Former NFL player to speak at Sewickley Academy on obstacles gays face; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 4/9/14

Bobby Cherry, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; Former NFL player to speak at Sewickley Academy on obstacles gays face:

"Davis last year was named executive director of You Can Play — an organization working to end homophobia among sports programs from the youth level to professional.

The organization has partnered with teams and sports leagues in an effort to educate executives, players and coaches on providing equality, safety and respect for gay athletes.

“He'll be able to talk to students about being silenced for so long in a very public position,” Sewickley Academy spokeswoman Mandi Semple said.

School leaders considered Davis as a speaker after students said the school needed to do more to educate peers about equality, the school's Diversity Director Jeremiah Jackson said.

“(Diversity is) probably the most important thing we should be focused on as a school,” he said. “The most important thing in any school environment are the people. So when we're talking about inclusion and identity, we're not just talking about sexual orientation and identity or race, we're talking about the real identities of people. And if our true mission is to help students cultivate their individual potential, they have to be able to see themselves, explore themselves and take risks in a safe space and a positive way.”"