Central Washington University Supports You Can Play Project

Central Washington University is showing its support for LGBTQIA student-athletes with a new video that promotes inclusiveness in college athletics regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The two-minute video, You Can Play at CWU, is a partnership between CWU and the national You Can Play Project, which encourages inclusion in sports and welcomes athletes to participate knowing they will be accepted for who they are.

The video features various male and female student-athletes from a broad spectrum of teams stating they accept each other for who they are and what they are, and strongly reinforcing the message, “if you can play, you can play.”

“We want all of our students, including our student-athletes, to feel welcome at Central Washington University,” said CWU President James L. Gaudino, who appears on the video. “We value all of our students and we’re committed to creating a supportive environment based on mutual respect. That, in my mind, is the Wildcat Way.”

According to Athletic Director Dennis Francois, also on the video, “sports brings together people from diverse backgrounds and in the world of competitive sports what matters is an individual’s contributions to the team and not his or her religion, gender identity, skin color, or sexual orientation.”

The You Can Play Project was launched in 2012 as a way to combat homophobia in sports. The organization’s current executive director is Wade Davis, a former National Football League player, who is one of the few openly gay men to have played professional sports.

The You Can Play at CWU video is currently featured on the CWU YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/CentralWashU).

Media contact: Rich Moreno, CWU Public Affairs, 509-963-2714, RichardMo@cwu.edu