PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College Department of Athletics has teamed up with the You Can Play Project to promote equality and diversity among student-athletes, standing alongside hundreds of colleges and universities, high schools, and professional and amateur sports organizations to recognize this important initiative.
 
The You Can Play Project is a campaign "dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation." With its simple, primary message – "If you can play, you can play" – the project seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms by focusing not on sexual orientation, but on athletic ability, commitment and character.

The project coincides perfectly with Manhattanville College's emphasis on social justice as well as the college's long-standing mission to educate students to be ethical and socially responsible leaders in a global community. Manhattanville was founded in 1841 as a Catholic college for women, and while it has been co-educational and non-denominational since 1971, the college remains committed to our rich tradition as a values-centered liberal arts college.

Along with emphasizing the project around campus, the Manhattanville Department of Athletics, led by Assistant Sports Information Director Tim Gallagher, produced a video featuring Valiant student-athletes, staff and administrators. The video is featured at the top of the page.
 
"Whether you are straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual, we are all Valiants striving for the same goal," said Manhattanville Director of Athletics Keith Levinthal. "At Manhattanville, we promote a culture of inclusion and support among our student-athletes, and we hope that our video helps to reinforce that. If you are LGBT and you can play, you can definitely play here at Manhattanville."
 
Manhattanville promotes a safe and welcoming environment for all our student-athletes, and that is what enables our Valiants to reach their full potential and excel in the classroom, on the field of play, and as a person. As long as you have what it takes to play, you can play. It's part of the Valiant Way.
 
Many of Manhattanville's student-athletes have signed up to take a stand against homophobia and persecution, doing so through the You Can Play Project website, http://youcanplayproject.org.