UCLA and Fayetteville State have been recognized by LGBT SportSafe for their LGBTQ-inclusion videos created by and for student-athletes.
In conjunction with the videos, the schools’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committees were encouraged to challenge other rival SAACs to join the cause of inclusion.
“We work very hard to foster a safe and inclusive environment within our close-knit athletics family here in Westwood,” said Katie Grover, a member of the swimming & diving team at UCLA. “The SAAC Challenge is a great way to get other schools across the country involved in this important movement!”
Fayetteville State, an HBCU in North Carolina, created a fun Family Feud-style video that brought some real creativity to the contest.
Entries had to be created exclusively by student-athletes without the help of administrators, and they had to be shot on mobile phones.
The videos include men from the basketball team, women from the swimming & diving team, and people everywhere in between from across the schools’ athletic departments.
LGBT SportSafe is a program created by former NCAA athletes Nevin Caple and Eric Lueshen. Their model for building inclusion focuses on three pillars: programming, policy and public awareness. LGBTSportSafe works with athletic departments to educate coaches and administrators on fostering LGBTQ-inclusive spaces, writing policies that welcome athletes and coaches regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, and expressing these values to the public.
