UC Davis Athletics

DAVIS, Calif.- With over 35 campus chapters, 188 professional athlete ambassadors, and more than 24,000 total members and counting, Athlete Ally, an organization who's mission is to educate and activate athletics communities in order to eradicate homophobia and transphobia in sports, recently added UC Davis' chapter to its growing list.

Founded in 2011 by former University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally believes educating and activating allies within athletic communities across the nation will help eliminate anti-LGBT prejudices within the world of sport and public consciousness.

Attracting athletes from all levels of competition, including more than 150 professional athletes and Olympians, as well as collegiate teams at more than 50 U.S. universities, Athlete Ally has worked to champion the inclusion of LGBT athletes across some of sports' biggest stages. After successfully launching Principle 6, which lobbied the International Olympic Committee to include sexual orientation in the Olympic Charter, Athlete Ally also worked with the NBA on their decision to move the 2017 All-Star game from North Carolina after the state enacted HB2, a bill that limited anti-discrimination protection for the LGBT community.

Additionally, Athlete Ally has helped influence the NCAA to develop and maintain an anti-discrimination survey to guide their choice of locations for key sporting events.

Earlier this year, Taylor (who is also the national president of Athlete Ally) visited the UC Davis campus and spoke to student-athletes at an Aggie EVO forum. Among those in attendance was junior forward Hailey Rittershofer, a member of the women's soccer team.

"In October of 2017, I began my position as the student-athlete liaison between the on-campus LGBTQIA+ Resource Center and Intercollegiate Athletics; one month later I was invited to be a panelist at an Aggie EVO forum centered around Athlete Ally and Hudson Taylor," said Rittershofer. "Following the session, I was approached by Hudson and various directors, which was when the thoughts started opening up about about me beginning an Athlete Ally chapter here at UC Davis."

"We have about 25 students right now. About 60-70 percent are ICA student-athletes, but we also have members from club teams as well as the general student body, who are not associated with athletics in any way. Once we were officially established with the campus, we became an affiliate organization of the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center on campus, which allows us to hold meetings at the center and access their resources," Rittershofer added.

Established in 1994, the UC Davis LGBTQIA+ Resource Center is one of the largest in the nation of its kind, and is currently affiliated with over 15 different scholar-led organizations on campus, including Davis Athlete Ally.

"DAA offers an opportunity for greater understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues in the athletics community, and allows the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center to connect with, and support student-athletes and allies," said LBGTQIA+ Resource Center Assistant Director Monae Roberts. "As with all of our affiliate scholar-led organizations, the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center provides informal advising, meeting space, advertising and organization promotion, and collaboration opportunities."

Said Rittershofer, "There are a lot of different groups within the center and I believe DAA can provide a different avenue-and perhaps a more specific intersection-between athletics and LGBTQIA for students here at UC Davis. The purpose of DAA is to foster LGBTQIA allyship in sports, and allyship being someone who is not necessarily within the community themselves, but will stand in solidarity with those who are. I think for people in the LGBT community and people looking at the community, we have a really great position to make change."

"DAA's three main pillars are activism, education, and social activities-getting involved and staying in touch with the community. If you're passionate about learning and being open, and are looking to make new friends, then I think DAA is a really great resource," added Rittershofer.

Interested students can find out more information about DAA by visiting its Athlete Ally Facebook page, official website, or by contacting any of the other officers directly through these mediums.

"I am honestly just so moved and so thankful to have the opportunity to start DAA and to have met all the passionate people that have helped and continue to help me in this process," said Rittershofer. "Everyone from the student-athletes to the staff members, and all the friends and family in the Davis community that have reached out, it has been a really meaningful and touching experience."


AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.

ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 6-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and animal science programs.

-   #GoAgs   -