Billy Bean, Vice Chairman of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation

The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation today announced that former major league baseball player Billy Bean has been named vice chairman of its board. In this role, he will focus on helping professional leagues and athletes at all levels commit themselves to the fairness, equality, dignity and respect that defines true sportsmanship.

The Foundation, founded and chaired by rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen, MBE, is the world’s first dedicated to anti-­bullying and equality in sports. Billy Bean is the only out former major league baseball player. “We believe it sends a powerful signal to all athletes and to see two highly accomplished professional sports stars, one straight and one gay, join forces to advance the acceptance and inclusion reshaping sports today,” said Patrick T. Davis, chief executive officer of StandUp.

Billy Bean played major league baseball from 1987 through 1995. He broke into the major leagues with the Detroit Tigers, and tied a major league record with four hits in his first major league game. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. He kept his personal life a secret from the public and the sports world, before coming out as gay in 1999. “I want people to learn from my pain and journey, not repeat it. My dream is to help end this social epidemic called bullying that so many kids are subjected to each and every day in locker rooms and on playing fields,” Billy Bean said. “I believe we nearing that moment in time when athletes lead the way as role models for fairness once again. I am honored to serve StandUp as vice chairman to help make that dream a reality.”

“Billy has worked tirelessly to dispel the myths and stereotypes that follow LGBT athletes. We can think of no better way to help create understanding, respect and real sportsmanship than one major league athlete to another. It is at our core, and Billy will extend our work in professional sports,” said Ben Cohen.

“As an organization founded and led by a professional athlete, we can connect with other athletes and teams in especially authentic ways. Ben and Billy know what it is like inside the teams. We fund real-world work that makes an impact because we understand professional sports organizations and what their communities expect from them,” said Alison Doerfler, executive director of the Foundation.

Within one year, the Outlaws have grown from just two players with a dream to a club that now has over 30 players, experienced coaches and a permanent training ground. Also growing significantly over the past year, is the number of supporters – who are quaintly dubbed ‘the Inlaws’.

The Outlaws have not only created a safe place to participate in sports, they are also active in their work to bring an end to bullying by supporting the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation with a percentage of all funds they raise.

The first panel of the day, facilitated by Cyd Ziegler, co-founder of Outsports.com, was presented to the coaches and athletic staff of the Univiersity and included personal and professional perspectives on the issues from:

The second panel of the day, also facilitated by Cyd Ziegler, was presented to all UCLA student athletes and included moving stories and advice from:

The students were engaged and open to the conversation and the excitement of having time to talk about these relevant issues that are front and center in sports and media these days. StandUp is continuing the conversations with UCLA and looks forward to helping the University develop an action plan to address student athlete tolerance and diversity. Both the coaches and the athletes were asked to sign the UCLA Athlete Ally pledge as a first step in becoming a more inclusive campus.

In addition, UCLA Athletics unveiled their official You Can Play Video that was introduced by Brian Kitts, co-founder of the You Can Play Project.

In Wicked the Musical, Louise Dearman plays Elphaba and Gina Beck plays Glinda. As a special privilege, Wicked kindly authorised the use of the original Classroom Scene and ten student members of the Northampton Youth Forum completed the set, providing the backdrop against which Ben, Louise and Gina performed.

The StandUp Schools Programme is targeted at Year 7 students (aged 11/12) and the aim is to encourage a discussion around bullying, how to bring an end to it, and what it means to StandUp against bullying.

The programme will be piloted between April and July, with the final version ready for roll-out in the UK in September 2013.

The 2013 annual convention brought together professionals to examine the role that colleges and university leaders play in:

Ben spoke of the personal loss that inspired him to take a stand for others, highlighting the importance of driving a cultural change with the next generation. It is that generation of students that conference attendees represent and work with every day.

Our time with attendees and Ben’s message reinforced the theme of the conference and the role that the StandUp Foundation can play on college campuses to inspire communities of wellbeing.

ACPA is the leading comprehensive student affairs association that advances student affairs and engages students for a lifetime of learning and discovery. We were honored to be a part of this amazing conference.

Straight and gay sportsmen alike were refreshingly frank and gave us some personal insight as to how it was to be at the receiving end of inequalities in their sport.

It was generally agreed by the panel that in order to tackle the issue, those at the top must take complaints seriously and know how to deal with them fairly in order to gain the respect of the players and fans. At the moment, especially in football, there is no respect amongst players or referees and this does not present a good example to the sports fans.

Ben Cohen stated that he wanted to encourage famous sportspeople to use their privileged position to convey the very best characteristics and qualities – to embrace true sportsmanship and provide a positive example for others to follow.

“The issue of homophobia and transphobia in sports needs to be tackled from all angles – from the top through to grassroots – and sporting bodies, managers, referees, players and the fans must be educated to bring about a cultural change that removes the barriers preventing individuals from participating in sport,” argued Mr Cohen.

Mr Cohen concluded in saying, “We are aiming for a cultural change in sport where an individual is judged on their talent alone and not their actual or perceived sexuality.”

Mr Speaker welcomed like-minded guests to his private rooms within the Houses of Parliament to show support to the UK bid for the 2018 Gay Games and the right for same-sex couples to marry before handing over the podium to Ben, who spoke on homophobia and transphobia in sport and the importance of equality on the sports field.

Briefly entertaining people by running through some of the more comedic moments of his rugby career, Ben quickly focused on his aim for the evening, which was to encourage those with influence in the government to refresh the effort started by the StandUp/Home Office Sports Charter to bring an end to homophobia and transphobia in sport.

The Minister for Sport, Hugh Robertson, followed Ben’s speech to acknowledge that government had lost focus on this goal as a result of the Olympics, but that work would be reinvigorated to make sport a welcoming environment for LGBT athletes and to challenge unacceptable behaviour.

Members of Parliament in attendance were Stephen Gilbert (Lib Dem), Ben Bradshaw (Lab), Crispin Blunt (Con), Stuart Andrew (Lab), Eric Ollerenshaw OBE (Con), Stephen Williams (Lib Dem) and Nick Herbert (Con).

Travelling along icy roads and through snow storms, Ben finally arrived at St Peter’s School to a great welcome and a fun-packed day. First on the schedule was a sixth form lecture to 220 16-18 year old students, who were treated to a video of Ben’s try scoring moments and an in-depth discussion around the issue of bullying, including bullying within sport focused on promoting fairness and equality in sport. Topical in the media is homophobia in sport and Ben touched on this issue, emphasising that all individuals should be given the opportunity to ‘let their talent talk’ on the sports field.

Rapidly changing into training kit, Ben took a group of students out on the pitch for some top-level Rugby 7’s tips, not only with the aim of improving skills, but as a mechanism to facilitate a discussion around bullying and homophobia in sport, which served to engage the boys wholeheartedly. Staying in his training kit and ready for some more vigorous exercise, Ben was zipped off to the local Rugby Club to work with the young players and coaches on rugby skills and characteristics of good team players, encouraging respect and understanding.

The day concluded in a lecture to a mixed audience of children, parents and local York residents, as part of St Peter’s School Public Lecture Series.

During the day, funds were raised for the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation through raffles, auctions and the sale of StandUp wristbands. Though tiring, Ben had an absolutely fabulous day and gives all credit to St Peter’s School and the students for their wonderful hospitality.

The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation was honored to co-host and attend an anti-bullying rally at Hope-Hill Elementary School in Atlanta, GA this week. Located right down the street from the StandUp Foundation Offices, it was easy to help select the school that would benefit from this amazing event of support and understanding.

be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) is an anti-bullying alliance co-founded by The Creative Coalition and WWE to provide students with positive tools to prevent bullying in their schools and communities. StandUp is proud to join in this alliance of concerned organizations that understands the need for taking action against bullying.

Ben joined WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston, WWE Diva Layla, WWE EVP Creative Stephanie McMahon, WWE Announcer Josh Mathews, and Holli Levinson, Education Director, Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region in an energizing and inspiring rally in support of the schools No Place for Hate, More Room for Hope program. The school’s Peace Ambassadors were honored with a special reception with the speakers and posed for photos and shared inspiring stories of courage, respect and kindess that is setting the tone in this Atlanta Public Elementary School. The StandUp Foundation has also been in conversations with Hope-Hill and the ADL exploring ways to deepen this partnership and support in the coming year around additional anti-bullying curriculum, training and events.

The mission of Be a STAR is to ensure a positive and equitable social environment for everyone regardless of age, race, religion or sexual orientation through grassroots efforts beginning with education and awareness. If you’re a student, teacher or parent, they have the resources and tools to help you put an end to bullying in your school and community. Start now by taking the be a STAR Pledge. Then learn more by exploring the many helpful and informative features on the be a STAR site.

“Our mission is simple but will take time to fulfill. We are off to a strong start,” said Ben Cohen, MBE, chairman. “We exist to raise awareness of the long-term damaging effects of bullying, and to fund those doing real-world work to stop it.”

More than $50,000 of the anti-bullying support came from Cohen’s social-commercial StandUp brand, which was launched to create a sustainable funding model beyond traditional non-profit fundraising. “More than 15 percent of every dollar we took in for the StandUp brand went to support Foundation work,” said Patrick T. Davis, chief executive officer of Ben Cohen Worldwide, which licenses StandUp. “We are not talking about a small share of profit at the end, but funds off the top. Every purchase helps advance our anti-bullying message and work.” The $51,500 of support from the StandUp brand made the commercial enterprise the single largest corporate supporter of the Foundation to date.

Total revenue across the StandUp social-commercial model topped $838,500 at the completion of the first full year in operation. Since launch, the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation has grown to include a complementatry operation in the UK,and the StandUp product line has expanded to more than 150 products that shipped to 53 countries. StandUp Magazine launched in November, 2012 to promote stories of other athletes who are true role models.

“To have such an exceptionally strong leader in Ben and such a sustainable model of funding gives us real confidence about how much more we can do,” said Alison Doerfler, executive director of the Foundation. “With grants that we are preparing to announce next week, our total support to-date will approach $250,000.”

Ben Cohen, one of the world’s greatest athletes, is a rugby World Cup champion and second in all time scoring for England. He is the first sports superstar to dedicate his philanthropic efforts to anti-bullying. He founded the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in memory of his father, Peter Cohen, who was beaten to death when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked.

To learn more about the Foundation and to read the 2011-2012 Report of Progress, click here.