Puma & The Trevor Project Team Up to Launch Free LGBTQ Training Course for Sports Leaders

Nikara Johns
·2 min read
15

Ahead of pride month, Puma has teamed up with The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ young people, to launch a free digital education program. Called #REFORMTheLockerRoom, the program was researched, tested and developed over the course of three years, designed to offer a specialized online training course for coaches, athletic directors and other youth-facing sports leaders on best practices to cultivate safe, inclusive and welcoming sports environments for LGBTQ young people both on and off the field.

Individuals will have access to key resources and will gain crucial skills and knowledge around topics including how to use respectful language, promote gender-inclusive spaces and support equitable policies within the sports community.

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“Peer communities can be a lifeline for LGBTQ young people, and historically, sports have not been a welcoming or accepting space for LGBTQ young people to participate openly as their authentic selves,” said Nova Bright, head of Internal Training at The Trevor Project.

According to research from the non-profit, transgender and nonbinary young people who were more “out” about their gender identity were less involved in sports than those who were not “out.” Further, transgender and nonbinary young people reported significantly lower rates of sports participation than their cisgender LGBQ peers. Young people who identified as transgender (17%) were nearly half as likely to report sports participation compared to cisgender LGBQ (27%) young people, for instance.

“While the sports community is making strides in the right direction and influential athletes are opening up about their LGBTQ identities, there is still more work to be done to ensure that LGBTQ young people can feel safe to participate in sports without fear of bullying or discrimination,” added Bright. “Thanks to Puma’s partnership, we’re hopeful that this training will reach coaches and athletic directors across the country and equip them with the tools necessary to foster greater understanding and acceptance.”

School administrators, coaches and more can access the #REFORMTheLockerRoom, here: thetrevorproject.org/reformthelockerroom. The free online training is available on an ongoing basis and is self-paced, so users can move through the program at their own speed.

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