NFL
Bullock’s Heart
Reggie Bullock of the New York Knicks not only is a towering 6’6 power forward. He has a heart that is just as big.
On January 16th of this year, the Knicks hosted their Pride Night in their home game against the Phoenix Suns. It was at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.
Many professional leagues hold pride night. Including the NBA, NHL, MLB, and WNBA is a celebration of and in support of LGBTQ equality.
This effort is uniquely personal for Reggie Bullock.
On July 16, 2014, while he was with the LA Clippers, he got word that his transgender sister Mia Henderson was shot and killed in Baltimore.
The tragedy hit Reggie hard. Since then, he decided to become a crusader for LGBTQ rights.
LGBTQ youth spoke to him and he marched in annual Pride Parades in June. He also worked with the NBA on programs and workshops supporting the LGBTQ community. He lent his voice in opposition to various anti-LGBTQ bills politicians introduced in different states.
Athlete Ambassador
He is an official ambassador for Athlete Ally. It’s an advocacy group supporting LGBTQ acceptance in sports.
Just recently, Reggie issued a statement on twitter against HB1057 in South Dakota that seeks to deny LGBTQ youth medical care.
On this night, Reggie spoke to a group of young people from the Hentrick-Martin Institute. It’s an LGBTQ organization in New York that provides essential services and support.
He had spent time with them in the lead up to the game designing t-shirts for the kids to wear.
Reggie has kept Mia’s memory alive every step-up of the way.
We much need his allyship and his efforts at this time. Given that there is a crisis where black transgender women are being murdered at an alarming rate.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, murderers killed at least 25 transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2019. The majority were black and brown transgender women.
https://www.hrc.org/resources/violence-against-the-transgender-community-in-2019
Also, politicians are rolling back rights and protections. States are introducing laws that seek to deny transgender young people from participating in sports rooted in fear and ignorance.
Reggie’s visibility as a cis-gender straight-identified ally is a beautiful sight to see.
Hopefully, others will follow his example.
