The Gay Games are still relevant. Here’s why.

China makes its debut at the Gay Games. Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA

The largest international LGBT+ sporting event, the Gay Games, is taking place in Paris this week, with over 10,000 athletes from 91 countries competing in 32 sports.

The Games have grown in size and stature since their inception in San Francisco in 1982, developing in parallel with a vibrant gay sports movement around the world…