" (BIRN 9 Nov. 2012; New Europe 4 July 2012). Media sources indicate that, according to the 2013 European Social Survey (ESS), 53 percent of Albanians responded that they "believed that 'gays and lesbians should not be free to live life as they wish'" (Pink News 10 May 2013; BIRN 25 Mar. 2013).


Sources report that sexual minorities in Albania face "discrimination" (EU 10 Oct. 2012, 20; US 19 Apr. 2013, 1; Civil Rights Defenders 1 Oct. 2012). The European Commission's Albania 2012 Progress Report indicates that sexual minorities, especially transgender persons, experience difficulty in accessing social and health services (EU 10 Oct. 2012, 20).


In May 2012, civil society organized a diversity festival to mark the international day against homophobia and transphobia (EU 10 Oct. 2012, 20; AFP 17 May 2012). Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the event took place in Tirana, where activists distributed leaflets in order to raise awareness on LGBT rights (ibid.). According to the European Commission, state authorities were present at the festival (EU 10 Oct. 2012). AFP also indicates that some politicians joined the event to show their support (AFP 17 May 2012). However, the European Commission's report notes that


[i]n the run-up to this event, derogatory homophobic statements were made by a member of government and a political party representative. The Prime Minister denounced these statements, and the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination investigated the cases and issued recommendations. (EU 10 Oct. 2012, 20)


In May 2012, LGBT activists organized a ["pride-related" (US 19 Apr. 2013, 26)] bicycle ride in Tirana (Reuters 14 May 2012; US 19 Apr. 2013, 26). A group of youth threw smoke bombs (ibid.; Reuters 14 May 2012) and firecrackers at the group of riders (US 19 Apr. 2013, 26). Country Reports for 2012 indicates that police arrested the suspects, but that "no charges were filed, and they were released shortly after the incident" (ibid.). 2ff7e9595c


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