Whitman's varsity sports program provides a clash of ideals for LGBTQ athletes who choose to play for the Missionaries. While the college prides itself on being progressive and inclusive, the sports world can often be rigid and conservative. When these perceived opposites meet, which wins out?
For the first eighteen years of his life, wrestler Hudson Taylor didn’t think he knew anybody who was gay. But since graduating from the University of Maryland in 2010, he has spent much of his time standing in front of college athletes around the country discussing the importance of recognizing and supporting their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peers.
Athlete Ally is an organization that encourages athletic communities to welcome and respect all individuals involved in sports regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression.
With debate on gay rights dominating national politics and rainbow stickers slapped on laptops all over Whitman campus, it is clear that in recent years, LGBTQ issues have been brought to the front of the American consciousness.
