Athlete Ally, a nationally based organization that aims to “end homophobia and transphobia in sport and to activate the athletic community to exercise their leadership to champion LGBTQI+ equality,” now has a chapter at Brandeis University. The Hoot sat down with the Brandeis chapter’s co-founders, Rani Balakrishna ’25, Fiona Doiron ’25 and Anna Kolb ’25 to learn more about this new group.
Balakrishna mentioned that she had attended the Athlete Activism Summit, an event last year where “over the course of four days, college athletes, coaches, and administrators from across the country will convene to build community, gain knowledge, and commit to actions to help expand LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship on their campuses.” She added that this meeting had student athletes from around the country. It also had coaches [and] admin, [and it] was really cool to see that they were trying to start [inclusion efforts] from the bottom up.” In an interview with the UAA (University Athletic Association), the athletic conference that Brandeis competes as a part of, Balakrishna added that “People came from all over the country and there were also at least 30 administrators. I was happy with the administrators who were so eager to learn.”
Doiron added that, on a national scale, Athlete Ally is “about fostering LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports. Not just at the NCAA level, but also at the club and intramural level.” She also said that Brandeis Athlete Ally is “reach[ing] out to the club athletes to get them involved in Athlete Ally if they would like to be. It’s just about fostering a safe space and inclusive space where all student athletes can feel welcome and learn not only about the LGBTQ+ community, but all different types of communities that we have within athletics.”
The group also spoke about an upcoming event that Brandeis Athlete Ally recently hosted their Basketball Pride Games, one for the men’s basketball team and one for the women’s basketball team, both on Feb. 7. Balakrishna noted that the UAA has a “Strive Together” campaign about bringing student athletes together all from across the UAA and from all different backgrounds,” adding that Brandeis’ softball team had hosted a Pride Game last year too. These games provided an opportunity for Brandeis community members to “celebrate pride,” and provided both community and giveaway items to attending community members. The group will be holding another pair of Pride Games (this time with the involvement of other Brandeis affinity groups) for the baseball and softball teams in mid-April.
Balakrishna also said that people have different meanings associated with Pride Games, but that they’re especially important right now. “A lot of people are trying to make rules [that say] ‘it’s not cool to be who you are’ and policing identity,” she added. Doiron noted that Athlete Ally is aiming to “make it big, loud and proud that it’s okay to be who you are. Kolb agreed, and added that “[Brandeis] might not be a big school like Oklahoma [University], but what we do is impactful and I hope other people read about it … and if they feel like they’re comfortable that they join us or contribute in some way.” Balakrishna made the point that “Athlete Ally uses sports as a vehicle for inclusion because a lot of folks with conservative values love sports. By using sports to show people that it’s cool to be inclusive … I think it bridges [gaps for] people who might not usually think that way.”
In closing, the group noted that they’ve been very lucky to have the support of Senior Associate Director of Athletics/SWA Lynne Dempsey and Coach Derek Carlson as faculty advisors, as well as a generous amount of alumni support. More information about Athlete Ally can be found on their Instagram page.
