"We See You, We Hear You."
Maryland Athletics begins a week of LGBTQ+ special programming and events.
Julianne Garnett, umterps.com Contributing Writer
10/10/2023
Starting today, Maryland Athletics is honoring LGBTQ+ History Month with a week of special programming around campus. Students can celebrate LGBTQ+ history and culture at multiple Pride-themed sporting events and at an advanced film screening produced by former Maryland soccer player and LGBTQ+ activist, Robbie Rogers.
This month-long celebration kicks off on October 11 in honor of National Coming Out Day and the Anniversary of the first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay rights.
Heading into this school year, the University of Maryland was named the most LGBTQ+ friendly college in the country by Campus Pride and BestColleges. These college research websites cited Maryland’s demonstrated efforts to support its LGBTQ+ students academically, financially, and socially, all things the Associate AD for Student-Athlete Development and Inclusive Excellence, Resa Lovelace, can attest to.
“I think that the ranking says a lot about our campus as a whole, about creating space for individuals who identify in the LGBTQ+ community,” Lovelace said. “Once you’re here, this is a campus that [creates] space for you to [be] your authentic self.”
Maryland Athletics - Honors LGBTQ+ Pride through the following events:
Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
- LGBTQ+ Pride Game Men's Soccer Game vs. Villanova, at Ludwig Field
- For our annual pride game, we will be giving away 200 free pride items to kick off Pride Month in October. Former Terp men's soccer star and television and film producer Robbie Rogers will be recognized at the game.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m.
- Meet & Greet with Robbie Rogers, at Gossett Hall's Young Study Lounge
- Open to all Maryland student-athletes and staff to interact and meet with Robbie. Snacks and drinks will be available.
Thursday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.
- Advanced Screening, "Fellow Travelers," Hoff Theatre at Stamp Student Union.
- 60-minute pilot followed by a 30-minute Q&A with producer Robbie Rogers. This event is free with RSVP requested: go.umd.edu/fellow-umd-rsvp.
Friday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m.
- LGBTQ+ Celebration Field Hockey Game vs. Iowa, at Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex
- Celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The first 100 fans will receive a Maryland Field Hockey LGBTQ+ Pride flag, plus other giveaways while supplies last.
As a reminder, we should be celebrating and supporting our entire community through the #OneMaryland vision!
If you have any questions about LGBTQ+ Resources, please visit https://lgbtq.umd.edu/.
Maryland alum Robbie Rogers will headline the week’s activities, beginning with men’s soccer Pride Night on Tuesday at 7pm in their home game against Villanova. The first 200 fans will receive Pride swag and Rogers will be honored at halftime.
Rogers played one year for the Terps, playing an integral part of the 2005 National Championship team, before going on to play professionally and for the U.S. Men’s National Team from 2009-2011. Since his professional career, Rogers, who is openly gay, has turned his attention to LGBTQ+ activism.
Lovelace is excited to host Rogers, who exemplifies the possibilities of receiving LGBTQ+ support from a large research university like Maryland.
“I think Robbie Rogers is a great example of saying, ‘Here's who I am’, and of [Maryland] being able to create space for him to show up as his authentic self,” Lovelace said.
On Wednesday, students will have access to a pre-screening of Rogers’ new film, “Fellow Travelers,” followed by a 30-minute in-person Q&A with Rogers. The showing will begin at 8 p.m. in Hoff Theatre, inside Stamp Student Union.
The week will wrap up with a Pride-themed field hockey game, as the Terps take on Iowa at 5 p.m. The first 100 fans will receive a Maryland field hockey LGBTQ+ Pride flag, plus other giveaways.
“I think that the more we continue to have these Pride game nights, the more we continue to have articles like this, the more we have individuals who are coaches or staff that openly identify, it creates space for students who are trying to figure themselves out,” Lovelace said.
Lovelace also discussed Maryland Athletics’ role in fostering a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ student-athletes and what the department’s been working on to increase education and inclusion.
“As a part of the NCAA governance structure, they have asked us to put together a DEI framework,” Lovelace said. “One of the things I recently talked to Damon [Evans] about was creating an inclusive policy for non-binary and transgender athletes. That's important for our students and our community to know: we want to be on the forefront of making sure that [these] athletes know that they have a space here at the University of Maryland.”
Once you’re here, this is a campus that [creates] space for you to [be] your authentic self.Resa Lovelace, Associate AD - Student-Athlete Development and Inclusive Excellence
Other recent actions have included establishing gender-inclusive restrooms in communal athletics facilities, holding joint education sessions with other Big Ten teams, installing gender and pronoun specification capabilities on Canvas, and creating LGBTQ+-focused Maryland Made podcast episodes, which Lovelace herself has appeared on.
Lovelace made a point to outline the important resources for LGBTQ+ students, both on and off campus.
“In our landscape of the University of Maryland right here in the DMV, students have access to the Human Rights Center, an organization that is doing work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community and fighting from a political standpoint,” Lovelace said.
She also noted the Trevor Project, a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention efforts in the LGBTQ+ community and Maryland’s own LGBTQ+ Equity Center, is located in Marie Mount Hall.
It is clear that University of Maryland and Maryland Athletics faculty, such as Lovelace, are working hard to understand LGBTQ+ Terps’ needs and wants, and supporting them accordingly.
“We see you, we hear you, we may not know your names, but we do recognize that there is a LGBTQ+ presence across our individual footprint within athletics [and the general campus community],” Lovelace said. “I know that there are a lot of institutions who are creating similar spaces, so I think it is amazing that we can be recognized as the number one.”
