Team Netherlands Posts Inspirational Pic Supporting LGBTQ+ Community

Team Netherland's women's field hockey team just sent a strong message of support for the LGBTQ+ community and against all forms of bias and discrimination.

The entire Olympic team posed in the shape of a heart with their hands folded behind their backs, and posted the pic to their Instagram page.

"Respect and acceptance are two of our team's core values, respecting and accepting people from every race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability and age," the caption read. "We strive to continually develop and educate ourselves to become the change we wish to see in the world."

The Dutch women's team has an out player on their roster. Anne Veenendaal is currently the reserve goalkeeper for Team Netherlands. Veenendaal recently wrote a column for Noordhollands Dagblad describing her experiences at the Olympics. She revealed that because she is a reserve, she is not allowed to sit with the team on the bench, but will still loudly support her teammates from the stands.

"It doesn't matter if I'm sitting there [in the stands] or in the goal, I'm just as fanatical," Veenendaal wrote earlier this month. "My vocal cords will be broken. Although I don't know if you can shout in the stadium with the corona rules."

The defending Olympic silver medalists have been formidable in play during the opening group stage so far. They most recently defeated South Africa in a dominant performance that bodes well for their chances as they continue to advance. They are currently ranked number one by the International Field Hockey Federation (FIH) and are the reigning world champions.

With their recent message of support for the community, the team also showed they are number one in the fight against hate.

"We stand united against all forms of discrimination," the team concluded their post.

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