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GAY TIMES on Instagram: "NFL star Khalen Saunders is opening an LGBTQIA+ friendly football camp for youth 🏳️🌈🏈
Set to launch 5 July in partnership with GLAAD and the NFL Pride Football Combine, the initiative has been hailed as one the first of its kind.
Saunders, who is currently the New Orleans Saints defensive tackle, made the announcement at the 2025 GLAAD Awards, and elaborated further about the camp during an appearance on Good Morning Football.
“"Being an ally is more than just saying I support, but it's also showing up," said the star, who is the brother of Taylor Swift’s backing dancer Kameron Saunders. "Being in the NFL is very male-dominant and heterosexual dominant and it feels as though there's not really a space for the LGBTQ community."
During Super Bowl week, Saunders attended the NFL-sponsored Pride Football Clinic alongside Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who is the first-ever NFL player to be raised by two mothers.
"I was able to go out there and get to talk to some of the people participating in it and, man, it was great conversations," Saunders said.
"These are people that feel they have to be hidden. And although they love the sport, they might love the NFL, they might love football in general as a sport, they kind of shy away from it because of orientations or other outside things."
He continued: “That’s my goal, to continue to spread positive energy around that because football is for everybody. Football is for all.”
With the Trump administration rolling back rights for LGBTQIA+ people in sports, particularly trans people, and purging diversity and inclusion programs, it's never been more important to have allies like Khalen Saunders 👏
📝 @samdamshenas"
18K likes, 112 comments - gaytimes on April 4, 2025: "NFL star Khalen Saunders is opening an LGBTQIA+ friendly football camp for youth 🏳️🌈🏈
Set to launch 5 July in partnership with GLAAD and the NFL Pride Football Combine, the initiative has been hailed as one the first of its kind.
Saunders, who is currently the New Orleans Saints defensive tackle, made the announcement at the 2025 GLAAD Awards, and elaborated further about the camp during an appearance on Good Morning Football.
“"Being an ally is more than just saying I support, but it's also showing up," said the star, who is the brother of Taylor Swift’s backing dancer Kameron Saunders. "Being in the NFL is very male-dominant and heterosexual dominant and it feels as though there's not really a space for the LGBTQ community."
During Super Bowl week, Saunders attended the NFL-sponsored Pride Football Clinic alongside Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who is the first-ever NFL player to be raised by two mothers.
"I was able to go out there and get to talk to some of the people participating in it and, man, it was great conversations," Saunders said.
"These are people that feel they have to be hidden. And although they love the sport, they might love the NFL, they might love football in general as a sport, they kind of shy away from it because of orientations or other outside things."
He continued: “That’s my goal, to continue to spread positive energy around that because football is for everybody. Football is for all.”
With the Trump administration rolling back rights for LGBTQIA+ people in sports, particularly trans people, and purging diversity and inclusion programs, it's never been more important to have allies like Khalen Saunders 👏
📝 @samdamshenas".
