University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor, profiled on Outsports for his strong support of gay rights, won the 197-pound class at the ACC wrestling championships on Saturday and was named outstanding wrestler.
Taylor, ranked third nationally in his weight class, won the title by pinning Dennis Drury of North Carolina at the 4:10 mark. Taylor is 38-2 on the season and qualifies for the NCAA championships in Omaha on March 18-20.
Taylor is one of the most unique athletes I have ever spoken with, and his support for gay rights is inspiring and rare among straight athletes. He even wore a Human Rights Campaign sticker on his headgear for part of the season.
His story is must reading, not because I wrote it, but because it highlights someone who is striving to make a difference. Since his article ran, he e-mailed me:
I am getting the most moving e-mails from people around the world. It’s amazing. I mean, supporting the LBGT community is such a no-brainer to me. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. I’m so humbled to learn about some of the courageous stories of these people. And I’ve been responding to all of them.
ESPN will be showing the NCAAs, and I know that Taylor will have a large number of Outsports readers cheering him on as he wrestles for the title.
Some action shots from matches this year, courtesy of Taylor:
on Mar 7th, 2010 at 8:14 AM
I believe that it’s straight athletes “coming out,” not gay, who will be the pioneers. If a strong coalition of college and pro straight athletes like Hudson Taylor come forward to share their beliefs, it will make it so much easier for other straight athletes to get on board in support of gay athletes in their sports. This is the path I envision to the emergence of gay atheletes feeling they can be themeselves, i.e. openly gay, and play college or pro sports. Hudson Taylor is an incredible role model and I am hoping that there are others who wll follow him…
on Mar 7th, 2010 at 10:39 AM
GO TERPS!!!
on Mar 7th, 2010 at 11:02 AM
After placing third at last year’s NCAA’s, Taylor talks about his “milky white pasty body”, does a magic trick and jokes about coach’s “wide hips”.
http://vodpod.com/watch/3110569-hunky-wrestling-star-hudson-taylor-kicks-butt-on-and-off-the-mat
on Mar 7th, 2010 at 11:27 PM
Great story!
on Mar 8th, 2010 at 4:00 PM
“I believe that it’s straight athletes “coming out,” not gay, who will be the pioneers. ”
No. Gay men need to stop being afraid of everything and take stands for once in their life. Not just a few gay men, who did, 30 years ago.
on Mar 9th, 2010 at 11:40 AM
Congrats to Hudson.
Good luck in the NCAA tournament.
And thanks for being a supporter of gay civil rights.
on Mar 11th, 2010 at 4:23 PM
What a man and a person. If all of us would have the guts to stand up for what we believe.
on Mar 11th, 2010 at 5:56 PM
I have been following Hudson’s story since Outsports broke the news…this man deserves all the goodness that can happen to a person. Will be rooting for him at the NCAA’s