Athlete Ally and Lambda Legal to Host #Final4Fairness Press Conference in Indianapolis
In the spotlight of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Basketball Championship, athletes and Indiana community leaders will gather tomorrow to publicly comment on the events of the past week in Indiana and emphasize a call to action for sports to play a continued role in the advancement of LGBT civil rights.
This #Final4Fairness Press conference will feature Jason Collins, the first publicly gay athlete to play in any of four major North American pro sports leagues, Derrick Gordon, the first men’s basketball player in the NCAA to come out as gay and play in a game, as well as community leaders like Indianapolis City County Councillor Zach Adamson who sponsored the city’s Anti-RFRA Resolution. Kyle Palazzolo, Staff Attorney, Midwest Regional Office of Lambda Legal, and Ashland Johnson, Director of Public Policy, Athlete Ally, will also be in attendance.
As a core part of Indiana’s fabric, sports proved uniquely powerful in driving positive change for LGBT Hoosiers this week. Athletes, coaches, athletic institutions, and sports sponsors took a historic stand on the right side of history in a moment of great need; and, their actions had impact.
Now, sports communities must continue to rally together in support of equal rights. While the modification to Indiana’s new religious refusal law, enacted yesterday, is an important step to reduce the harm to LGBT people living or visiting Indiana, the amendment fails to meaningfully protect them from discrimination. In addition, lawmakers in many more states, including North Carolina and Texas, are seeking to advance religious refusal bills.
The press conference will be held on April 4, 2015 at 10:00am EST at City Market Plaza, located at 222 E. Market St., NEC Market & Delaware.