Many gay male hockey players and officials me out on Outsports this year. Together, they’re makg the sport’s culture more clive.
Contents:
- NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE
- PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY
- GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE
- THIS GAY HOCKEY REFEREE LOV THE GAME. HOMOPHOBIA TELLS HIM THE GAME DON’T LOVE HIM BACK.
- TEAM TRANS-MADISON GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATN FRIENDSHIP SERI
- BOSTON PRI HOCKEY HOP TO FD MORE GAY RI SKATERS TO EXPAND LEAGUE
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. * gay hockey game *
The effort was started 2012 honor of Brian’s late son, Brendan Burke, who died a r accint 2010 shortly after g out to fay as gay. “While ’s a sports msage, ’s a much broar msage to people who are gay, particularly young athlet team sports that you belong here, ” Brian Burke noted an terview wh NBC Sports anchor Anson Carter prr to the game. After the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chos performed both “O, Canada” and “The Star Spangled Banner” outdoors om a distance, there was still a game to play.
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.
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.
PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY
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 hockey game *
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. All proceeds will benef lol anizatns that provi rourc to the LGBTQ+ muny or crease diversy hockey cludg the Center on Halsted and the Chigo Gay Hockey Associatn (CGHA). In addn to overall Pri Night support on Blackhawks digal channels, the natnal anthem rendn for April 27 will feature Pri Night partners and beneficiari cludg the Center on Halsted, the Chigo Gay Hockey Associatn, You Can Play and members of BMO Blackhawks also joed forc wh the Chigo Gay Hockey Associatn to host a G.
GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE
Center on Halsted is the Midwt's most prehensive muny center dited to advancg muny and securg the health and well-beg of the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer people of Chigoland, wh more than 1, 000 muny members visg the Center every day. 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.
A slew of players me out, and wh each announcement, showed gay people belong on the ice.
THIS GAY HOCKEY REFEREE LOV THE GAME. HOMOPHOBIA TELLS HIM THE GAME DON’T LOVE HIM BACK.
Gay former hockey player Brock McGillis spoke to Outsports multiple tim this year about the prevalence of homophobia locker rooms. Durg the quiet of the sprgtime sports shutdowns, two well-known NHL players, Stanley Cup champn Dt Penner and wger Brendan Leipsic, were ught postg horribly homophobic and misogynistic msag on social media. When I go speak, I humanize beg a gay man and playg hockey at high levels.
Thomas Aquas College Upstate New York, Fkle often heard other players e anti-gay slurs. Fkle told the goalie he was gay, and that language was unacceptable to e on the ice — or anywhere, ankly.
TEAM TRANS-MADISON GAY HOCKEY ASSOCIATN FRIENDSHIP SERI
There are more openly gay figur all around the world of men’s hockey. This year alone, longtime NCAA Divisn 1 ref Brian Hicks announced he was gay; player and referee Gordie Mchard me out; pro announcer Jonathan Kliment penned his g-out story. After a lifetime of hearg gay sults the rk — opponents were always lled “cksuckers” or “fuckg fags” — Wton cid to e out to his teammat a heartfelt speech.
Over the last , an creasg number of gay female Olympic hockey players have e out.
BOSTON PRI HOCKEY HOP TO FD MORE GAY RI SKATERS TO EXPAND LEAGUE
He was playg an ele youth league, but years of homophobia and self-hatred drove him away om the sport.
And if someone asks if you are gay, jt look at them olly and say, ‘Yeah, so what? 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. It wasn’t the first time I had experienced homophobia hockey – That happened well before the locker room durg my playg days.