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

hockey player gay pride

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.

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PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

* hockey player gay pride *

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.

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

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. * hockey player gay pride *

I’m so angered and trated that they nsistently refe to change, so they endorse a homophobic player and his ach fendg him — DeBksMethod? (@BksMethod) January 18, 2023. Canadian TV host says the @NHL should “fe the Flyers a billn dollars” and “attack” Christian player Ivan Provorov for not wearg a gay pri jersey. 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.

“I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, as we work to make sure that hockey is tly for everyone, ” he wrote.

NHL PLAYER'S BOYTT OF TEAM'S PRI NIGHT TRIBUTE 'DISRPECTFUL' TO GAY MUNY: AGENT

Several players, some Rsian-born, and teams ced Rsian anti-gay laws and relig beliefs for choosg not to wear Pri jerseys. * hockey player gay pride *

Prokop hasn’t played an NHL game yet, but if he do, he’ll jo que a small club: There have only been two openly gay active players the four largt US sports leagu – Carl Nassib of the NFL’s Las Vegas Rairs, who me out last month, and Jason Colls, an NBA veteran who me out 2013 and retired the followg season. Homophobic language is often ed among ach and players on youth sports teams.

This n evolve to lastg homophobic attus or e gay players to hi their sexualy om their teammat, said Erik Denison, a behavral scientist and lead rearcher on the Sport Incln Project at Monash Universy Atralia, a June terview wh CNN. Provorov’s polarizg cisn is remiscent of Tampa Bay Rays pchers who were labeled "bigots" for clg to wear gay pri patch durg an LGBTQ celebratn June. He poted out that the NHL has never had a sgle openly gay player history.

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

Bayne Pettger, NHL's first openly gay hockey player agent, says the league's recent cisn to ban teams om donng Pri jerseys uld alienate the queer muny and disurage their participatn and support the game. * hockey player gay pride *

Canadian sports pund Sid Seixeiro lled on the NHL to fe the Flyers "$1 ln, " NHL Network senr reporter EJ Hrak suggted the Rsia-born Flyer player should go back to his homeland and jo the fight agast Ukrae if participatg Pri events is "that problematic for him, " ESPN senr NHL wrer Greg Wyshynski lled out Provorov for prevly participatg the Flyers' ary appreciatn event and a plethora of other high-profile punds have nounced him as, who is gay, feels the pivot om simply tryg to make the game more clive to force-feedg activism on athlet has a negative impact. Casey Flor, a gay Republin activist, believ attempts to embrace the LGBTQ muny are often "exclnary" bee voic of relig mori aren’t nsired. "I'm really disappoted, as a gay man wh that, bee we all have to get along.

"What the left miss is that this is the greatt untry the world and this is the greatt untry the world to be gay .

We n marry, we n adopt, and we nnot be fired for beg gay, and I don't know what more they want, " Flor ntued. 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.

CALLG PRI JERSEYS A DISTRACTN IS SENDG THE WRONG MSAGE, SAYS NHL'S FIRST OPENLY-GAY AGENT

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

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

Some players who chose not to wear the jerseys ced relig beliefs, while other Rsian-born players ced Rsian laws agast homosexualy and fay reasons for optg out. You Can Play, an anizatn found to bat homophobia sports, said is “ncerned and disappoted” by the cisn, which stated will prevent the “over 95% of players who chose to wear a Pri jersey” om dog so.

LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

“I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny.” * hockey player gay pride *

The Chigo Blackhawks barred s players om wearg the jerseys at s Pri night bee of Rsian anti-gay laws that uld have threatened s Rsian players and their fai if they wore the jersey, spe disappotment om ach Le Richardson and players. "'Wearg Pri lours shows rpect': You Can Play rponds to Provorov boytt of Flyers' tributeBayne Pettger, a Toronto-based NHLPA certified player agent who me out as gay 2020, said he was disappoted by Provorov's cisn to e his platform for "sentially a prott" that sends a msage to hockey fans and his teammat who did take part the warmup. "I found selfish and ankly disrpectful towards the gay muny.

"He says the NHL has ma great stris when to makg the sport more clive — the league's Hockey is for Everyone iative enurag teams to celebrate the diversy that exists their rpective markets — but Provorov's actns signal somethg prospect Le Prokop announc he's gay"I get asked all the time, 'When is an NHL player gog to e out? 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. Prokop me out as gay 2021, one year after beg selected by the Nashville team the 2020 NHL Draft.

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

New York Cy Gay Hockey Associatn players aren't on the ice and won't be marchg a massive annual Pri para this month due to rk closur and event ncelatns related to the ronavis. * hockey player gay pride *

"Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay. "Don't say gay was a huge thg, " he said.

HOCKEY STAR LE PROKOP BE FIRST ACTIVE NHL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY

"Jocks were never [openly] gay, you know. "It's about havg teams and athlet who unrstand misogyny, unrstand homophobia, who unrstand discrimatn and unrstand eply.

NEW YORK CY GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATN CELEBRATG PRI MONTH

" ❤️ <a href="></a>&mdash;@FlaPanthersLast week, on the same day the San Jose Sharks' Manoba-born goaltenr Jam Reimer cled to wear a jersey durg the team's Pri Night warm up, the team posted a strg of tweets about LGBTQ rights and of the tweets said that 73 per cent of rponnts to a survey about homophobia sport "believe youth team sport is not safe for gay people.

‘IT’S NOT ENOUGH’: OPENLY GAY EX-HOCKEY PLAYER LLS ON THE SPORT TO EVOLVE

" 73% of rponnts believe youth team sport is not safe for gay people. Also, 81% of gay men and 74% of lbians are pletely or partially " the closet” while playg youth sports. The donatn was ma honour of Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop who me out 2021 and is the only openly gay player unr NHL ntract.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* HOCKEY PLAYER GAY PRIDE

Prokop reflects on year sce g out as gay | .

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