Vikings Punter Chris Kluwe Extends His Gay Activism

Ardent LGBT rights proponent Chris Kluwe, a punter for the Minnesota Vikings, upped his activism ante this week by becoming the first pro athlete "Ally Ambassador."

The ambassador program aims to challenge homophobia in sports; it's an initiative of the nonprofit group Athlete Ally, which is dedicated to "encouraging athletes, coaches, parents, fans, and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals involved in sports, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity or expression."

"When I founded Athlete Ally, the vision was for straight athletes to stand up for and respect gay athletes, because it's the right thing to do," says Hudson Taylor, executive director of Athlete Ally. "Chris Kluwe epitomizes this vision and will help us take our efforts to more people."

In his role with the organization, Kluwe will ostensibly spread the word of inclusion in sports. A recent Associated Press story indicated that one of Kluwe's coaches was growing tired of his activism, though his gay-rights activism wasn't specifically mentioned as a cause of the friction. Read more here.