A wrestling coach and prominent straight LGBT activist is the featured speaker for “Breaking the Silence: Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally” scheduled for 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 3, in the Student Union, Room 340. The Multicultural Resource Center is sponsoring this free, public event.
Taylor is founder and creative director of Athlete Ally, an organization committed to and focused on ending homophobia and transphobia in sports by educating allies in the athletic community and empowering them to take a stand.
“We are hoping to start an Athlete Ally chapter here at UNC Charlotte, which would be the first in the state,” said Joshua Burford, assistant director for sexual/gender diversity for the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC). “Hudson’s message of respect and commitment to building inclusive sports communities resonates on all levels, professional, collegiate, recreational and individual.”
After witnessing homophobic language and demeaning humor in the locker room, Taylor began doing major ally work in athletics. After enrolling at the University of Maryland, he befriended LGBT students in his theatre classes and became aware of the pain caused by homophobia in sports.
A three-time NCAA All-American and two-time NCAA Academic All-American wrestler at Maryland, Taylor holds several hall-of-fame records and now coaches at Columbia.
During his wrestling career, Taylor supported the LGBT community by wearing an equality sticker from the Human Rights Campaign on his gear; the action was criticized by his peers. This experience inspired Taylor to launch Athlete Ally to foster “allyship” in athletic environments. Taylor continues to be an advocate through Athlete Ally, as a public speaker and a blog writer on Huffington Post.
The “Breaking the Silence” program coincides with the end of the Day of Silence observation, a program coordinated by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network across the country to bring attention to the many people who are silenced because of bullying or harassment.
The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) seeks to promote individual student learning and development, provide student services, foster a campus community which promotes student involvement, and develop human and facility resources.