The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators is showing its support for the LGBTQ community on the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Today, under the leadership of Kansas State assistant athletics director and NACMA president Joni Smoller, approximately 700 NACMA members at affiliates attending the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics conference in Orlando were given lapel pins to wear throughout the convention commemorating the tragic event that unfolded at Pulse.
This outreach of care, love, respect and support for the LGBTQ community in Orlando by one of the largest collegiate sports professional memberships under the NACDA umbrella is an important signal of support for LGBTQ student-athletes on all college campuses.
Related: Gay TCU assistant athletic director Drew Martin finds acceptance
"For NACMA, we knew last year in Dallas that we would be here in Orlando on the anniversary," Smoller said. "It was important to us to provide a visible symbol to our membership to remember the victims and also to show our pride in diversity in the sports industry and our commitment to inclusion in the workplace.
“Sports can be such a powerful element for social change and all of our members have an opportunity to play a part in that."
The pin consists of a black memorial ribbon with a white Pulse logo at the end of one of the tips. In the center of the ribbon's loop, the colors of the LGBTQ rainbow shine through.
Drew Martin is associate athletics director at TCU. He came out publicly on Outsports in 2014. You can find him on Facebook, or on Twitter @TCU_Drew.
