Athlete Ally
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| Founded | January 2011 |
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| Founder | Hudson Taylor |
| Type | 501(c)3 Nonprofit |
| Location | |
| Website | athleteally |
Athlete Ally is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to end homophobia and transphobia in sports and educate athletic communities to stand up against anti-LGBT discrimination. The organization's programming includes a curriculum for student-athletes, including an NCAA guide, an ambassador program for youth, collegiate, professional and international athletes, who work to foster “allyship” in their athletic environments, workshops and resources for leadership and inclusion trainings for youth, pro and international sports participants and social mobilization campaigns, including the Principle 6 Campaign launched during the Sochi Olympics. Athlete Ally is a close partner of the NBA and National Basketball Players Association, MLB, the NCAA and the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center.
As an athlete in high school and college, Hudson Taylor often observed the use of homophobic language and demeaning humor, especially in sports. Soon after enrolling at the University of Maryland, he befriended LGBT students in his theatre classes and became increasingly aware of the pain caused by homophobic behavior. Hudson, who is not gay, felt it was imperative that he confront an aspect of sports that no athlete should be proud of: sports marginalize LGBT athletes, coaches and others through systemic homophobia and transphobia. He decided to take action as a straight ally to change athletic culture for the better. To stand in solidarity with the LGBT community, Hudson wore an LGBT equality sticker from the Human Rights Campaign on his wrestling headgear in college. Though he encountered criticism from his peers, he received positive attention from the media, and received thousands of emails from parents and closeted athletes, expressing thanks and sharing their own experiences of homophobia in sports. This inspired Hudson to launch Athlete Ally. When he blogged about experiencing homophobia in collegiate sports, he received hundreds of emails from closeted athletes. In 2013, Taylor received an Emery Award for his work with Athlete Ally.
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