Hudson Taylor was admittedly nervous going to the Winter Olympics earlier this year in Sochi, Russia, to promote the Principle 6 ( P6 ) campaign, launched by Athlete Ally, the gay-rights advocacy organization that he founded and serves as its executive director.
Taylor was certainly aware of Russia's staunch, much publicized anti-gay propaganda laws.
But there was no way he was missing this worldwide platform to spotlight gay rights.
"I had two primary goals for the trip: ensure that athletes and fans were free from persecution at the Games and, second, use the Games as an opportunity to raise awareness and support for the LGBT Russian community. I think we were able to do both," Taylor said. "I wish there had been more attention or focus paid to Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws during the Games, though."
Taylor spent six days in Russia, talking with media, Olympians, fans and more about Principle 6, often wearing the red T-shirt extolling the P6 message: Sport does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise.
Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter states that "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement," and the IOC has confirmed that this includes sexual orientation.
More than 50 Olympians—current and former athletes, from the Summer and Winter Games, Olympians and Paralympians—signed the P6 pledge, including the Australian bobsled team.
And the first two Russians he encountered on his journey stood by his cause too, thus helping settle Taylor's nerves.
"Sure, I wish there was more [positives] to have come out of Sochi, but, at the same time I'm also really happy with the level of support [received]," Taylor said. "I went [to Sochi] with two objective: one, talk to as many people in the media as possible, and second, to work with the Olympians to help give them a safe opportunity to show support for the Olympic charter and, as a by-product, speak out against Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws."
Most of the athletes who have participated in the P6 campaign have taken to social media to voice their support, including pictures of themselves in a P6 shirt, hat or scarf, or holding up six fingers.
Taylor also met with the official White House delegation while in Russia.
Taylor, 27, was an NCAA All-American wrestler who has gone on to coach the sport collegiately—and he remains one of the most vocal, most prominent straight allies for LGBT rights.
"There's so much going on in sports right now. All of the professional sports leagues are investing in training and education for their coaches, athletes, staff around issues of diversity and inclusion. So it's a very exciting time to be doing this work, and Athlete Ally is very proud to be doing it," said Taylor, who has a two-fold purpose for his advocacy organization: education and resources, and through mobilization and awareness.
"On one side, it's about trying to identify visible allies, be it in professional athletics, Olympics or Paralympics … really, anyone who would constitute as being a potential role model, getting them to be vocal about their commitment to LGBT respect and inclusion."
On the education side, Taylor trains about 60 college athletic departments annually, plus the NBA and Major League Baseball to help with their efforts. "Basically, anyone who could benefit from being better educated is receiving that information and then helping those [already] on board make a greater impact on their team and in their community," he said.
Taylor, who attended the University of Maryland and is now a coach at Columbia University in New York, is one of many high-profile straight allies from the sports world. Football players Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo have long stood for LGBT rights, along with NBA player Kenneth Faried, among others.
"Until the last few years, there was a sentiment that you needed to be [gay] in order to advocate for the LGBT community. I think that's really started to change," Taylor said. "We've seen individuals who may not seem as though they have a personal and vested interest in [gay rights] speaking out. They are realizing that showing respect for the LGBT community is not an issue of gay rights, but [rather], an issue of human rights. So, as a result, we've seen more athletes come out, more allies speak out [in support], and more teams take a stand than any other time in history. I think that's due in part to the broadening demographic of those who are actively trying to make their sport's space more inclusive."
Athlete Ally has a load of high-profile supporters, including Andy Roddick and Yogi Berra, among others. Stars standing alongside Athlete Ally is "incredibly important," Taylor said.
"We operate under the philosophy that there has never been a successful social-justice movement for a minority group without the support of the majority. So, having the support of so many high-profile professional athletes says a lot about what the culture and climate is in the athletic community, and also makes a really clear statement to that next generation of athletes, and hopefully shows them that, being an athlete and being gay and competing at an elite level are not things that are mutually exclusive," Taylor said. "Due to the support we've been able to get from the professional athletes that we work with, we've been able to grow in a very short period of time, and hopefully we'll continue to educate and advocate in the areas and communities that need it most."
Despite the challenges, Taylor is optimistic that, in three to five years, there will be no obstacle standing in an athlete's way such that he or she perceives coming-out, and remaining active, is not possible. "We're getting there, and as I often say, this is not the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning," he said. "We have a lot more work that needs to be done if we are going to create that safe and inclusive environment for LGBT athletes."
The progress to date has been better than expected in certain respects, he said.
"I've been pleasantly surprised by all of the progress we've made, but am very aware of the fact that there are lots of teams and communities that are not as progressed on this issue," he said. "I believe athletes, by and large, will be judged on their athletic performance, not their sexual orientation, but we need to make sure that that is a message that is being echoed by those in positions of power within all of the professional leagues."
