LGBT athletes like Jason Collins, Brittney Griner, Darren Young, and more are #ProudToPlay a role in YouTube's newest LGBT Pride campaign that launched today. GLAAD has been working with YouTube on #ProudToPlay, a follow-up to last year's hugely successfull #ProudToLove campaign, honors LGBT athletes, their supporters, as well as the YouTube Creators who stand up for diversity in sports and elsewhere. YouTube also partnered with the You Can Play Project, Athlete Ally and several other LGBT organizations on the initiative.
"As athletes from across nations and leagues come out, sports fans throughout the world are embracing LGBT players and ejecting bias from the game," said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. "GLAAD is thrilled to support Google and YouTube in this landmark initiative to help tackle stereotypes and build understanding."
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. Even the Google homepage is paying ode to #ProudToPlay, driving Googlers from across the world to the #ProudToPlay channel.
Raymond Braun, YouTube Marketing manager said, “Sports bring together people from all backgrounds and experiences through a shared passion, and YouTube shares that spirit of connecting diverse communities to make a difference. In celebration of the upcoming games in Brazil and LGBT Pride month, we’re honoring the LGBT athletes, their supporters, as well as the YouTube Creators who stand up for diversity in sports and elsewhere—all of whom help create an equal and inclusive playing field for everyone.”
You can join the conversation by uploading a video talking about what being #ProudToPlay means to you. Over the course of Pride month, YouTube will share a collection of videos about the LGBT community and sports on the YouTube Spotlight Channel.
@glaad Your organization motivates us to make the change the world needs, so we can all be #ProudToPlay. Thank you.
— YouTube (@YouTube) June 3, 2014
