Rainbow Laces Day will again descend upon campus this Wednesday with the York Sport Union gearing up to support the initiative which supports LGBTQ+ sportspeople in their fight against homophobia that still is pervasive of sport.
The initiative has been one that the York Sport Union has been participating in for a number of years with the eponymous rainbow-coloured shoe laces being a staple of the YUSU Reception, where they are on sale. All donations from the sale of the laces go to the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall.
According to Stonewall, four out of ten LGBTQ+ people do not find sport to be a welcoming and inclusive environment. The Rainbow Laces campaign aims are to make sure that this changes, by imploring all people to challenge “anti-LGBTQ+ language” and “celebrate the LGBTQ+ people in sport”.
York Vision spoke to York Sport President Maddi Cannell who said: “Sport is an incredibly powerful tool. It has the ability to bring people from all walks of life together.
As a member of the community, and the President of a Sport Union who pride themselves on inclusivity, I feel this is a fantastic opportunity for our Students’ Union to be a part of changing that statistic.
So, this Wednesday 27 November, join National Rainbow Laces Day in raising money for Stonewall. You can grab your laces at YUSU Helpdesk right now.”
Featured image by Sian Brooks