MTV'S "TRUE LIFE: I'M A GAY ATHLETE" EXPLORES THE LIVES OF COLLEGE ATHLETES STRUGGLING TO FIND ACCEPTANCE IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS TONIGHT AT 11:30 PM ET/PT
SPECIAL JOINS MTV'S RECENTLY LAUNCHED LOOK DIFFERENT CAMPAIGN TO HELP YOUTH ACCELERATE FIGHT AGAINST RACIAL,
GENDER & LGBT INEQUALITY
New York, NY (May 7, 2014) - Airing tonight, on the eve of the 2014 NFL Draft, where Michael Sam is expected to become the first openly gay pro football player, MTV's Emmy-winning series will provide an inside look at the lives of two college athletes as they are torn between their love of sports and the fear of coming out to their families and teammates about their sexuality.
Viewers will meet Stephen, the strongest rower on his crew team, who worries that the rest of the guys will see him as weak if reveals he's gay. Stephen is trying to take his rowing career to the next level but his concerns have forced him to pull away from the team. He is now working to summon the courage to come clean and risk losing his standing on the water with his team.
As a competitive cheerleader and all around girly-girl Desiree's friends and family never suspected Desiree is a lesbian and until now, have had no problem keeping it that way. She has been filled with conflict and is anxious that her friends and family will no longer be cheering for her when they find out she is a lesbian.
"True Life: I'm A Gay Athlete" joins MTV's recently launched "Look Different" campaign, a multi-year initiative empowering America's youth to better counter the hidden racial, gender and anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) biases all around us. The campaign reflects Millennials' deep commitment to the principles of equality and fairness, while inviting them to look differently at subjects like privilege, prejudice and "colorblindness."
Look Different will help young people better recognize and respond to bias - which most encounter on a daily basis and most find difficult to discuss openly - by leveraging MTV's core assets, including on-air programming, social media reach, innovative digital tools, celebrity engagement and much more.
"True Life Presents: I'm a Gay Athlete" is produced executive produced by Cheryl Horner Sirulnick from Gigantic! Productions. Elis Ortiz also serves as producer. Marshall Eisen and Betsy Forhan serve as executive producers for MTV. Jonathan Mussman serves as executive in charge of production.
About MTV:
MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
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