Le Prokop, NHL prospect, out as gay a first for the league | CNN

gay players in hockey

Many gay male hockey players and officials me out on Outsports this year. Together, they’re makg the sport’s culture more clive.

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE COACH TO COME OUT AS GAY MAJOR U.S. SPORTS

Jacksonville Jaguars ach Kev Maxen, who joed the team last year, me out publicly as gay an terview wh Outsports published on Thursday, beg the first ach a U.S. men’s profsnal league to do so" emprop="scriptn * gay players in hockey *

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars strength ach, Kev Maxen, has e out as gay — makg him the first male ach a U. While Maxen is believed to be the first male ach to have e out publicly as gay, there have been a few female ach U.

When to players, there have only been 16 the history of the NFL to e out as gay or bisexual as of September 2022, per Outsports. 20-year-old Prokop, the first openly gay player wh a ntract unr the NHL, penned a thoughtful msage about players the league who have opposed wearg pri jerseys or g rabow stick tape durg their teams' annual pri events.

OPENLY GAY NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP CALLS OUT LACK OF 'INCLN' AFTER PLAYERS BOYTT PRI NIGHT

Kev Maxen, an associate strength ach wh the Jacksonville Jaguars, has bee the first male ach a major U.S.-based profsnal league to e out as gay. * gay players in hockey *

Prokop me out as gay 2021, one year after beg selected by the Nashville team the 2020 NHL Draft.

"Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay.

Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St. In this story:Jacksonville JaguarsJaguars associate strength ach Kev Maxen beme the first publicly-known male ach Amerin men’s profsnal sports to e out as gay Thursday.Maxen spoke wh Outsports to share his journey and why he’s choosg to e out publicly.“I don’t want to feel like I have to thk about anymore,” Maxen said. I want to be vol support of people livg how they want to live, but I also want to jt live and not feel fear about how people will react.”Maxen, who has been wh his partner Nick for over two years, exprsed that the ntued support om the people around him helped him feel fortable to share his news.“It wasn’t until recently—and wh the immense love and support of my fay, my iends, lleagu and peers, and the urage and sacrifice om my partner—that I realized I have the right and rponsibily to love and be loved, and that maybe sharg this will hopefully give someone else the strength to accept their own life and take ntrol of their own story,” Maxen said.Maxen also noted that he reached out to Carl Nassib, who is the only known gay NFL player the league right now, back Feb.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

Le Prokop said feels much longer than a year sce he beme the first player unr ntract to an NHL team to e out as gay. * gay players in hockey *

The power of visibily shows young LGBTQ athlet ’s possible to thrive as their te selv, spe the prevalence of sual homophobia and other anti-gay attus some rners of the sports world. Gat wr about how hearg “faggot” on the ice was a mon occurrence growg up, and that “llg someone gay was as much a part of youth hockey as parents yellg about a missed penalty.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

Prokop, who was drafted by the Nashville Predators last year, me out as gay wh a heartfelt statement to fans this week, an admissn he said he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny. * gay players in hockey *

But that msage is unrcut when players don’t buy , and teams pulate to their homophobia.

The play-by-play broadster for Uti, the New Jersey Devils' Amerin Hockey League affiliate, publicly me out as gay October 2021, fluenced by Prokop's cisn. "I want to be the first openly gay player to play the NHL, " he said. The 12U hockey ach yellg at me om the bench durg a tournament I was officiatg was referrg to a small pri sticker I put on my helmet after seeg one on the helmet of my favore official, Dre Barone, an out gay AHL (at the time ECHL) official.

THIS GAY HOCKEY REFEREE LOV THE GAME. HOMOPHOBIA TELLS HIM THE GAME DON’T LOVE HIM BACK.

NEW YORK—In the wake of NBA center Jason Colls and U.S. soccer midfielr Robbie Rogers g out as homosexual, reports revealed Friday that the Natnal Hockey League has fact had hundreds of openly gay athlet throughout s history. * gay players in hockey *

It wasn’t the first time I had experienced homophobia hockey – That happened well before the locker room durg my playg days. Acrdg to gay hockey referee Tyler, this helmet sticker upset a lot of people.

LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

* gay players in hockey *

However, hate and homophobia are still there the game. While USA Hockey has updated l to clu harsher penalti for homophobic and racist language before, durg, and after gam, is still there.

More recently, a 12-year-old player was makg homophobic ments to me om the bench while I skated by, and after the third time I gave the bench a penalty.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE

“You’re beg soft bee you’re gay, ” the ach told me.

REPORT: NHL ACTUALLY HAS HAD HUNDREDS OF OPENLY GAY PLAYERS FOR YEARS

When that same player received another penalty om me (at the time I didn’t realize that was the same player), I got another homophobic tira om the ach. “You’re targetg him bee you’re gay and he ma those ments, ” the ach said. Hockey has ma stris terms of workg on some of s culture problems, but I thk homophobia is still an issue that needs a lot of attentn.

GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE

Associatns n do their part by makg sure there are clear l agast homophobic, racist and discrimatory actns and ments, and by followg through on punishment of those who break those l. Whenever I enunter homophobia hockey, I am remd that I love the game, and I want to give back, but sometim feels like the game don’t love me back. Le Prokop, a prospect for the Nashville Predators, me out as gay on Monday.

Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop has e out as gay, beg the first active player unr ntract to an NHL team to do so.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

High-level female hockey players, such as Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan, have prevly e out as gay, acrdg to the league. Prokop's announcement ls than a month after Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib beme the first active NFL player to e out as gay. Natnal Hockey League prospect Le Prokop me out as gay via a heartfelt statement to fans Monday, sayg he hoped would improve gay visibily wh the hockey muny.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY PLAYERS IN HOCKEY

Openly Gay Hockey Player Says NHL Has Taken 'A Step Back for Incln' .

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