Athlete Ally

Tonight at the #AthleteActivismSummit, we had the chance to celebrate 12 NCAA athletic departments who have earned a perfect score on the Athletic Equality Index (AEI). Congratulations to the AEI 101 schools who were honored, and thank you for supporting LGBTQI+ student athletes! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🏆 To learn more about the AEI and to check your school’s score, visit AEI.athleteally.org

WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) legend and record-setting former Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball student athlete Angel mccoughtry will be speaking at the Athlete Activism Summit NEXT WEEK! We’re so excited for a much-needed conversation about the power of athletes to drive social change. Thank you to adidas for making the Summit possible!

Join us in Playing for Pride this June & beyond! Choose an activity or sport to track throughout the month of June, or simply reach out to loved ones to donate directly towards your goal. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Funds raised will contribute to Athlete Ally's unique ability to navigate the attacks on the LGBTQ+ sporting community during an increasingly critical time and sustain our programs so they are free & accessible to those that need them the most. Help us build the world’s largest team for LGBTQ+ inclusion. Visit https://lnkd.in/eBhcMwgx

“As the NCAA is facing pressure from select, vocal conservatives telling them to ban transgender athletes, we want to say loud and clear: they don’t speak for us.“ Read the powerful op-ed by WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) players and Athlete Ally Ambassadors Layshia Clarendon and Brianna Turner, calling on the NCAA to do the right thing: let trans athletes play. 🏳️⚧️ https://lnkd.in/gDpgfQ3b

I know I will take heat for this 🔥... ...AND it is important for me to be on the right side of history. I was one of the 400 current and former professional and collegiate athletes across sports who signed a letter sent to the NCAA in support of continuing to allow transgender athletes a place in women’s sports. Current rules allow transgender athletes, including women, to compete, so long as they adhere to the guidelines stipulated by their international sport governing bodies. This is one of the most misunderstood and debated issues of our current time. If you want educated resources, check out Athlete Ally and Chris Mosier. If you want to spew hate, do not leave it in these comments. If you want a genuine conversation -- please -- let’s do it. Open minded dialogue is how we move the needle forward. "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy," Martin Luther King, Jr. Make note, I stand with my trans athletes ✊🏻. https://lnkd.in/enHE849b

We are thrilled to welcome Major League Soccer's Director of Engagement and Inclusion, Christine Castano, to Athlete Ally's Board of Trustees! “We are incredibly honored to welcome Christine Castano as a new board member,” said Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “Christine has collaborated with Athlete Ally closely through her work at MLS, and she will bring to the Board the same expertise, skill and passion for inclusion that she has exhibited in our work together. Athlete Ally’s work is only possible because of the many dedicated people who lend their expertise and passion to us, and we’re so grateful to have worked and continue to work with people who help us grow our impact.” Learn more:

Today, Athlete Ally joined 400+ athletes, 50+ orgs and 300+ scholars in calling on the NCAA Board of Governors to ensure trans athletes are welcome and included in NCAA athletics. Signatories, including Layshia Clarendon, Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird, Brianna Turner, and WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) coach Cheryl Reeve all echoed what champion coach Dawn Staley said during #MarchMadness: trans women belong in sport. Read all letters: https://lnkd.in/eKxhx-SF

In 1968, US track and field athletes Tommie Smith and Dr. John Carlos made history when they raised their fists during the Olympic medal ceremony to express their support for racial justice and human rights. 56 years later, athletes continue to use their global platforms to speak out for social justice, largely thanks to these two trailblazers. We are incredible honored to announce that Dr. Carlos will join us as plenary speaker at the Athlete Activism Summit, where he will share his incredible story and speak to the lasting power of athlete activism. Learn more, and join us June 27-30 in Louisville: athleteally.org/Summit

Tomorrow marks 100 days until the #Paris2024 Olympics, and yet we still haven’t seen a response from FFBB and FIBA about their discriminatory ban on French women’s basketball players who wear hijab. Join WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) player and Athlete Ally Ambassador Layshia Clarendon in calling for basketball to truly be a space for all. Learn more: change.org/BasketForAll #BasketPourToutes [ID: A photo of Layshia Clarendon with a quote from them that says, “No one should have to choose between honoring their faith and playing the sport they love, and it’s heartbreaking and unacceptable that Muslim women in France are being forced to make that choice.”]

Tonight, as you watch North Carolina State University Women's Basketball & South Carolina Gamecocks Women's Basketball and University of Iowa Women's Basketball & University of Connecticut Women's Basketball in the #MarchMadness #FinalFour, see how each athletic department ranks on our Athletic Equality Index of LGBTQ+ policies & practices. Learn more & check your school's score: AEI.athleteally.org