By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
Editor's Note: This feature is part of an ongoing effort to shine light on inclusivity efforts of all kinds at the University of Washington. University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce launched a Race and Equity Initiative in Spring 2015, challenging all university community members to take personal responsibility for addressing our own biases and improving university culture. To learn more about Athlete Ally, click here.
André Mattus was in the Conibear Shellhouse helping to organize a photoshoot for Washington's version of the "We Don't Say" campaign.
Originally the idea of students at Duke, the campaign is aimed at drawing attention to offensive words to spark a conversation about inclusion and understanding.
As one of the leaders of the university's Athlete Ally chapter, Mattus was asked about why he wanted to work on the project.
"It brings my interest for social justice into my identity as a student athlete," the coxswain on the rowing team said.
During that conversation, as student athletes from a wide swath of sports walked in to dinner, Mattus talked in broad strokes about his interest in helping Washington's athletic department continue working toward being a more inclusive place.
Then, a few days later, an email hit my inbox.
It was from Mattus. He shared a personal story that led to a second conversation. The senior is involved in this project, because for Mattus, it's personal, a reflection of the struggle he's experienced.
He started his story at the beginning.
"I realized I was queer sometime when I was in middle school," he said. "I can't really put an exact moment to it."
In high school, he didn't announce he was gay, but it was understood.
"It was kind of like I was in a class closet, it didn't need to be said," he said.
By his senior year, he understood who he was and worked to help others working through identity issues.
"It became a fundamental part of my identity," he said. "I was able to reach out to other closeted queer students at my high school, so that was really empowering."
Then he arrived at Washington.
"What I didn't account for was that UW was much larger than high school," he said. "There were just so many more people, so many different people to encounter. Being a visible out student athlete, I was put into a completely new setting.
"I found myself having to come out again, and again and again, in so many different situations."
As a gay man and a minority, with parents who immigrated from the Philippines, Mattus felt a moral obligation to "represent all of these communities all at once, which is pretty tiring work and doesn't always go well."
Working as a one-man social justice warrior took its toll. Then he found Athlete Ally, a national organization dedicated to eradicating homophobia and transphobia in athletics.
"The reason I find Athlete Ally to be so empowering is it creates a space in which I don't have to do that work alone," he said.
So how did the "We Don't Say" campaign wind its way to Washington? It was brought across the country by co-founder Daniel Kort after relocating to Seattle. The project has since been embraced by a passionate group of student athletes working to spread a culture of acceptance across the university's diverse collection of athletic programs.
"As a student athlete here you're always focused on your sport and school," said beach volleyball senior Melanie Wade, who is working on her master's degree. "Finding time to get involved in something outside of that is difficult, so for me, this – diversity and inclusion – is something I care a lot about, so getting involved with this was something I felt I could really contribute to.
"We're not trying to tell any one you should do this or you should do that. It's more just saying I personally choose not to use this word, because it is offensive."
Senior Associate Director of Athletics Kim Durand has seen some of the benefits of Athlete Ally in her work with many student-athletes.
"Inclusivity in all forms is a huge priority for our campus and our athletic department," Durand said. "Athlete Ally has been a tremendous resource for so many student-athletes, and I have seen their passion firsthand."
Madi McNamara first came out when she was in high school. And then, like Mattus, faced a tough transition once she arrived at Washington.
"I got to UW and didn't feel super comfortable letting people know and I didn't really want it to be what defined me," she said.
One of her teammates on the Washington women's soccer team had a former teammate who went to Duke. That's how she first found out about "We Don't Say."
"I always wanted to start that here and kind of help other realize the words we use really do affect how people feel and how comfortable they feel being themselves, whether they're an LGBT person or whether you're just a normal person who doesn't like certain words that are said," McNamara said.
Here experience as a freshman at Washington, "made me want to get involved."
And now that she has help, Athlete Ally continues working to create a culture at Washington that provides a strong, and inclusive, first impression to every student athlete who steps on campus.
"Language is the first impression," McNamara said. "It's really important to have a good first impression and create a trusting environment from the start. Language does that."
She added that a team is like a family, but if a member of that program hears language that makes them uncomfortable, well, "that's scary."
"They could be really accepting, but you don't know that if they throw around certain words," she said.
Mattus, McNamara and Wade are proud to be Huskies. They appreciate the opportunities the university has provided athletically and academically. They are passionate about this place, so they work to make it better.
"UW is a fantastic place, but we can be more proactive in the way we teach, learn and have the necessary uncomfortable discussions, no matter how you identify socially, politically and so forth," Mattus sad. "We may end up disagreeing, but at least we made the effort."
