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Contacts: Liz Owen, Publicist, "Tru Loved"                                      Antonio Brown
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          liz@owenville.net                                               abrownphd@gmail.com

DAVE KOPAY, PIONEER GAY ATHLETE, JOINS CAST OF FILM “TRU LOVED”

First pro athlete to declare his homosexuality to participate in ground-breaking film

HOLLYWOOD, July 23, 2007... Dave Kopay, the former professional U.S. football player who in 1975 became an LGBT icon with a closet-busting interview in the Washington Star is joining the cast of the independent feature “Tru Loved,” it was announced today. The film, written and directed by Stewart Wade, stars Bruce Vilanch, Jane Lynch, Jasmine Guy, Alexandra Paul, Elaine Hendrix, Alec Mapa, Jake Abel and Najarra Townsend.

In “Tru Loved” sixteen-year-old Tru (Townsend) is uprooted by her lesbian moms from her comfortable gay-friendly home in San Francisco and moved to a conservative, suburban community in Southern California. Her only friend is a closeted football player, for whom Tru reluctantly covers as his girlfriend.

Kopay will play himself in the film, inspiring the young football player to come out to his friends and family, offering words of support based on his own experiences coming out as a professional athlete.

Kopay enjoyed a career in the NFL as a running back and special teams member for the San Francisco Forty-Niners, the Detroit Lions, the Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay Packers. Kopay retired in 1973 and, after considerable thought and introspection, decided it was time for some frank talk about issues of homosexuality in the sports world. No one had been willing to step forward publicly about his or her homosexuality until Kopay; that it was someone from the NFL who was willing to be the first was nothing short of astonishing.

“There is no athlete more prominent for speaking out on behalf of the gay community during the 1970s than Dave Kopay,” says Roberto Mantaci, former co-president of the Federation of Gay Games, for whom Kopay serves as an ambassador. “When he took the bold step to be the first to talk openly about being gay and how that affected his career in the National Football League, he became a role model for all of us looking to be honest about our lives.”

Since his initial 1975 coming-out interview, Kopay has been an outspoken advocate for gay rights. He co-authored a book, “The Dave Kopay Story,” which topped the New York Times bestseller list for weeks and is still so popular it recently saw its fifth printing.

Today, Kopay lives in Los Angeles and continues making speeches on the importance of living an honest life. His book has become standard reference material for NFL teams contemplating positive ways to react should one of their players come out publicly. Yet Kopay says the sports world is a place that still has much work to do, especially starting from the youngest school levels.

“Regardless of how hard it’s been, and how far we have to go, I still very much believe in athletics and sports,” Kopay said. “A healthy body contributes to one’s happiness and success, but a healthy mind is even more important. And what I have found is that my health and happiness have indeed come by acknowledging who I am. ‘Tru Loved’ tackles these issues with intelligence, humor and honesty; I am proud to be a part of this film.”

“We are honored and delighted to have Dave’s participation in our movie. He is a credit to his profession, and an inspiration to countless young athletes who want to be honest in their lives, but fear that they will pay a permanent and possibly devastating price for that honesty,” says the film’s associate producer Elaine Hendrix.

Mr. Kopay is available for press on behalf of “Tru Loved” and its related themes of being an openly gay athlete. Please contact the film’s publicist, Liz Owen, for information.

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