On June 29, soccer fans and LGBTQ+ leaders gathered at State Farm Arena for “Pride on the Pitch,” a conversation between Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor and two-time Olympic gold medalist Briana Scurry.
The event was hosted by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA) in honor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The event was part of AFCRA’s efforts toward developing an LGBTQ+ community center in Atlanta. In 2025, AFCRA released findings from a year-long study into the feasibility of the center. These findings were presented to the City of Atlanta at the beginning of the year; updates on the project are expected to be shared soon.
Related story: Survey shows ‘overwhelming support’ for Atlanta LGBTQ+ community center
AFCRA Executive Director Kerry Stewart was honored with the Lynn Barfield Ally Award during the event, emphasizing the necessity of non-queer allies in the fight for resources like the center. Barfield, who died in 2022, worked with organizations like Chris 180, AID Atlanta, the More to Love Foundation, and For the Kid in All of Us.
During Monday’s conversation, Taylor and Scurry discussed visibility and activism in sports. Scurry was the first Black player to start and cement a permanent role on the U.S. Women’s National Team and the first Black woman inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Her experience being the only Black and openly gay female athletes at the time is detailed in the 2022 documentary “The Only.”
Scurry was also one of the players who went on strike before the 1996 Olympics to secure better pay for female athletes, which she connected to the broader fight for LGBTQ+ and other human rights among athletes.
“Athletes [are often] being quieted [with] people saying, ‘Shut up and play your sport,’” she said. “Well, the truth is this type of stage is the perfect place to take a stand because you have leverage as an athlete, you have a certain kind of spotlight and a certain kind of attention, and I feel it’s unlucky and a missed opportunity if you don’t use that [power] in areas where something needs to be said.”
Scurry, who played as a goalkeeper, also discussed the importance of staying resilient against attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. The ACLU is currently tracking more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills nationwide, and the Human Rights Campaign has declared a National State of Emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans.
“On the defensive, you have to be strong, tenacious, just unrelenting,” Scurry said.
“You have to have resilience, because as a Black female gay athlete, I’ve had to battle on every single front of who I am. You have to continue to move forward every day.”
