Indiana's recently signed "religious freedom" bill has drawn a lot of criticism in the sports world, and USC athletic director Pat Haden joined in Tuesday.
I am the proud father of a gay son. In his honor, I will not be attending the CFP committee meeting in Indy this week. #EmbraceDiversity
— Pat Haden (@ADHadenUSC) March 31, 2015This is not the first time Haden has mentioned his son's sexuality. He spoke with USC's official website about homosexuality in sports in March of last year.
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"This issue is near and dear to my heart as I have a gay son," he said. "I am so proud of him and love him to death. At USC, we are all about inclusion. We have many gay athletes here, and we welcome and appreciate them. We promote diversity not just in terms of sexual orientation and ethnicity, but different points of view."
The religious freedom bill has prompted other sports organizations to respond, even threatening the removal of events. The Big Ten reportedly has considered pulling events, and NCAA president Mark Emmert said, "If we have to move events, we'll do it."
Haden and his wife Cindy have two sons, Ryan and Taylor, and two daughters, Natalie O'Connor and Kelly Paulus.