Hudson Taylor, the founding Executive Director of Athlete Ally, is a competing athlete and Division I college wrestling coach at Columbia University. Committed to civil rights and social justice, Hudson wore a Human Rights Campaign sticker on his wrestling headgear in college to show solidarity — as a heterosexual athlete ally — with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. This single act drew media attention around the country and prompted thousands of inspiring, personal messages.
With this encouragement, Hudson became committed to speaking louder as advocate and founded the non-profit organization, Athlete Ally. He was recently honored for his work by PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Hudson is also a blogger for the Huffington Post and was recognized by the publication as "Person of the Day" on April 8, 2011. He continually fights to end homophobia and transphobia in a wholesome and respectful manner in order to appeal to both male and female members of the sports community as well as to its most conservative and religious participants.
Athlete Ally is a non-profit sports resource encouraging all individuals involved in sports to respect every member of their communities, regardless of perceived or actual sexual-orientation, gender identity or expression, and to lead others in doing the same. Athlete Ally provides social advocacy campaigns, on-campus trainings, and practical tools, including resources to locate and learn about allied athletes, coaches, teams, athletic clubs and sports-based advocacy projects around the country.
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