Islanders Join LGBT Network In Anti-Bullying Initiative

On Oct. 11, which was National Coming Out Day, the New York Islanders announced a new partnership with the LGBT Newwork to expand the network's anti-bullying initiative that already exists at more than 200 area schools.

According to the LGBT Network, which serves the entire LGBT community on Long Island and in Queens, more than 85 percent of LGBT students report verbal harassment every day in school. One in three LGBT students have skipped school out of a fear of bullying.

The Islanders were the first professional sports franchise in any league to participate in the LGBT Network's National Coming Out Day campaign. The campaign, in its 17th year, set a record with more than 500,000 people participating in the initiative. The Islanders also announced this season’s “Pride Night,” which will take place on Sunday, January 13, 2019, vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, with a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales supporting the expansion of the LGBT Network’s anti-bullying programs.

“The epidemic of anti-LGBT bullying isn’t confined to school classrooms and hallways, it continues in the gym, on the field, and on the ice," said David Kilmnick, the president and CEO of the LGBT Network. "The partnership between the LGBT Network and the New York Islanders will fight bullying in our schools and communities. As a life-long Islanders fan, I bleed orange and blue. To know the team that I grew up rooting for is working to create safe spaces for all fans and players makes me even prouder to be an Islanders fan and want to shout ‘yes, yes, yes.’ The Islanders and NHL’s leadership role in support of LGBT inclusion in sports sends a strong message to thousands of LGBT youth and their families that they are welcomed and celebrated on the ice and in our arenas.”

The anti-bullying initiative is already in more than 200 schools on Long Island and Queens, and the Islanders partnership will help it expand. The LGBT Network provides anti-bullying workshops for students, training for teachers and staff, and more. Thanks to the partnership with the Islanders, the Network will be able to expand its Rapid Response Bullying Hotline into Nassau County, which was only available in Suffolk until now.

The LGBT Network also helps students that want to create Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in their schools by providing leadership training to students and helping them learn the best ways to approach their boards of education to get approval.

“The New York Islanders are proud to support the LGBT community in creating safe spaces for all,” said New York Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky. “Hockey is truly for everyone.”

Photo courtesy newyorkislandes.com