Taylor, who is not gay, said he often saw the use of homophobic language and demeaning behavior while participating in sports, which led him to launch Athlete Ally. According to the organization’s website, Athlete Ally is a 501c-3 nonprofit organization that provides public awareness campaigns, educational programming, and tools and resources to foster inclusive sports communities. The programs include ambassadors from over 80 colleges and over 100 professional athletes.
This will be Taylor’s first visit to Marshall University, according to Aaron Goebbel, assistant athletic director of external affairs.
“Mr. Taylor has competed at the highest level of collegiate athletics in his respective sport and to have someone with his knowledge of the athletics environment come to Marshall as an ambassador to educate our athletes about LGBT inclusion is tremendous,” Goebbel said. “Educating our student-athletes about various social topics, especially one as prevalent as the perception of the LGBT community in sport, is all part of the student-athlete process as we prepare our young men and women to be at their best when their playing careers are complete.”
Chris Bryant, residence director in Marshall’s Housing and Residence Life office, said Taylor will discuss his experiences as a straight ally and LGBT activist. Bryant said he hopes Taylor’s energy will appeal to a variety of audiences.
“We believe Hudson Taylor coming to Marshall demonstrates our university’s commitment to making its LGBT student-athletes feel safe and supported,” Bryant said. “It’s exciting to see the collaboration amongst Intercultural Affairs, the LGBT office, Housing and Residence Life and Athletics – this is one of those events that has the potential to impact a lot of different people in a very positive way.”
Katrina Dix, a graduate student in biomedical sciences and an advocate for the LGBT community on campus, said the LGBT office hopes to host more events like this in the future.
“Events like these are essential to help inform our university athletic community about general diversity and inclusion,” Dix said. “A person’s sexual orientation should not dictate how they are treated. People are different and no matter what, they deserve tolerance and respect.”
Taylor will be available for interviews at 7 p.m., Nov. 16, in the Memorial Student Center’s room BE5 on the Huntington campus. A reception with refreshments will begin at 7:30 p.m. before Taylor begins his presentation at 8 p.m. Sponsors for this event include Marshall University Athletics, Marshall’s LGBT Office, Intercultural Affairs and Housing and Residence Life.
For more information about Athlete Ally and Hudson Taylor, visit http://www.athleteally.org/. To learn more about Marshall’s LGBT Office and events, visit http://www.marshall.edu/intercultural/lgbt-office/.
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Photo: Hudson Taylor is a wrestling coach, prominent straight ally and activist in support of LGBT rights. Hudson was a three-time NCAA All-American and two-time NCAA Academic All-American wrestler who racked up the most pins and most wins in the history of the University of Maryland. He is ranked among the top five pinners in NCAA wrestling history and holds several hall-of-fame records. After graduating from Maryland, Hudson became a wrestling coach at Columbia. Taylor spreads his message of equality and inclusion through his roles at Athlete Ally.