LGBT Network & Isles Announce Anti-Bullying Program In LI & NYC Schools

LGBT Network President/CEO David Kilmnick and New York Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky have announced a major anti-bullying partnership in over 200 Long Island and New York City Schools. Over 85 percent of LGBT students report daily verbal harassment in schools, with one-in-three LGBT students skipping school out of fear of bullying, underscoring the importance of this effort. The New York Islanders and LGBT Network partnership will address this epidemic in several ways.

The Islanders became the first professional sports franchise in any league to participate in the LGBT Network's National Coming Out Day campaign on October 11th. The campaign, in its 17th year, set a record with over 500,000 people participating in the LGBT Network's initiative. The Islanders also announced this season's "Pride Night," which will take place on Sunday, January 13, 2019, vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, with a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales supporting the expansion of the LGBT Network's anti-bullying programs.
RELATED: ISLANDERS PRIDE NIGHT
David Kilmnick, PhD, President/CEO of LGBT Network said, "The epidemic of anti-LGBT bullying isn't confined to school classrooms and hallways, it continues in the gym, on the field, and on the ice. The partnership between the LGBT Network and the New York Islanders will fight bullying in our schools and communities. As a life-long Islanders fan I bleed orange and blue. To know the team that I grew up rooting for is working to create safe spaces for all fans and players, makes me even prouder to be an Islanders fan and want to shout 'yes, yes, yes'. The Islanders and NHL's leadership role in support of LGBT inclusion in sports sends a strong message to thousands of LGBT youth and their families that they are welcomed and celebrated on the ice and in our arenas."
"The New York Islanders are proud to support the LGBT community in creating safe spaces for all," said New York Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky. "Hockey is truly for everyone."
This historic announcement is being made on National Coming Out Day (NCOD), where more than 430 organizations, businesses, schools, athletic teams, government officials and others will participate in the LGBT Network's 17th annual NCOD Campaign to #WearTheRibbon. People across the United States and globally in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia participate by wearing a rainbow ribbon to "come out" in support of safer spaces wherever LGBT people live, learn, work, play and pray. Learn more about the LGBT Network's NCOD campaign at
www.WearTheRibbon.org
.