Story at a glance
- Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib, the NFL’s first openly gay player, helped design a pair of rainbow cleats to raise awareness for an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention organization.
- Nassib chose the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization.
- Nassib’s cleats featured the organization’s name across the side, along with a telephone number: 1-866-488-7386.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib, the NFL’s first openly gay player, helped design a pair of cleats to raise awareness for an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention organization.
The design was part of the league’s My Cause My Cleats fundraiser that allows players to participate in the design of a pair of cleats to raise awareness for a nonprofit organization of their choosing, NBC News reported. Nassib chose the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization.
Nassib’s cleats featured the organization’s name across the side, along with a telephone number: 1-866-488-7386. Nassib previously donated $100,000 to the Trevor project after he came out earlier in 2021.
Carl Nassib won’t be playing in today’s Raiders game, as he’s injured. If he were, these are the @TrevorProject cleats he’d be wearing for #MyCauseMyCleats in support of the LGBTQ community. https://t.co/cKM9VTNNyH pic.twitter.com/FLNW63nL3f
— Outsports (@outsports) December 5, 2021
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
“I have been, for a couple of years, pointing to the fact that no NFL players ever choose LGBTQ+ causes and it’s a real source of disappointment,” Cyd Zeigler, LGBTQ+ advocate and co-founder of the LGBTQ+ sports site Outsports.com, told NBC, referring to the NFL’s cleats campaign.
“People talk about the importance of allies and I say all the time, that we can’t wait for allies to show up, that LGBTQ people have to push for our own visibility and our own equality,” Zeigler said.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Browns fullback Johnny Stanton created rainbow cleats in support of Athlete Ally, which advocates for LGBTQ inclusion in sports.
“I wanted to back a cause that was important to me as an athlete,” Stanton told Outsports. “The fact that some people don’t feel comfortable enough in their own identity to participate in sports breaks my heart. No one should feel unwelcome on the field or the court. If just one person being an ally can help them feel more comfortable, then I’m happy to be that person.”
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
WAR ERUPTS OVER NEW MARVEL BLOCKBUSTER’S GAY SUPERHERO
TEXAS PASSES CONTROVERSIAL TRANSGENDER STUDENT ATHLETE BILL
NFL’S FIRST-EVER OPENLY GAY PLAYER STARS IN WILD FINISH TO MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
CARL NASSIB IS THE FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY
changing america copyright.
