LOVE WINS: Monumental Sports & Entertainment Celebrates Pride Month in DC

Monumental Sports & Entertainment honors the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community with a series of activations across the company and its professional sports teams, reinforcing a commitment towards greater inclusiveness and acceptance.

In conjunction with Pride Month, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation is hosting an auction benefitting SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders). The auction opens on Thursday, June 18 at noon on Handbid and concludes Friday, June 26 at 3:00 p.m. The auction features nearly 30 items, including autographed player-used sticks wrapped in rainbow-color "Pride Tape," player-autographed, pride-themed T-shirts, jerseys, pucks and basketballs from the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, among other specialty items.

SMYAL is a nonprofit that works to empower lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in the Washington metropolitan area.

On Tuesday, June 16, the external video boards at Capital One Arena will be taken over with a "LOVE WINS" banner and graphics featuring the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics. Team social channels will feature pride-related avatars and graphics as well as content featuring fans and voices of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition, a Mystics Pride Microsite features additional pride content, merchandise, an enter-to-win Mystics prize pack, COVID-19 related resources for the LGBTIQ+ community and more.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and its teams have annually participated in Pride Month celebrations and supported LGBTQ+ causes throughout the year, including annual team pride theme nights. Last year's 2019 Capital Pride Parade marked the fourth year Monumental Sports and its players and staff participated in the event. Previous Pride auctions and team initiatives have raised more than $80,000 for LGBTQ+ related charities.

About Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Monumental Sports & Entertainment is America's leading sports and entertainment family. Our people, players, teams, and events bring excitement and joy to millions. We invest and innovate to consistently raise the game so we can deliver extraordinary experiences that will inspire and unite our community, our fans, and our people. To learn more, please visit www.monumentalsports.com.

About SMYAL

SMYAL (Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders) supports and empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. Through youth leadership, SMYAL creates opportunities for LGBTQ youth to build self-confidence, develop critical life skills and engage their peers and community through service and advocacy. Committed to social change, SMYAL builds, sustains, and advocates for programs, policies, and services that LGBTQ youth need as they grow into adulthood. In addition to working in schools and communities across the DMV, SMYAL has a comprehensive housing program for homeless LGBTQ youth that provides safe and stable shelter, food, case management services, crisis intervention and community support for its residents.