Minnesota Vikings host LGBTQ Summit to promote inclusion in sports
By Adam Carlson
Recently, the Minnesota Vikings hosted the LGBTQ Summit in Eagan with former punter Chris Kluwe to promote an atmosphere of inclusion in sports.
The Minnesota Vikings became the first NFL team to host a summit based on promoting an atmosphere of inclusion in professional sports on June 21, 2018 which included former punter Chris Kluwe among the panelists.
Moderated by KARE11’s Jana Shortal, the summit drew in a crowd of approximately 150 individuals according to the Star Tribune.
Representatives from over 60 sports franchises and other organizations attended the summit at the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center in Eagan, Minnesota to share discussions on how to make sports more inclusive.
Among those attending were many of the Minnesota sports franchises including representatives from the Timberwolves, Lynx, Wild, and Golden Gophers.
This summit was part of a bargaining deal between Kluwe and the Vikings, who is a strong advocate of human rights, including the LGBTQ community.
Kluwe spoke about the summit and felt that some of the things discussed during the event could go on to really help teams and individuals feel better about including everyone in sports locker rooms and staff.
Minnesota Vikings
"“If even four or five of those teams go back and do something with it, that’s four or five more teams than we had in the entirety of the NFL. This is one of the things where I think once teams understand why this is an important issue and how it benefits them to deal with LGBTQ rights. I think we’ll see some serious change and adoption of policy happening.”"
Trans athlete Chris Mosier has seen the way things can be handled in the locker room and how some poor word choices or actions could leave others feeling like they don’t belong. Just some minor changes to how things are handled can go a long way in making everyone feel welcome.
"“You never know what people will hear and how it will impact them. When young people see you can be your authentic self and still play sports, it opens up a whole new world for them.”"
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Everyone should have the opportunity to play sports and not feel excluded. If teams can create an atmosphere of inclusion at every level of play, great athletes of every background can feel comfortable and work to be their very best.