Notre Dame signals it is open to gay athletes

The Catholic Church in the United States has taken a lot of heat over its stance against gay rights and for policies that often bar openly gay people from participating in church life.

But the University of Notre Dame, an icon of American Catholicism, increasingly has been going against that current when it comes to gay athletes. On May 8, the school launched a new campaign to reinforce a message of inclusion wrapped in the wider message of the Catholic faith.

“Because the university values LGBTQ students in the Notre Dame community, as indeed it values all of its students, the university is committed to fostering an environment of welcome and mutual respect that is grounded in its Catholic mission,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says in a voice-over for the two-minute video that kicks off the campaign.