Brian Sims Stands Up with Ben Cohen

Gay rights advocate and policy lawyer Brian Sims recently flew to Atlanta to meet Ben Cohen and discuss the recently retired rugby hunk's anti-bullying StandUp Foundation. Brian was an obvious person for Ben to get together with because not only does he have firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be an openly gay athlete -- in 2000, he led the Bloomsburg University football team to the Division II championship game -- he has been doing similar work with his own organization, LGBT Athletes & Allies. When asked to come meet Ben, Brian said he'd be "honored" to talk to him about how he could "help him with his efforts to continue to spread his message of inclusiveness and equality here in the United States."

Brian's visit is included in an upcoming documentary for LOGO about Ben's efforts to use his position as a sports hero to build bridges between straights and gays and he wrote about it in the July issue of Compete magazine.

Brian writes: What followed was an experience that was entirely unexpected and as inspiring and motivating as anything I’ve had the incredible fortune to do over the last several years. As a gay rights advocate and policy attorney, I have spent years studying the impact that pro-LGBT activism has on our rights and on our allies, and I know that the statistical impact of straight allies of gay rights is oftentimes significantly greater than anything that I or any other gay activists can offer. Quite literally, a Ben Cohen reaches an audience that doesn’t want to be reached by “gay” organizations, or by pro-equality messages. His voice is unique in that regard and it follows that he brings an almost limitless ability to reach new allies.

Read Brian's full heartfelt account HERE.