Super Bowl champion launches LGBTQ+ football camp, aims to create unifying safe space within sports
Football gave Khalen Saunders of New Orleans to Khalen Saunders, including two Super Bowl rings during his stay with the Chiefs of Kansas City. Recognizing the platform given to him, Saunders wants to restore and he uses experiences of some of the most important people in his life as inspiration for his new business.
Saunders has created a football camp for young people, designed specifically for children in the LGBTQ +community. Saunders’ older brother Kameron Saunders – a dancer and choreographer who appeared in the Taylor Swift era tour – is a member of the LGBTQ + community and a major influence in Khalen’s quest to end the stigmatization around those of the community and sports.
Khalen’s motto “Actions speak more than words” are fully exposed to Saturday camp in Saint-Louis, his hometown, while it aims to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone in the world of sport. DT heard changes to changing rooms that creates “very toxic heterosexual climates” and attributes ignorance so that many do not realize how their use of insults can be offensive for other people.
The choice of third round 2019 wants to “create a safe space in sport so that everyone feels welcome to be who he is”, adding that his intention is to “unify everyone and simply promote positivity and empathy among others with regard to everyone’s acceptance and show everyone love”.
Kameron attended most Khalen’s matches throughout his life and was a window for Khalen to see how important it is to make everyone feel welcome in athletics.
“With my brother, being able to come to all my events and feel at ease to be himself, I would like anyone who has a brother or a family member in general who comes to his sporting events feel safe and welcomed when they attend,” said Khalen, via CNN.
According to a report from the Trevor project, some young LGBTQ + said they “chose not to participate in sports for reasons related to discrimination or fear of discrimination based on LGBTQ”.
Khalen says that the camp is a way for young people to fuel their love for football and do it with others like them, in an environment that accepts them.
“This is an opportunity to simply present the model of reflection that I have, while being empathetic and by treating people how you want to be treated and all these quotes of” golden rules “that we learn as a child, we distant ourselves from our arrival in adulthood,” said Khalen.
The way someone identifies has no impact on his athletics that Khalen underlines, saying: “Capacity is capacity”.
“I think that space in sports for LGBTQ +members is very limited and I understand what is why I try to hold this camp and try to promote positivity around it,” said Khalen. “If you have it, you have it. And I saw great athletes being distant for several reasons. I would not want gender identification or sexual orientation to be one of these reasons.”
Not all reactions to this camp have been positive. While many children are grateful that they have this safe space and that many adults contacted that they wanted to have something like that when they were young, others responded with hatred.
“”[The camp is] A way to make sure everyone knows that they have a place in this world and that everyone knows that they have a place specifically in sport, because this is what this camp is. He only shows acceptance and really do all this for the love of sport itself, not for nothing else, “said Khalen.
Khalen hopes to be able to help people who do not agree with his messages to be more open.
“Breaknons that [cycle] And educate our children. In this way, they know the differences, they know the feelings, they know everything, “he said.” And then we can progress towards a better society, instead of creating a division and a hatred among things that could easily be governed by a simple education. “”
