“Don’t let anyone use the games that we love for hate. Don’t let them distract from what’s really going on. This is an attack and we need to defend ourselves and our trans youth. We need to defend equality.”
NFL player and LGBTQ+ activist, Ryan Russell is standing up for trans rights in a brand new essay.
Partnering with The Guardian, the 29-year-old athlete released a heartfelt essay condemning the hateful rhetoric and legislation surrounding trans student-athletes.
At the start of the letter, Russell opens up about the roadblocks that POC’s and marginalized communities face in sports.
“Being born Black, queer, trans or of any marginalized community puts you behind the starting line of any race, even when you might need that love and community more than we imagine,” he wrote.
He then went on to discuss the importance of giving trans-student-athletes the same opportunities that he and his NFL colleagues were afforded.
“All kids need this. I needed it as a black teenager in the south from a low-income, single-parent home. My NFL peers all needed someone to give them a shot or they never would have made it,” he said.
“And trans kids need this, too. They need to be treated like kids, like they are worthy of the opportunity to play, to find love and community on the field. Everyone is worthy of this.”
The post Ryan Russell shows support for transgender student athletes in heartfelt essay appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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