The Washington Capitals and goaltender Braden Holtby [photo] are proud to announce their support and take part in the Capital Pride Alliance’s 2016 Capital Pride Parade presented by Marriot Rewards, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, in Washington DC.
Holtby will participate in the Pride Parade walking with Capitals mascot Slapshot, Red Rockers, Washington Wizards Wizard Girls, Washington Mystics Energy Squad and Monumental Sports and Entertainment staff members in conjunction with the You Can Play Project.
You Can Play is an organization dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, coaches and fans, without regard to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. All members walking in the contingency will wear #RockTheRainbow shirts.
“I am honored to represent the Capitals and participate in this important event that shines light on the contributions the LGBT community makes every day,” said Holtby. “I believe in equality for all people and I look forward to showing my support along with our organization and fans.”
In addition to the video, You Can Play announced that the Giants will host a special You Can Play tailgate and game day event on December 20 when the Carolina Panthers visit New York. You Can Play has presented several times to Giants players, coaches and management on LGBT inclusion and creating a safe and inclusive locker room environment. The Giants Foundation also has provided a grant to support You Can Play’s work in fighting homophobia.
I’ll be curious to see two things: how quickly other NFL teams follow; and how this affects the possibility of an NFL player coming out in the near future.
Good start though. Congrats to the NY Giants – currently in first place in their division I might add…
Today, GLAAD and YouTube launch a new campaign, #ProudToPlay, which honors LGBT athletes, their supporters, as well as the YouTube Creators who stand up for diversity in sports and elsewhere.
You Can Play Project, Athlete Ally and several other LGBT organizations contributed to the initiative.
As part of the campaign, YouTube’s logo, seen by tens of millions of people every day, features a rainbow soccer ball and leads visitors to the #ProudToPlay channel, which showcases videos of LGBT athletes and allies speaking out in support of equality on the field.
University of California, Los Angeles, football coach Jim Mora has made a strong statement that he would welcome openly gay players to his team.
In a video for You Can Play, a campaign aimed at improving the environment for LGBT athletes, Mora says, “At UCLA, we play with integrity and we honor diversity. We respect all athletes and coaches. If you can play, you can play. And if you can coach, you can coach.”
The video is the first in the campaign to feature a head football coach prominently, reports Yahoo! Sports.
LGBT allies Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who last year gave us “Same Love,” release this video just in time for the first anniversary of the “You Can Play” project. The project is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis see fit to expand that definition of “play” to the music world too.
Says Macklemore in the video message: “You know someone who’s gay, they just haven’t told you yet,” says Macklemore in the clip, adding, “Don’t let being gay hold you back, and if you’re straight, do not hold others back…Anti-gay language has no place in sports, or music.”
Patrick Burke of the Philadelphia Flyers and Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs are joined by James Van Riemsdyk (PHI), Mark Fayne (NJD), Frans Nielsen (NYI), Tyler Bozak (TOR), George Parros (ANA), Brandon Prust (NYR), David Steckel (TOR), Andy Greene (NJD), RJ Umberger (CBJ) and Brian Boyle (NYR) to tell LGBT athletes: “If you can play, You Can Play.”
From the You Can Play Project: You Can Play is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.
You Can Play works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans alike, only by what they contribute to the sport or their team’s success.
You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.
