Tufts Athlete Ally Chapter Honored with Athlete Ally Action Award

MEDFORD, MA (October 30, 2024) - On October 17, Tufts Athlete Ally President Ryan Kane (Men's Rowing) and Treasurer and Event Planner Brian Uribe (Men's Swimming & Diving) traveled to New York City with Tufts Athletic Department administrators to represent Tufts Athlete Ally at the Athlete Ally Action Awards. The Tufts Athlete Ally chapter was recognized by Athlete Ally, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advocacy for LGBTQ+ athletes, with the organization's Action Award. The award is given annually to the top campus chapter in the country across all divisions. The group is a space for both LGBTQ+ and straight-ally student-athletes.

Tufts has the largest Athlete Ally chapter in the country with members from every varsity team and many club teams. It is the only official Athlete Ally chapter in the NESCAC. One of the organization's goals this upcoming year is to spread awareness around the conference in the hopes of having representation from many of it NESCAC peers.

"On behalf of the Tufts Athlete Ally Campus Chapter, we are truly honored to receive an Action Award in recognition of our relentless fight for inclusivity and safety," said Kane. "It is incredibly rewarding to know that I have successfully brought together and mobilized a dedicated group of individuals who have collectively built Tufts Athlete Ally into the impactful organization it is today. Ultimately, this award stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of my executive board and our advisors, Courtney Shute (Tuts Women's Lacrosse Head Coach) and Jon Bird (Tufts Associate Manager of Athletics Business and Travel Operations)."

"We are excited for another year of breaking barriers to spark positive change and enhance the experience for current and future Tufts athletes. Our vision is to continue expanding our reach, building a lasting impact on the broader athletic community, and making Tufts Athletics synonymous with LGBTQ+ safety and inclusion. After all, every athlete deserves to celebrate who they are."

"We feel so grateful to have incredible student-athletes, like Ryan and Brian, leading the charge for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in our athletic department. They are working tirelessly to create safer spaces for all our Tufts student-athletes to be true to who they are and how they want the world to see them," said Shute.

Also honored during the Athlete Ally Action Awards were R.K. Russell, an author, activist and the first out bisexual NFL player, and Olympian Nikki Hiltz, the first openly nonbinary runner to win a USA Track and Field championship title.

Watch a video from the Awards event HERE.

Press release courtesy of NESCAC