COLOR COMMENTARY

by Brian Sims

Several months ago I received a call from my friend Shane Windemeyer, asking me if I’d be interested in meeting with Ben Cohen if he came to the United States. Shane is the executive director of one of my favorite LGBT organizations, Campus Pride, and makes his living teaching young adults and college administrations about what it means to have an LGBT-inclusive academic environment. Ben, on the other hand, had spent the last 14 years earning the reputation as one of the world’s premiere professional rugby players.

More importantly, over the last several years he’d gained international attention for his very public fight against bullying and specifically anti-gay bullying.

Needless to say, I told Shane that if given the opportunity, I’d be honored to meet with Ben and talk with him about my work with LGBT Athletes & Allies and about how I could help him with his efforts to continue to spread his message of inclusiveness and equality here in the United States.

And let’s be honest, who would pass on an opportunity to meet this guy!

So in late February, as a trip to the U.S. began to come together, I was all too happy to learn that not only was the English rugby icon going to be touring several major cities in the United States, but the purpose of his tour was to launch an organization that was going to be entirely unique in the world of LGBT advocacy; an exclusively anti-bullying organization launched by a straight professional athlete!

The StandUp Foundation, as it was named, is the culmination of years of work by Ben and his friends and allies. Much like Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong, Ben had the idea that if he could further capitalize on his image as a professional athlete and unofficial spokesperson for straight allies of gay people, he could build an organization that would grow beyond his own personal efforts and truly impact the millions of fans of professional sports and the countless LGBT athletes and fans around the world.

To launch the organization, Ben chose Patrick Davis, a marketing and branding extraordinaire headquartered in Atlanta, and it quickly followed that the StandUp Foundation—and its sister for-profit company—would be based in Atlanta as well. More importantly, the southern city would also play host to the start of the Ben Cohen StandUp Acceptance Tour during which Ben and the team he’d assembled would introduce the world to his new organization.

For my part, I’d known for several weeks that the tour was the kick-off of the organization but I hadn’t known that it would also coincide with Ben’s retirement from professional rugby, news of which broke just days before the start of the tour. The idea that a world-famous athlete would leave his sport, and his home country, to start an organization wholly dedicated to eradicating bullying in all forms was more than just inspiring, it was the definition of heroic.

So in mid-May I hopped on a plane from Philadelphia to Atlanta, where I was asked to introduce Ben at the launch of his tour. I was joined by Shane from Campus Pride and quickly whisked away to the offices being used to launch the endeavor. Just as quickly, I was introduced to a filmmaker, Chris Hines, who was in the process of making a documentary film for Logo about Ben’s efforts and about the intersection of athletics and the LGBT community.

My kind of stuff!

What followed was an experience that was entirely unexpected and as inspiring and motivating as anything I’ve had the incredible fortune to do over the last several years. As a gay rights advocate and policy attorney, I have spent years studying the impact that pro-LGBT activism has on our rights and on our allies, and I know that the statistical impact of straight allies of gay rights is oftentimes significantly greater than anything that I or any other gay activists can offer. Quite literally, a Ben Cohen reaches an audience that doesn’t want to be reached by “gay” organizations, or by pro-equality messages. His voice is unique in that regard and it follows that he brings an almost limitless ability to reach new allies.

After filming my own interview and talking about my own experiences as an athlete and gay rights advocate, I was able to sit with Ben on camera and talk openly and honestly about our experiences in athletics, with sports fans in general, and as people fighting for equality. I learned quickly that Ben is not out to make a buck. In fact, I’m fairly certain that he actually is out to save the world, or at least as much of the world as he can get his message out to.

While I spend most of my time lately talking about municipal non-discrimination policies and legislation aimed at protecting LGBT people with legislators and progressive organizations, it was instantly refreshing to talk with someone whose passions and focus are just as strong but not limited to individual pieces of legislation or political parties and whose potential is as broad as his aspirations (and his shoulders)!

Ben offered a frank, honest and unmarshalled approach to advocacy. “It’s the right thing to do and it’s long overdue,” he said when I asked why he was leaving rugby to help fight for my rights. “This is about standing up for what’s right and giving everyone an opportunity to have a happy, healthy life.”

It sounds so simple; the truth often does.

In between sharing his message on CNN, MSNBC, and countless American and English newspapers and media outlets, we actually were able to spend a lot of time with his fans and supporters in Atlanta. The Atlanta Bucks, the region’s gay rugby team, were not only natural hosts for a number of local events, but also provided ample opportunities to highlight Ben’s strengths as a sportsman and leader.

Rugby matches, ice-cold kegs, Southern food and more than a little friendly competition all made for a weekend that I know made Ben feel more at home, and Atlanta feel even more proud to have played host. Just as importantly, on the second to the last night of our trip, Ben did something that as a former athlete I don’t know if I would have had the selflessness to do myself; at an auction that evening, Ben parted ways with some of the most treasured items from his rugby career.

From the cleats (yeah, I know, they call them boots) that he played his last match in, to the torn jersey he retired in, Ben once again showed his true colors by allowing his personal memorabilia to be auctioned off to help fund the StandUp Foundation. Humble doesn’t even begin to describe the man and I know I speak for everyone that was there that night when I say that we are all grateful that he would go to such lengths to promote his initiative and ultimately our rights!

So what’s next?
The tour continued for Ben and his team to Washington, D.C., New York, Seattle and a few other key cities. By all accounts, each stop was as successful as the last and I have a feeling that the next several months are going to be as hectic and hopefully as rewarding for Ben as his World Cup victory.

The fight to end bullying of all types and in all areas has a lot of soldiers lately and now it has a new army as well. Ben brings a humility and a base of support to the battle that will only work to hasten the progress already made, and bring new allies and new approaches to protect all people from bullying.

Although it’s still unclear when that battle will be won, I know several things for certain: I am proud to StandUp with Ben Cohen. I am empowered to StandUp against bullying. I am honored to have straight allies StandUp alongside the LGBT community. And I am an unwavering and ever-thankful supporter of the StandUp Foundation!