The Pride Tape Kickstarter campaign has surpassed its original goal of $54,000 (CAD)! Organizers will now be able to produce the rainbow coloured hockey tape designed to show support for young LGBTQ athletes. Fittingly, the contribution that ultimately reached the goal came from the Burke family who, in honour of their late son Brendan, founded the You Can Play Project – an organization aimed at promoting the inclusion of LGBTQ athletes in sports.
"The response has been overwhelming," said Jeff McLean, Creative Director for Calder Bateman Communications, who created the Pride Tape concept. "Because of the hard work and generosity of all our partners and supporters, we will be able to put Pride Tape into the hands of players and show LGBTQ athletes they have allies on the ice."
Pride Tape will be made available free of charge for minor hockey teams and it will also be sold as a retail product, with proceeds going to You Can Play and the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services.
The Pride Tape Kickstarter campaign has generated nearly 1000 contributors from all over the globe and has been featured across North American media, including Upworthy, USA Today, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports, CBC National, the Huffington Post, Hockey Night in Canada, as well as nearly every major daily newspaper across Canada and a host of LGBTQ publications, including The Advocate.
Pride Tape was in the spotlight on the weekend as National Hockey League team the Edmonton Oilers became the first major professional sports franchise to use the tape, with Oilers players adorning their sticks with pride flags for a sold---out skills competition on Sunday.
"This is a huge step for LGBTQ athletes," said Dr. Kristopher Wells, a professor for the University of Alberta’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, one of Pride Tape’s partners. "For a pro sports team to show enthusiastic support to these athletes in such a public way is well beyond our original expectations. It was an incredible gesture of support for those who need it."
"I’ll never forget seeing the Oilers salute their fans as a team with the pride flag on their sticks. It was a true signal that everyone is welcome on the ice – I believe it will be an enduring image for all LGBTQ athletes."
Facts About Pride Tape
- The Kickstarter campaign continues to accept contributions until February 3, 2016. Supporters can go to PrideTape.com to make their contributions.
- The Pride Tape concept is intended to extend to other sports in addition to hockey.
- 10,000 rolls of tape will be manufactured in the first run. The Kickstarter campaign will allow for an initial free distribution of rolls of Pride Tape to local teams across Canada and beyond. The tape will also go on sale to the public.
- Pride Tape will be distributed worldwide. Contributions to Pride Tape are coming from countries around the world.
- Profits from the sale of tape will be split between the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services and the You Can Play Project, which has played a leading role in combatting homophobia in sports.
- As part of the national media campaign, a television commercial was produced starring Edmonton Oiler’s defenseman Andrew Ference.
- Pride Tape organizers previously produced NoHomophobes.com, which attracted global recognition for addressing homophobic language online.
To learn more about the Pride Tape campaign, visit: www.PrideTape.com
