Husker Athletics joins LGBT inclusion program co-founded by engineering alumnus Lueshen

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Athletics announced on Wednesday that it has become one of three institutions to become inaugural members of the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program. The group was co-founded by UNL chemical engineering alumnus and former Husker place-kicker Eric Lueshen.

According to the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program website, the group was “developed to create an infrastructure for athletic administrators, coaches and recreational sports leaders to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer inclusion” in college, high school and professional sports.

Lueshen, the first openly gay player on a major-college football program while on the Nebraska football team from 2003 to 2006, founded the program along with Nevin Caple, a former women’s basketball player at Fairleigh Dickinson.

The LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program uses a new algorithm, the 3-Peat Model, to help administrators understand how to implement inclusive programming, policies and public awareness initiatives within their respective athletic communities.

Member institutions that actively engage in inclusion will be awarded a Gold, Silver or Bronze medallion for the athletic department website, a listing in the LGBT SportSafe national registry of inclusive athletic and recreational sport communities, and exclusive access to Coaches Corner, a comprehensive online resource for LGBT inclusion in sports which provides everything from webinars and model policies to discussion forums and best practices for athletic professionals.

Northwestern University and the University of Oregon are the other two institutions listed as inaugural members.

“We are thrilled to partner with three powerhouse institutions who are leading the way for LGBT inclusion in sport,” Lueshen said, in an article on the group’s website. “The tragedy in Orlando reinforces the need to increase the visibility of LGBT inclusive spaces, and it’s an honor to have these institutions taking proactive steps to make athletics a place where everyone is valued and respected.”