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November 2, 2018
On October 30, Athlete Ally – a New York based LGBTQ advocacy group – announced the launch of Champions of Inclusion, the first free, comprehensive online curriculum for coaches on LGBTQ respect and inclusion within athletics. Designed to educate coaches, athletic directors, Senior Women Administrators, trainers and captains at the collegiate, club and K-12 level across the U.S., Champions of Inclusion wants to eliminate geographic and financial barriers to LGBTQ education.
Through a series of interactive quizzes and video modules featuring LGBTQ athletes, coaches, professors and inclusion experts, curriculum participants learn about sexuality and gender, obstacles faced by LGBTQ athletes, how to proactively foster an inclusive athletic community and how to ensure their own teams and leagues have sustainable, inclusive policies and practices.
“The people who most need to be reached on LGBTQ issues are often educated the least,” said Hudson Taylor, Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “We designed this curriculum to be accessible, interactive, time and cost effective, and to help lay a solid foundation for teams to not only be accepting of LGBTQ athletes, but to proactively foster an environment where all athletes feel safe, welcomed and included.”
80% of people worldwide have experienced homophobia in sport, and LGBTQ individuals drop out of sport at nearly double the rate of their cisgender and heterosexual peers. Awareness-raising through education is a key step to fostering inclusion. This points to a dire need for coaches and athletic leaders to be educated on LGBTQ issues, without cost, geography or time constraints serving as barriers.
Coaches, university athletic departments and governing bodies will all contribute to the curriculum. To date, Champions of Inclusion has received backing from prominent members of the sporting community, but aims to widen its reach even further.
“With the Champions of Inclusion curriculum, Athlete Ally has created a much-need tool that caters to the busy schedule of coaches, athletic leaders and administrators,” said Shaun Richard, Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Ohio State University. “LGBTQ equality is incredibly important to Ohio State University Athletics, and Athlete Ally has played a major role in helping us have the tools we need to foster an inclusive campus. This expert-driven resource will be an essential part of our diversity trainings moving forward.”
“USA Weightlifting is a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community within our sport,” said Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Weightlifting. “Sport is sport, and Athlete Ally’s Champions of Inclusion curriculum provides the necessary education and a platform for developing a more inclusive sport culture.”
Athlete Ally educates athletic communities at all levels — sport governing bodies, teams, and individual athletes — to understand obstacles to inclusion for LGBTQ people in sports and how they can build inclusive communities on their teams or within their organizations
To access the curriculum or learn more, please visit learn.athleteally.org.
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