July 10, 2014
Class of 2014: John Amaechi, Diana Nyad, Among New Inductees to Gay & Lesbian Sports of Hall
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Wade Davis, Fallon Fox, Nike Corp are all being inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, along with the entire 2014 class.
The event is going down at the Center on Halsted, a Chicago LGBT community center, on July 11 at 6 p.m. The Friday event will showcase the 15 new inductees, among them people, corporations, and organizations. All of the inductees share a common denominator. In accordance with the NGLSHoF, their "achievements and efforts have enhanced the fields of sports and athletics for the LGBT community."
This year's inductees:
John Amaechi, retired NBA player
Billy Bean, retired MLB player
Mark Bingham, rugby player (Deceased)
Tom Daley, Olympic Medal Winning Diver
Wade Davis, Executive Director of You Can Play and retired NFL player
<bullet>Fallon Fox, Mixed Martial Artist
Brittney Griner, decorated collegiate athlete, active WNBA player
Mayor George Moscone, Straight Ally, Former Mayor of San Francisco, (Deceased)
Chris Mosier, founder of transathlete.com
Nike, corporation
Diana Nyad, endurance swimmer
Jerry Smith, NFL player (Deceased)
Stand Up Foundation, anti-bullying non-profit organization
Gareth Thomas, retired rugby player
Esera Tuaolo, retired NFL player
You can also see a full list of past inductees and their biographies <link|gayandlesbiansports.com/?page_id=112|here>.
Tickets go for $30 if you buy one and $50 if you buy two. You can get those <link|gayandlesbiansports.com/?page_id=100|here>.
In addition to inductees, the Hall of Fame (which was founded in 2013) will preserve the history of LGBT individuals who have impacted professional and amateur sports. The hall of fame will also provide outreach and education to the sporting world so that LGBT youth all across the nation feel welcome and safe to participate in any and all athletic related activities.
For more information, go to GayAndLesbianSports.com.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
