g and i have had a crush on ben cohen, an english rugby player(we may even have his calendar hanging in our bedroom!) for quite some time. though he has a huge gay following, ben is a straight man and father of two. he is a straight ally and does work to combat homophobia, specifically in sports. after the surge in teenage suicide recently, ben expressed his feelings towards bullying and homophobia. ben felt so strongly about this that he retired from rugby and went on an acceptance tour last spring throughout the US. while on the tour he announced the launch of his "StandUp Foundation".
"The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, Inc. is the world’s first foundation dedicated to raising awareness of the long-term, damaging effects of bullying, and funding those doing real-world work to stop it. We stand up against bullying regardless of to whom it happens. Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are often targeted by bullies, we give particular attention to this community. We include removing homophobia from sports as central to our mission."
last week, while in chicago for the 2011 gay softball world series, ben scheduled a meet and greet at a local bar to raise money for his foundation. unfortunately i had to work, but g was able to go! not only did he get to hear ben discuss his excellent organization, but he got to meet ben!!
(he said he's nicer and hotter in person...duh!) when i got home from my trip, i was surprised with a few ben cohen gifts of my own! a StandUp t-shirt and bracelet and this personalized and autographed picture of ben! thanks, g!
in all seriousness, it's nice to have someone like ben cohen as a straight ally, fighting for what's right.
2 comments:
It was a great surprise getting to meet him and it felt good to help support a great cause.
it's always nice to see someone in the spotlight using their fame in a positive way. good for ben!
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