The new BETRUE-funded Los Angeles City Track’s pride look launched on Friday, featuring one of the biggest permanent rainbow flags in the world and an Olympian publicly sharing that he’s gay for the first time.
The new rainbow-colored track, funded in part by Nike, welcomes all athletes into sport. Nike’s BeTrue campaign has been doing that for years, and this is the latest extension from a brand that has embraced the LGBTQ community more and more every year. The track was inspired by Gilbert Baker, who created the iconic rainbow flag.
Kerron Clement, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field, was on hand and shared publicly for the first time that he’s attracted to men.
“I was hiding that part because of what society thought,” he told Outsports. “But it’s OK to be that way. Nothing is wrong with loving someone of the same gender. Love is love. I have an attraction to men. It’s who I am and it’s what made me become the athlete I am today.”
Shawn Ormsby, the Nike designer and brains behind the BETRUE design since the line’s inception, was at the unveiling and told Outsports that even bigger things are in store for the BeTrue campaign and line of clothing in 2020.
If you want to take a run on the new rainbow-pride-inspired track, head over to Los Angeles City College.
In the meantime, take a look at the other photos from the launch of the incredible track at Los Angeles City College: