Those fortunate enough to be at Senator Simon’s plenary talk at NAFSA’s annual business meeting in DC heard a heartwarming anecdote about what international educators can learn from a group of Special Olympian runners with mental retardation. He recou nted that when one of the group fell during a race, all the runners stopped to assist the individual and then the group linked arms to complete the race, crossing the finish line together. Senator Simon asked us to contemplate this wonderful image as we s tride forward to advance our goals and causes. And when he asked us to imagine such non-competitive cooperation, he specifically included ‘those of all sexual orientations’ among the varied groups who should be linking arms together. For SIG members in th e audience, that spontaneous inclusive comment was more empowering and reassuring than an entire NAFSA session dedicated to our issues.