Northwestern’s athletic department announced Wednesday that it would be among three launch partners for the LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program, an initiative that seeks to promote the inclusion of LGBT athletes.

Along with the University of Oregon and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NU will be among the first to implement the program, developed by Br{ache the Silence co-founder Nevin Caple and Eric Lueshen, a former Nebraska football player.

The athletic department invited Caple to NU for two days in the winter to work with students and staff to evaluate department programming and policies, assistant athletic director for academics and student development Maria Sanchez said. In the spring, Caple extended NU an invitation to partner with her program.

The program focuses on policy, programming and public awareness initiatives to promote LGBT inclusion in athletics. Sanchez said the partnership will give the athletic department exclusive access to model policies and other resources to promote education and awareness.

Departments that actively engage with the program will receive additional recognition on the LGBT SportSafe website.

“The athletic community is ready for a cultural shift as many of us know or love someone who identifies as LGBT,” Caple said in a press release. “LGBT SportSafe will help strengthen the entire athletic community as inclusion doesn’t only benefit LGBT people, but all of us.”

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