Valentine’s Letters at Lift: How Athlete Ally Aimed to Achieve Greater Visibility While Bringing Joy to Student-Athletes
By Leila Metres
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Athlete Ally is a national organization dedicated to making space for LGBTQ people in sports, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst chapter was founded just last year. Valentine’s Letters at Lift was born out of a desire to bring the work that Athlete Ally does into the forefront of student-athletes’ lives. During this initiative, people could submit valentines for UMass student-athletes to be delivered during team weightlifting times by Athlete Ally e-board members.
As vice president, along with president Mari McBride, I wanted to find a way to be more integrated into the community, building on the successful work of past Athlete Ally events. Over two weeks, we delivered 87 valentines and raised $222 for an e-board trip to the Athlete Ally National Summit. It also expanded into something where people could write to coaches, athletic trainers, and staff as well.
It wasn’t an event that served to make people reflect on discrimination in the sports world or confront their inner biases about LGBTQ athletes. Events like our Derrick Gordon speaking series addressed issues like these. Instead, the goal was to introduce people to Athlete Ally as an organization in a way that isn’t scary or different from the work we do on the field, court, track, water, and weight room. It showed that Athlete Ally, and queer athletes as a whole, bring joy, excitement, and connection to our athletic department.
Sometimes, as a student-athlete, the grind of long training sessions and hours in class can get to be overwhelming. But Valentine’s Letters at Lift provided a respite from that.
“It brightened my day,” Karinne Everly, a swimming and diving athlete, said after receiving a valentine.
Going above and beyond is pretty much the brand of an Honors student. Mari and I are both Honors students ourselves, and we have a drive to make UMass athletics a space that is not only inclusive of queer athletes but proactively supports them. We want to transform Athlete Ally into something that people recognize as a regular presence on campus, not something that you’re forced to seek out when you really need it.
“As an Honors student-athlete, I care deeply about all of the communities I’m a part of,” Mari McBride, a senior anthropology major, said, “I saw Valentine’s Letters at Lift as a chance to facilitate expressions of care in my community.”
“I want UMass Athlete Ally to stand for love in all forms,” McBride added.
Whether you’re an athlete or NARP (Non-Athletic Regular Person), ally or LGBTQ, all are welcome at our events. Next up, Athlete Ally is hosting a Campus Clean-Up on March 8 at 2 p.m. This event will serve as an opportunity for community service and connection while taking care of our campus, and hot chocolate will be provided.
For more information about Athlete Ally, follow us on Instagram @umassathleteally.
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Leila Metres
