Temple University Athletics this month received a gold-medal designation as an LGBT SportSafe institution. It also earned Founders Club membership, meaning the university is one of the first two in its state or conference to receive approval from the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program. No other Pennsylvania schools have yet received the membership.
“At Temple, we value diversity and the welfare of our 500-plus student athletes,” Dr. Patrick Kraft, director of athletics, said in a statement.
He added, “We always want to be at the forefront of initiatives such as this that helps contribute to the overall quality of our student-athlete experience.”
The LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program started in June. It uses an algorithm — created by Dr. Eric Lueshen, a former University of Nebraska football player, and Nevin Caple, an openly gay former college basketball player — that’s called the 3-Peat Model for its focus on programming, policy and public awareness.
The gold-medal designation means the athletic program has inclusion training for coaches and administrators every two to three years, has updated polices to include protections for LGBT athletes and coaches and has scheduled or completed a public-awareness project about LGBT inclusion in athletics.
Kraft was out of the office Aug. 23. Other Temple Athletics representatives did not immediately receive clearance to speak to the media about specific LGBT policies and projects at the university.
“Nevin and I applaud Temple’s leadership and commitment to LGBT inclusion in the American Athletic Conference,” Lueshen said in a statement.
Temple’s LGBT SportSafe Founders Club member status means the university will be listed in the LGBT SportSafe national registry of inclusive athletic and recreational sport communities. The school will also gain access to Coaches Corner, an online resource for LGBT inclusion that includes webinars, model policies and discussion forums.
For more information, visit www.lgbtsportsafe.com.