Jay Hayes, an NYU student (and former Joonbug staffer!), is taking on the fight against stigmas LGBT youth in sports often face. Hayes is currently the the captain of the men's volleyball team at New York University and wants to help knock down the barriers LGBT individuals experience as athletes. In conjunction with The Trevor Project, Hayes produced and starred in "It Gets Better," a video to help bring awareness to an often ignored issue.

"Athletics is the next frontier for gay rights," Jay explained to NYU Local. "When you look at the civil rights movement, it wouldn’t have been as successful if a person like Jackie Robinson hadn’t been there. I really hope that a gay athlete comes out soon. I think that professional sports these days are just a business and these players know that it could hurt the brand and the bottom line if they came out."

Other LGBT individuals in the video include Jolie Ward, who is NYU's head women's volleyball coach, as well as Scott Donie, NYU's assistant swimming and diving coach. "Too often, people are bullied for their sexual orientation or their perceived sexual orientation," Donie says. "As a diver and an athlete, this is something I experienced growing up."

Check out the video below!