About
Athlete Ally is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to end the systematic exclusion of LGBTQIA+ people from sports. The organization educates athletic communities at every level — sport governing bodies, leagues, teams and individual athletes — and mobilizes them to champion inclusion, grounded in the belief that everyone should have equal access, opportunity, and experience in sports regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
Mission
Athlete Ally's mission is to help every athlete act as an ally and ensure every LGBTQIA+ person is welcome and safe in sports.
What they do
- Educate athletic communities at all levels — sport governing bodies, teams, and individual athletes — on the obstacles to inclusion for LGBTQI+ people in sports and how to build inclusive communities.
- Run Champions of Inclusion, an online curriculum giving coaches and athletic departments education and resources on critical issues facing LGBTQI+ athletes.
- Work with teams and institutions to develop clear, accessible LGBTQI+ inclusion policies; in 2013 founder Hudson Taylor co-authored the NCAA's first-ever handbook on creating LGBTQIA+ inclusive athletic cultures.
- Publish the Athletic Equality Index (AEI), a first-of-its-kind ranking of the LGBTQ inclusiveness of collegiate athletic departments.
- Lead athlete-driven advocacy campaigns, including Principle 6, which successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee to include sexual orientation in the Olympic Charter, the #WomenInFIFA campaign that engaged more than 150 Olympic and professional athletes, and a global campaign that called on FIBA to overturn its ban on players competing in hijabs.
History
Athlete Ally grew out of the experience of Hudson Taylor, a three-time All-American wrestler at the University of Maryland who wore an LGBTQ equality sticker on his headgear to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. The national attention and thousands of emails from parents and closeted athletes that followed inspired him to launch the organization; it was co-founded in 2011. Taylor serves as founder and Executive Director.
Scale and impact
According to the organization's website, more than 24,700 people have joined the movement, and Athlete Ally counts over 350 professional athlete ambassadors and 32 campus chapters. Its policy victories include working with the NBA, NCAA and ACC on their decisions to move competitions from North Carolina in the wake of the anti-LGBTQ law HB2.
Financials
For the fiscal year ending December 2025, Athlete Ally reported total revenue of 2,012,323 dollars and expenses of 1,781,124 dollars, with net assets of 1,020,365 dollars (IRS Form 990 data via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer). Contributions accounted for essentially all revenue. The IRS issued the organization's tax exemption in August 2011.
Governance
Hudson Taylor is co-founder and Executive Director. The organization is overseen by a board of trustees whose members have included leaders from professional sports leagues, corporations and advocacy organizations.