Robbie Rogers to be honored by Equality California

Equality California announced today that it will honor Robbie Rogers with the Courage in Leadership Award at the 2013 Los Angeles Equality Awards on  Oct. 5 at LA Live.

Equality California’s executive director John O’Connor said of the selection: “By living an authentic life as a proud openly gay athlete, Robbie Rogers is leading the path for others to follow. Rogers is a perfect example of why we sponsored the FAIR Education Act, which enables students to learn about the extraordinary courage and public service of successful lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”

Robbie made history in May by returning to play major league soccer for the LA Galaxy, making him the only active openly gay male athlete on a major league U.S. sports team.

He said in a statement: “There are a lot of leaders before me who have been an inspiration and given me courage to be an advocate in my own way. It is with great honor that I accept this award and hopefully inspire someone else to do something great.”

Equality California’s Courage in Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary contributions to improving the lives of the LGBT community through acts of courage and leadership.

For more information, visit eqcaawards.org/los-angeles.