Team Canada partners with University of Toronto for LGBTQ initiative
Canadian Olympic Committee continues to build steps to protect and support LGBTQ athletes, youth and coaches in Canada.
Building on the #OneTeam announcement made in December, it was announced Thursday that the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto has partnered with Canada’s Olympic Team, You Can Play and Egale Canada. The partnership provides a first ever fully accredited Sports and Sexual Diversity course in the world, available for U of T students.
Watch Olympic champs Mark Tewksbury & Greg Louganis on LGBTQ issues:
The announcement was made at the prestigious Hart House where the Olympic Team hosted an international roundtable of sport community leaders and organizations brought together to tackle LGBTQ issues in sport.
Among the participants were Olympic champions Mark Tewksbury of Canada and Team USA’s Greg Louganis, who provided powerful, inspiring and at times gut-wrenching stories about coming out and overcoming the most difficult obstacle in their lives.
“I am really excited about the important discussion that is happening around LGBT issues and sport. When I came out back in 1998, there was no room for discussion of these issues” said Tewksbury.
More from Tewksbury:
Though there is much work to be done, the #OneTeam initiative continues to be an important movement for spreading the message of equality and changing attitudes in locker rooms and classrooms across North America.
