Quotes About Inclusion

In terms of having the American people look at the court and think of it as being fair and appropriate for our nation, it helps to have women, plural, on the court.

Kids deserve to be taken seriously. It's just as important to talk to them about women's equality, about fairness. We really have to focus on children early.

When people say there are people who are faking it, if I had a choice I wouldn't want to have a disability.

I didn't want that 15 minutes of fame moment like, 'Oh, she said she was gay.'

This is the city that kind of formulated who I am. And, not only that, but to be black in Atlanta is one of the greatest things because you can go anywhere and feel familiar with anyone who's right next to you, from Bankhead to Buckhead.

If we do not lift up women and families, everyone will fall short.

I don't want women and their families to be left out and left behind. We can fight for them. We will fight for them. They deserve better and I want to give them better.

There are plenty of sports teams that say they're very open and super accepting in the locker room. But are they really? Is it really a safe environment? Have they preset that environment to make these players feel comfortable for coming out? I don't think so because there's none out.

I think that a lot of teams aren't as close-knit as we are because a lot of the Spanish speakers don't know English and some of the English guys don't care to try and learn Spanish and relate to Latin players.

Companies and football teams have become successful precisely because of how diverse they are.

When I started playing, there were no teams and no structure, so I had to play with the boys. I get very emotional when I think about the humiliation that I've suffered playing football.

I was gay before I began to play soccer over 40 years ago. It's been 28 years since a friend and I organized one of the first gay soccer teams in the world.

In recent generations, women's sports have been a blessing. Some of us can remember the bad old days in the '50s, when we would discover in casual schoolyard play that a girl could outrun most of us or hold her own in basketball or hit a softball - but there were no teams, no coaches, for girls.

On my teams, as a guy who grew up hunting and fishing, I was in the minority in terms of music and lifestyle. I became good friends with people who listened to R&B and rap. But it wasn't just an issue of being around it - I was naturally drawn to it right off the bat.

When we had segregated schools and when we had a time when, you know, girls weren't allowed to have the same kind of sports teams - I mean, there have been important inflection points for the federal government to get involved in some of the areas around protecting students and ensuring safe environments for them - there is a role to play.

I firmly believe in the old adage 'Actions speak louder than words.' This means proactively seeking women for roles within boards, identifying opportunities for diversity within teams, and finding ways to use your platform to mentor women - and then encourage them to do the same.

I grew up watching the Lakers and the Dodgers and the Rams, all local men's professional teams, and never really had any women that I grew up watching.

Growing up on an all-boys' team wasn't the easiest thing. I'd have guys come after me on the ice and just hit me because I'm a girl. I'd have parents heckling me from the stands, other parents not wanting me on the team, not making certain teams just because I was a girl.

In the teams I've been at, I've been really well received.

When I started doing improv in Chicago, for every five teams, one or two would have one woman.

We want people that fit in our locker room. As I said, it's all about teamwork.

Black people, if I may, we don't get a lot of opportunities to do a lot of different things outside the norm, outside of what is expected of us. Black women on Broadway are expected to put themselves downstage center and tear the roof off.

We have to inspire people and give them a sense of hope. We need to bring people along, not ridicule and tear them down.

I'm going to be an advocate to ensure that we are protecting everyone, and we're tearing down barriers and not building barriers.