MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Athletic Department promotes a culture in which diversity and inclusion are integral components of staff professional development and the student-athlete educational and athletic experience.
 
The Athlete's Ally recently announced that the department has scored a 90 on the Athletic Equality Index (AEI), a powerful testament to its institutional commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion. The score reflects highly on Milwaukee's policies protecting LGBTQ+ athletes and cross-campus collaborations and initiatives.
 
"Developing our core values was a collaborative project," said Kathy Litzau, Senior Associate Director of Athletics. "We kept thinking, "These aren't just words – we want to live this. We want to make sure LGBTQ+ students know and staff are confirming that all are welcome here."
 
The AEI provides the most comprehensive look at LGBTQ+ inclusion across all NCAA Division I athletic departments, and a blueprint for schools to model inclusion in the wake of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes. It is an ongoing assessment of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic departments' policies and practices around LGBTQ inclusion.
 
The Athletic Equality Index was developed to measure LGBTQ inclusion policies and practices in collegiate athletics. Launched in 2017, this first-of-its-kind report provides a comprehensive look at how NCAA D-I institutions are supporting their LGBTQ student-athletes, coaches, administrators, staff, and fans.
 
"Recently, [transgender actor and activist] Indya Moore shared a post about how to be a trans ally that originated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's LGBTQ Resource Center," Milwaukee student-athlete Gaby Schwartz said. "As an out queer soccer player, it meant a lot to me to see my school being so proactive and visible about LGBTQI+ inclusion and allyship."
 
According to its website, Athlete Ally believes sport will change the world when it welcomes and empowers all people. As a leading national nonprofit working at the intersection of sport and LGBTQI+ equality, Athlete Ally works to end the structural and systemic oppression that isolates, excludes, and endangers LGBTQI+ people in sport. We educate individuals and institutions to understand obstacles to inclusion for LGBTQI+ people and how they can build an inclusive culture. We work to ensure sport governing bodies, teams and leagues adopt policies that reflect the diversity of their constituents. We incubate athlete activism to advance LGBTQI+ equality in and through sport. For more information, visit www.athleteally.org.
 
Note: Much of the information for this press release was provided by Athlete's Ally.