University of Colorado Boulder Recreation Services Becomes First Recreation Department to Partner with LGBT SportSafe
University of Colorado Boulder Recreation Services Becomes First Recreation Department to Partner with LGBT SportSafe
BOULDER, CO - CU Boulder Recreation Services announced today that it has partnered with LGBT SportSafe to become the first recreational sports department in the country to join the inclusion program. The department has earned the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program SILVER Medallion, and will serve as a Founders Club member.
Prior to this announcement, only intercollegiate athletics departments had representation as members of the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program. CU Boulder Recreation Services now joins university athletic departments such as Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon and Temple in leading the way for LGBT inclusion in sport.
“University of Colorado Boulder Recreation Services is pleased to partner with LGBT SportSafe to better support and educate sport club athletes, recreation members, recreation staff and the greater campus community,” said CU Boulder Recreation Services Director Gary Chadwick. “We believe in the unique, action oriented mission of LGBT SportSafe and how this relationship will further advance our efforts of inclusion and diversity.”
The LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program uses a new algorithm, the 3-Peat Model, to help administrators understand how to implement inclusive programming, policies and public awareness initiatives within their respective athletic communities. The program was founded by Nevin Caple and Dr. Eric Lueshen in 2016 to help build a sustainable and lasting approach around LGBT inclusion efforts within sport. Member institutions that actively engage in inclusion will be awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze medallion for the athletic or recreational sport department's website, a listing in the LGBT SportSafe national registry of inclusive athletic and recreational sport communities, and exclusive access to Coaches Corner, a comprehensive online resource for LGBT inclusion in sports which provides everything from webinars and model policies to discussion forums and best practices for athletic professionals.
"LGBT SportSafe is thrilled to welcome the University of Colorado Boulder Recreation Services to the program as a Founders Club member,” said Lueshen. “As the first recreational sports department to join the program, CU Boulder is taking the lead on LGBT inclusion in rec sports.”
Caple and Lueshen hope to team up with organizations like the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) to bring LGBT SportSafe to campus recreation departments around the country. “We value NIRSA’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and would like to take a more sustainable approach to build upon existing efforts to make campus recreation LGBT SportSafe.”
