Transgender U.S. military sergeant and bodybuilder Shane Ortega has joined Athlete Ally as a Professional Ambassador. Ortega joins MMA Fighters Jessica Aguilar and Nicole Upshaw, National Women’s Soccer League Forward Zakiya Bywaters, Great Britain’s No. 1 male blind ski racer John Dickinson-Lilley and Canadian National Soccer Team Defender Carmelina Moscato who were also welcomed today by Athlete Ally as Professional Ambassadors.
They join more than 140 other professional athletes as Athlete Ally Ambassadors. Athlete Ally Ambassadors help the organization promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusion and equality in sports and under the law, by speaking out to their peers and fan bases.
“Athlete Ally is honored to welcome such a dedicated and diverse group of athletes to the Athlete Ally Ambassador family,” said Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally Founder and executive director. “As Athlete Ally continues to grow our base of professional athlete allies, we continue to strengthen the movement to eliminate homophobia and transphobia in sport. As we look ahead to 2016, we couldn’t be prouder to have the best and the brightest from the worlds of MMA, soccer, bodybuilding, and skiing, by our side.”
Sgt. Ortega is one of the first openly transgender people in the U.S. military, and also a bodybuilder. Sgt. Ortega resides in Oahu, Hawaii. “I find it important to share yourself with the world to make it a better place for one reason, because we all are human,” said Ortega. “Competition and the strive for better is inherent to the human experience. I always want to open up doors for others but also make sure they stay open by creating a permanent reform.”
For more information on Athlete Ally go here.
