Former star athlete talks
about reluctantly becoming a gay rights activist
TORONTO (Monday, May 20, 2013) – Athlete, humanitarian and chef de mission for the
2012 Olympic Games, Mark Tewksbury, delivers the 2013 June Callwood Lecture at
the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon on Monday, May 27. The event
starts at 7 pm and is hosted by CTV’s Seamus O’Regan.
Tewksbury’s lecture –Straight Talk
from a Gay Jock: Notes from a Reluctant Activist in Sport –couldn’t be more
timely. The recent coming out of NBA
star Jason Collins has shone a light on homophobia in the locker room, considered
by many to be the last bastion of discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Mark Tewksbury himself came out only
after he retired from swimming. Since
then, he has joined
tennis great Martina Navratilova in standing up for human rights at the 1st
World Outgames in Montreal in 2006, addressed the United Nations on the decriminalization
of homosexuality, and mentored other young gay athletes.
Mark
Tewksbury has 21 national titles and seven world records including an Olympic
Gold Medal. He is also an author and motivational speaker.
The June Callwood lecture began
in 2007 and serves as a legacy to Callwood’s lifelong commitment to social
justice. Past lecturers have examined goodness (Mary Jo Leddy), injustice in
our legal system (James Lockyer), moral
courage (Sally Armstrong), the Canadian
immigrant experience (Ratna Omidvar), homelessness (Cathy Crowe), and most recently, the power of advocacy
(Stephen Lewis.).
-30-
Media Contact:
Tina Srebotnjak
tsrebotnjak@torontopubliclibrary.ca
416-393-7098
Toronto Public Library is one of
the world's busiest urban public library systems. Every year, 19 million people
visit our branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow 32 million
items. To learn more about Toronto Public Library, visit our website at torontopubliclibrary.ca
or call Answerline at 416-393-7131. To get the most current updates on what's
happening at the library, follow us on Twitter @torontolibrary.