Last week, I was in a room of about 100 LGBTQ sports advocates and stakeholders at the 3rd annual LGBTQ Sports Coalition Summit hosted by Nike. Formalized in 2013, the LGBTQ Sports Coalition consists of nonprofit members, engaged individuals, and affiliates dedicated to ending homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in sports by 2016. We held our first informal convening in 2012. The summit only had about 30 participants that first year. Now, our summit is over 100 strong, representing advocates from all levels of sports, including professional, college, K-12, and recreational. Moreover, our main sponsor in these efforts is Nike, which granted NCLR $200,000 for sports coalition projects last year. This year, Nike has pledged to donate up to $500,000 from their sells of their #BETRUE line, a line of active wear specifically designed to celebrate LGBTQ sports inclusion.
Ten years ago, I would have never imagined such an event would be possible, let alone sponsored by one of the biggest names in the sports world. I started NCLR’s Sports Project 13 years ago. At that time, we were the only national LGBTQ organization doing sports work, and there were only a handful of advocates around the country engaging in this critical work. But little by little, our small group of advocates made great progress for sports inclusion. We protected coaches and players from LGBTQ discrimination. We also helped craft trans-inclusive policies to ensure more transgender athletes have equal opportunities to play. Thanks to the persistence of the brave athletes that have come out and the LGBTQ sports advocates who were proud to stand by them, this movement has greatly expanded in the last several years.
During the LGBTQ Sports Coalition’s first gathering in 2012, we were a small but dedicated group with limited reach and resources. This year, however, the summit had representatives from every North American country. We had student-athletes from high school and college. We even had representatives from professional leagues. Further, we were able to fund several sports inclusion projects, targeting LGBTQ discrimination in K-12 sports, developing LGBTQ student-athlete leaders, and creating a safe space for women coaches. Further, NCLR is leading two ground breaking projects: a Religious Think Tank; and the People of Color Inclusion Initiative. The Religious Think tank, Common Ground, developed in collaboration with the NCAA, Pat Griffin, and Br{ache the Silence, will bring together sports advocates and members of faith communities to help increase LGBTQ inclusion in religious communities where such inclusion has been lacking. The People of Color Inclusion Initiative, in partnership with You Can Play and Br{ache the Silence, will focus on raising the voices of racially marginalized members in the LGBTQ sports community.
I’m proud to see the incredible ways our sports equality movement has grown in the last thirteen years. Indeed, the tide in the LGBTQ sports equality movement is changing in positive ways. During this amazing time, the NCLR Sports Project will continue to work to ensure every member of the sports community, especially marginalized members of LGBTQ communities, has equal access to all levels of sport.
