For Gay Hockey Player Le Prokop, the NHL Experience Begs

Contents:

• FOR GAY HOCKEY PLAYER, LOCKER ROOM FELT LIKE A PRISON
• GAY MALE HOCKEY PLAYERS ARE G OUT DROV, AND CHANGG THE SPORT’S CULTURE
• Q&A — 17-YEAR-OLD YANIC DUPLSIS ON BEG GAY AND PROUD HOCKEY
• NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT AS GAY, A FIRST FOR THE LEAGUE
• GAYHOCKEY STORI
• LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY
• THIS GAY HOCKEY REFEREE LOV THE GAME. HOMOPHOBIA TELLS HIM THE GAME DON’T LOVE HIM BACK.

FOR GAY HOCKEY PLAYER, LOCKER ROOM FELT LIKE A PRISON

Favore books that feature gay hockey players. Benjam Frell was playg an ele youth league, but years of homophobia the sport and self-hatred led him to qu to fd happs.

I remember the first time someone lled me “gay” elementary school wh a negative nnotatn. I remember felt like I was beg sgled out, that felt like I was beg lled “gay” more than any of my peers at the time, so I started to harn. ” And he looked at me olly and said, “Jt say, ‘Yeah, I’m gay, so what?

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

I was so adamantly agast beg gay that I started to hurt myself the send I started to feel attractn for another boy, but that was way after elementary school and right around the time I started playg hockey. It wasn’t the hockey muny that troduced me to homophobia, but rather was the environment that helped rerce them that built and toughened my self-hatred.

Q&A — 17-YEAR-OLD YANIC DUPLSIS ON BEG GAY AND PROUD HOCKEY

I didn’t want to be gay. Or maybe bee I had heard all too much that wasn’t a surprise anymore to hear somethg so extreme, that I was so disnnected om homosexualy that I started to be OK wh the outlandish vol vlence towards . The guys were way ls homophobic than the on back home Washgton.

I thk there is a part of me hopg that some of my former teammat who were the most homophobic see this article, maybe read the name of the thor, see how long is and then move on. And if someone asks if you are gay, jt look at them olly and say, “Yeah, so what? A slew of players me out, and wh each announcement, showed gay people belong on the ice.

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.

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

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.

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.

GAYHOCKEY STORI

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. 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? He me out publicly as gay, a huge move for a player what he says is a macho sport wh virtually no openly gay athlet.

Q: What was like growg up sport knowg you were gay?

LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

There's some thgs that are said the drsg rooms or on the ice, you know, thgs like, “that’s so gay. " When I got the r, I didn’t want to tell her, and she said, "Are you gay?

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

Q: Before you were outed, you me out privately to journalist Craig Eagl after learng he did a story on Brock McGillis, one of the only profsnal hockey players to e out as gay.

You know, homophobia, you’re not born wh . So if you n learn om a young age that [beg gay is] all right and normal, you probably won’t have any problem, you know? 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.