Team England launches empowering anthem for Commonwealth Games. | Photo: npower / YouTube
Team England just launched a powerful new LGBTI-inspired anthem for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
A new music video features British track and field athlete Jazmin Sawyers and Britain’s Got Talent winner Tokio Myers.
They’re accompanied by a 54 piece orchestra and 10 person choir as well as athletes including diver Jack Laugher, artistic gymnast Max Whitlock, Paralympic swimmer Ellie Robinson and diver Lois Toulson.
Sponsored by UK energy company npower, the music video is a new take on the iconic Jerusalem – England’s Commonwealth Games anthem. They’ve launched npower’s ‘Power of Support‘ campaign, celebrating the support athletes receive and how this enhances their performance.
Olympic medalist Tom Bosworth is representing Team England. | Photo: supplied
Sawyers describes herself as ‘that singing long jumper’ but is also a huge advocate for LGBTI equality.
At the start of the music video, she made a conscious decision to wear her Rainbow Laces. This is a campaign started by Stonewall, an LGBTI charity based in the UK. The campaign encourages athletes to wear Rainbow Laces as a message of inclusivity, as well as to show sport can be anyone’s game.
Jazmin Sawyers: ‘Call out homophobia, transphobia and other discriminatory comments’
In an exclusive interview with Gay Star News, Sawyers explains why LGBTI equality is so important.
She said she wears her Rainbow Laces on her spikes to compete in, so ‘it made sense to wear them for the video.’
She added: ‘It’s another platform to support equality.’
@JazminSawyers #Jerusalem #longjump #sand #London #jump #Athletics pic.twitter.com/RIOR7QyoR0
— hazpics (@hazpics) March 19, 2018
Sawyers continued: ‘I think one of the most important things we can do as individuals is to call out homophobia, transphobia and other discriminatory comments when we hear them, especially in our own circles. People need to learn from their own peers that it’s not acceptable, so I try to do that.’
While she identifies as straight, she believes it just makes sense to be inclusive when it comes to treating everyone with respect.
‘There’s no specific reason,’ she said. ‘Things just aren’t equal and until they are, we’ve got it wrong.’
She added: ‘[Equality] should be important to everyone.’
Watch the music video:
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npower is a proud official partner of Gay Star News.
