Le Prokop, Predators prospect, be NHL's first openly gay player

first gay hockey player

Le Prokop, a Nashville Predators draft pick and Alberta native, announced Monday that he was "proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay."

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LE PROKOP COM OUT AS GAY AND MAK NHL HISTORY

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. * first gay hockey player *

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. High-level female hockey players, such as Olympic gold medalist Meghan Duggan, have prevly e out as gay, acrdg to the league.

PROKOP REFLECTS ON YEAR SCE G OUT AS GAY

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

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. 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 19-year-old right-hand fenseman beme the first active player for the Natnal Hockey League (NHL) to e out as gay a statement posted to his Instagram acunt. "“I hope that sharg who I am I n help other people see that gay people are wele the hockey muny, ” he wrote on social an terview wh ESPN, Prokop said the COVID-19 panmic spired his historic cisn to open up about his sexual orientatn.

No active NHL player has ever e out as gay while still playg the league, and jt one out athlete any of the four major men’s sports the U. I want to live the way I want to, and I want to accept myself as a gay man.

HOCKEY STAR LE PROKOP BE FIRST ACTIVE NHL PLAYER TO COME 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. * first gay hockey player *

”Prokop’s g out is particularly signifint the wake of Natnal Football League (NFL) player Carl Nassib’s historic claratn June that he is a gay man.

Nassib, a 28-year-old fensive end for the Las Vegas Rairs, is the first active NFL athlete to e out as gay. '"Prokop began g out to some fay members and teammat this past year and told Predators management he was gay June. ""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, " Prokop wrote.

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

Predators prospect Le Prokop has bee the first active player unr NHL ntract to say he is gay, tellg ESPN that he wanted to share this publicly to help him play his bt hockey. * first gay hockey player *

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.

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.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS PROSPECT LE PROKOP SAYS HE IS GAY, HOP LIVG 'THENTIC LIFE' HELPS NHL REER

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

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.

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

Prokop, the NHL's first out prospect, reflects on antigay slurs, idols, and gettg his game on. * first gay hockey player *

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? This year will be pecially profound for the NFL and NHL, wh Carl Nassib of the Las Vegas Rairs anticipated to take the gridiron this fall, and bee the first gay NFL player to play a regular season game.

Nashville Predators' prospect Le Prokop, who me out earlier this summer, hop to be the first gay player to h the ice the NHL this fall. "Exactly one year ago, I spoke wh Brock Wton, who, fed up wh his hockey teammat' homophobia and rampant gay slurs, cid to try to end their behavr by boldly g out. '"I had the opportuny to speak to Prokop between the Predators' practice ssns on Wednday, and I asked him if he enuntered homophobic slurs durg his reer, and if that might have been one of the reasons for him to e out?

HOCKEY PROSPECT LE PROKOP: 5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NHL’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

"Y, obvly 's sort of a known thg that homophobic slurs occur, not jt hockey but a lot of sports, so my hope was that by g out, I uld have an impact on that, and help shift the language.

"It's really difficult to say, sce each player who is gay has their own and very different story, so all pends on their circumstance.

AN INCLIVE NHL AWAS S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

There has never been an openly gay player the NHL. Not one player the league’s 103-year existence has ever e out publicly as gay – not even retirement. I have heard the explanatns, rangg om the ludicro (there are no “gays” the league) to the simplistic (the game’s hateful, toxic male culture driv gay players unrground).

I believe, however, that won’t be long before the NHL has openly gay players lacg up their skat and others workg the ranks of management and hockey operatns. Related: Is the NHL Ready for a Gay Player? NHL missner Gary Bettman regnized this 2016 when he spoke about the league’s partnership wh the You Can Play anizatn, workg to dismantle barriers met by gay athlet sport.

PREDATORS’ PROSPECT MAK HISTORY AS FIRST GAY PLAYER UNR CONTRACT

But I thk ’s our job to create a culture and an environment where a gay player knows he is safe and wele.

If and when that happens, believe me, that person will have the full support of the missner’s office” (om “Gary Bettman says NHL is ready for s first openly gay player, ” The Chigo Tribune, 29/06/2016) Commissner Gary Bettman (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)Today, hockey mt reflect the changg valu of s fan base. Fans of the future will not accept homophobia the sports and entertament products they Are No Gay Players the NHL.., there are now and always have been gay players the NHL.

NHL PROSPECT LE PROKOP ANNOUNC HE'S GAY

Admtedly, precise timat of the gay populatn the league are notorly difficult to fd. Nohels, acrdg to a 2017 Gallup study based on 340, 000 terviews, the percentage of Amerin adults intifyg as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr 2017 was 4.

Takg to acunt the multatnal makp of the NHL, let’s assume gay men make up half that number or 2.

AN N.H.L. PROSPECT IS THE FIRST SUCH PLAYER TO ANNOUNCE HE’S GAY

If the assumptns hold then, wh roughly 700 players the NHL, we n reasonably expect at least 15 gay players the league any given year.

That means that, over the years, there have probably been several hundred gay NHLers, all of whom prumably kept their sexual orientatn hidn om the still sist that, notwhstandg the odds, there are simply no gay men playg the NHL. Mark Tewksbury, an Olympic gold medalist swimmg at the 1992 Olympic gam, a former chef missn of Canada’s 2012 Summer Olympic team and a proment gay activist sports for many years, sffs at that ia. Canadian Olympian Mark Tewksbury on Gay Players the NHLAsked a Canadian Broadstg Corporatn terview why there are no gay players the NHL, he uld barely nta a lgh.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS PROSPECT LE PROKOP OUT, BE FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER NHL HISTORY

Rollg his ey, he explaed, “There’s no gay hockey players bee there haven’t been any the NHL who’ve ever e out, not even retirement. There Probably Are Gay Players the NHL.

What’s more, no public figure should have to face the expectatn of beg the poster child for gay rights if they don’t want to be. If ed there are no gay players the NHL, that would set the league apart om the other “Big Four” profsnal sports leagu North Ameri.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* FIRST GAY HOCKEY PLAYER

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

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