Straight Wrestler Launches Athlete Ally

Hudson Taylor, a straight All-American wrestler and coach at Columbia University, has launched the website AthleteAlly.com in an effort to combat homophobia in sports and ensure the locker room is a safe space for all.

“I created the Pledge so that we, as an athletic community, can take proactive steps to end homophobia in sports,” Taylor says in a statement on the site. “When we inspire entire teams and athletic departments to commit to a new standard of athletic integrity, we will change the environment in locker rooms and on playing fields. Adding your name to the growing list of supporters is the first step to make a difference.”

Last year Taylor emerged as a champion for gay rights, first with a much-read blog on homophobia in sports that he wrote for Outsports.com and later by posting for the No H8 campaign.

In October, Taylor made headlines when he appeared at a conservative Catholic college to talk about acceptance in sports and marriage equality.