World OutGames Miami Condemns Dangerous, Homophobic Daily Beast Article Targeting LGBT Olympians

On Thursday morning, The Daily Beast published an article titled "I Got Three Grindr Dates in an Hour in the Olympic Village," which can only be surmised as a gay witch-hunt that harms LGBT individuals.

The piece written by Nico Hines is a shameful example of the everyday struggles faced by LGBT athletes and individuals from all over the world. There was no point to the story other than to drive web traffic to The Daily Beast's website at the expense of shaming and endangering the lives of the gay athletes he outed.

In a desperate attempt for clicks, Hines recklessly described the athletes in ways that could have easily identified and outed these athletes, several of whom are from countries that outlaw homosexuality. As Hines wrote himself, several of the athletes the he outed live in "notoriously homophobic" countries and are forced to live in the shadows.

The loathsome article was on full-display for the world to see for nearly 12 hours. Despite replacing the piece with an apology letter published on behalf its editors, The Daily Beast's "we're sorry" is simply not good enough.

World OutGames Miami and the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA) condemns The Daily Beast's twisted idea of journalism and implores that the International Olympic Committee immediately revoke the press credentials of both Hines and The Daily Beast, and that Nico Hines be terminated. If you want to act, contact The Daily Beast directly at (212) 445-4600 or on Twitter @thedailybeast. Reporter Nico Hines can be reached at nico.hines@thedailybeast.com or at @nicohines.

The 2017 World OutGames, which will be hosted in Miami, will proudly offer a safe environment for athletes to compete without fear of retribution. Our vision of competition, which we share with our community partners including OUT Miami Foundation and others, prioritizes our core values of respect, innovation diversity, empowerment and comradery, as well as the dignity and privacy of all participants. We invite you to be a part of the conversation and join us in May 2017. Learn more at www.OutGames.org.

About World OutGames
World OutGames is a multi-sport and cultural event that is licensed by the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA). Every four years, World OutGames brings together athletes from all over the world in unprecedented numbers for a celebration of sport, culture and human rights, many from countries where homosexuality remains illegal and hidden. Previously hosted in Montreal, Copenhagen and Antwerp, World OutGames is open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation. There are no qualifying standards, although competitions are arranged according to the skill levels of the competitors. For more information about World OutGames, visit www.outgames.org, www.facebook.com/OutGamesMiami, www.twitter.com/outgamesmiami and www.instagram.com/outgamesmiami.