By Brittny Drye

brendon-ayanbadejo-marriage-equality-baltimore ravensThe confetti may not even yet be cleared from the Superdome but Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo is already making good on his promise to take advantage of his time in the spotlight and advocate for marriage equality.

He appeared in a new video which was launched on Monday for the Respect for Marriage Coalition, a movement headed by the joint forces of the Human Rights Campaign and Freedom to Marry, along with 80 other members, to help end DOMA and grow support for same-sex marriage.

“I believe we should be doing everything that we can to make families stronger, which is why I support marriage for gay and lesbian couples who want to make a lifetime commitment to each other,” the Super Bowl winner explains in the video.

He also opened up on the topic in a post-game interview for Russell Simons‘s website, saying, “Being the first pioneer publicly accepting same-sex marriage in the three major sports was difficult at first but the more people scrutinized me and ridiculed me, the stronger I became for the issue. It was like lifting weights; the resistance made me stronger, stand taller and speak louder for LGBT right.”

I am very happy for my team, the organization, the fans and the city of Baltimore. They have been incredible to me and my family! Now it is time to make sure all families can share in the same opportunities that we can. Our work has just begun”

Watch the video here:

 

Photo: noh8campaign.com