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And he鈥檚 proudly inclusive.

鈥淚 just want members of the LGBTQ+ community to understand that they are loved,鈥� Saunders said. 鈥淭hey are who they are, and they should be that, no matter what. ... And people who aren鈥檛 identifying as LGBTQ+, I don鈥檛 want to sound egocentric, but I want them to be more like me. I want them to understand that you don鈥檛 have to do something to accept it. Or you don鈥檛 have to be a part of something to show that group that you love and support them. The golden rule in life, at least my golden rule that I learned a very long time ago, is to treat others as you want to be treated.鈥�

The former Parkway Central football star, who’s entering his seventh NFL season, is hosting a football camp on Saturday. But this camp is unique — it’s inclusive for boys and girls and LGBTQ+ youth. The camp is at PCHS — the morning session, from 9-11 a.m., is for kids 6-10, while the afternoon session, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., is for kids 11-16 (additional questions can be answered by emailing scarlen@mavenstrategygroup.com).

鈥淚 thought it was a great time to kind of get the gears turning with inclusivity in sports,鈥� said Saunders, 28. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 a great feeling to be able to host a camp like this 鈥� and have people feel comfortable being who they are at an event I can sanction. ...

鈥淚 have four beautiful children, and I think with each child, it makes you want to be more empathetic and more of a great person, because we鈥檙e raising children that are going to go off in the world one day. And you would never want anything to happen to your child, right? I look at the world and am like 鈥� OK, how can I try and make the world a better place for my children? And the best way I can do that is having others treat others the way they want to be treated.鈥�

Saunders鈥� brother is gay. He鈥檚 Kameron Saunders, who has become famous in his own right. Kameron is a dancer and choreographer 鈥� and was a backup dancer on Taylor Swift鈥檚 recent Eras Tour. His popularity gained him more than .

鈥淭he main thing that inspired me to host an inclusive football camp was my brother,鈥� Saunders said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been playing football for about 20 years now, and my brother has been to almost every football game I鈥檝e ever had. It鈥檚 actually funny, in sixth grade, he would go be with cheerleaders and teach them a routine and stuff. And that actually got me a little popular with the cheerleaders. So I thank him for that!

鈥淚 always wanted him to feel very safe, very comfortable coming to my games. 鈥� I wouldn鈥檛 want to go anywhere that my brother doesn鈥檛 feel comfortable or respected.鈥�

Khalen Saunders played college ball at Western Illinois 鈥� he became the first player from that school invited to the Senior Bowl. He was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Saunders played four snaps in the Super Bowl that season (KC beat the 49ers). And he played much more in his next Super Bowl 鈥� the February of 2023 win against Philadelphia. Saunders was on the field for 52% of the defensive snaps and finished with two tackles and a sack.

In the past two seasons with the Saints, Saunders tallied 57 and 43 tackles. And as his fame grew, he grew his social media presence as an ally for LGBTQ+ people.

鈥淚 think my biggest experience 鈥� and the most positive one 鈥� is just the amount of direct messages (DMs) and comments that I鈥檝e gotten thanking me for (being an ally),鈥� Saunders said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel like I need to be thanked. I feel like this is just something that I鈥檓 doing because I鈥檓 affected by the LGBTQ+ community. I love many members of the LGBTQ+ community 鈥� not just my brother, but all of his friends. I look at them as my brothers, as well. He鈥檚 had those same friends for years and years. ...

鈥淎nd my brother, just watching his journey, it鈥檚 almost like watching a movie 鈥� there were a lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of emotional moments that taught me a lot of lessons.鈥�

Saunders hopes that his camps and public presence will encourage empathy and compassion from 51黑料ans and New Orleanians and, really, Americans. He wants to make the football world 鈥� known for intense masculinity 鈥� a welcoming environment for everyone.

鈥�(I want to) show acceptance and show that they are very welcomed by the quote-unquote stereotypical heterosexual football player,鈥� Saunders said. 鈥淚 know if you look at me upon first sight, I鈥檓 like this big, scary dude 鈥� but I just want that stigma to kind of be thrown out the window. Because me personally, I鈥檝e always been an accepting, loving figure. ...

鈥淎nd what I would want the allies and the non-LGBTQ+ members of the camp to take away is 鈥� just be a good person. There鈥檚 no reason to inflict negativity on somebody just because they鈥檙e different than you.鈥�