An update on Athlete Ally's Bates College event via Outsports

Hudson Taylor filed this report with Outsports on his recent mass  pledge at Maine's Bates College:

This month brought incredible momentum to Athlete Ally. I’ve visited schools throughout the East coast and spoken to thousands of students, including hundreds of student athletes and coaches, about the important principles of respect, leadership and inclusion in sports.

I have also introduced the Athlete Ally Pledge and Ambassador program to several campuses. On Thursday, May 12, 2011, Athlete Ally hosted the first ever campus-wide Athlete Ally Pledge signing event at Bates College. Entitled “Bates Allies Rally: Celebrating Our Differences,” the event concluded the college’s first Pride Festival and was sponsored by the Bates Athletic Department and OUTfront, a student-run LGBT justice and support group. Athlete Ally worked directly with the Athletic Director, who brought me to the campus and made our Pledge a fundamental part of this event.

The event included my kick-off address, a panel discussion entitled “Respect for All Individuals” and a barbeque on the school quad. Like the students, coaches and administrators at Marist and Amherst Colleges and the other schools that I’ve recently addressed, the Bates community was thrilled to cultivate and empower its allies. Hundreds of student-athletes signed the Athlete Ally Pledge, adding to the hundreds of Bates students who had already signed our Pledge. I was also very inspired by the program’s panel presenters. I enjoyed feeling part of the campus and witnessing the community unify for this cause. I was able to wear a Bates t-shirt to better join in the camaraderie – also a great souvenir.

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