The University of Colorado Boulder’s (CU) decision to honor former head football coach Bill McCartney with a statue on its campus is deeply concerning to many LGBTQ+ Coloradans, myself included. As CEO of Rocky Mountain Equality and someone born and raised in Colorado, I recognize McCartney’s contributions to CU’s athletic legacy. But his public record cannot be separated from that.
As founder of Promise Keepers, McCartney led a national organization that opposed LGBTQ+ rights and promoted exclusionary and harmful views. He used his position and platform at CU to spread hateful rhetoric, referring to homosexuality as a sin, advocating against rights for same-sex couples, and dehumanizing gay and lesbian people. His remarks and the movement he led caused real harm both nationally and in Colorado.
A statue isn’t a footnote—it’s a monument. Honoring someone with a public monument implies that their legacy is worthy of celebration. In this case, it sends a disheartening message to CU’s LGBTQ+ students, staff, and alumni: that their identities and experiences are not valued on this campus.
Boulder has long prided itself on being a progressive, inclusive city, and CU has taken steps in recent years to become more inclusive. This decision undermines that progress. We challenge CU to continue to lead with courage, get feedback from LGBTQ+ students and community leaders, talk to survivors of the harmful culture McCartney helped build. Then ask: is this really who we want to put on a pedestal?
I won’t say that the university shouldn’t remember Coach McCartney’s athletic legacy. But that remembrance must be grounded in truth and context—not cast in bronze. Public institutions must strive to reflect the values of equity and inclusion in both their policies and the people they choose to elevate.
Sincerely,
Mardi Moore
