Comments on: Homophobia in Hockey – The Response (UPDATED)

By: mikey

mikey — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:50:21 +0000

hey im 17 and play hockey in minnesota on my high school team (which is very very competitive here) im also gay n toly in the closet. the whole sport is very anti gay wit prety much the biggest slam that neone can say gainst u being stop playin so gay. i plan to play at a division1 college n dont plan on coming out till im dun unless somthin changes big time. so yea i hate bein in the closet n lyin to everyone but hate it even more that im not strong enough just to be out.

we need more stories like this n more guys like brendan burke to make it clear that u can be gay n still tough and manly. i started a blog awhile ago n b4 doin this never even really knew ne gay hockey players, its cool to see that there are some out there n that im not alone

thanks for the story jason

mikey

By: Shannon

Shannon — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:01:01 +0000

Wow. How about that backhanded slam stating that if it is biological that individuals are gay then perhaps the supposed lack of gays in professional sports can be attributed somehow to the biology of a professional athlete? Clearly, this person is not, or has not, ever excelled at a sport. As someone who has been an elite athlete since I was quite young, I can tell you professional sports are 90% mental. We all have our reasons for having the drive to excel, whether it’s the need to please, to escape our demons (e.g Theo Fleury), or whatever else makes us overachievers. In a sport such as mine, where an extreme amount of strength and endurance is obvious, and critical, being gay isn’t something that’s ever been affiliated with it for any reason. Yet, more and more athletes in the elite ranks have been coming out — perhaps because there are no big professional contracts, just Olympic and World prestige. Clearly, it’s all about acceptance, and we’d be very naive – or very much in denial — to think that the 10% homosexual rule doesn’t permeate hockey or any other sport at the top levels.

By: minnesotagirl71

minnesotagirl71 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:32:12 +0000

Nice point, Neil! Those who disagree with the sterotypes and are bothered by the use of them need to speak out – respectfully let friends and family know that those words/attitudes are not ok. There are so many other adjectives we can use to describe people…adjectives that are not insulting/demeaning to an entire population of people.

When my teenage nieces and nephews use “gay” or “retarded” to describe something, I ask them one of two questions:
1. Is he/she/it happy or homosexual? Neither? Choose a new adjective.
2. Does he/she/it have a medical diagnosis of mental retardation? No? Choose a new adjective.

At the very least it has encouaged them to get REALLY creative with their adjectives! They have had me laughing hysterically at the stuff they come up with to replace those words.

By: Neil

Neil — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:18:17 +0000

Re:Minnestoagirl, that makes me think about what kind of effect it has on a person to hang out with a group of guys who claim to be totally fine with being gay, have university degrees, and dress as Freddy Mercury for Halloween, but still use “gay” as a synonym for weak, cowardly, or whatever. In a way, that’s kind of worse than having hateful idiots say it, it creates the impression that everyone agrees on the stereotypes even if they don’t get bothered by them.

It’s interesting that some people here are commenting that they do not get any hostility, insults, or anything from other people in the dressing room even though they are openly gay, while at the same time, most of the other commenters understand exactly what Bourne is talking about. It would be nice (in a way) to think that maybe people are just mindlessly parroting a cultural pattern of behaviour, and then slipping easily into acceptance once they actually have a friend or close acquaintance that forces (or… allows?) them to think of things from the other perspective?

By: minnesotagirl71

minnesotagirl71 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:13:40 +0000

The words being thrown around in the locker room don’t only impact the person they are directed towards. They impact everyone hearing them. I would imagine that if a gay player hears his teammate using the word “gay” as an insult (even when directed at someone else) he may take it as an indicator of his teammate’s attitude about homosexuality. That just reinforces the decision to stay in the closet.

By: dwgs

dwgs — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:34:44 +0000

Well done Mr. Bourne.
Man, there’s some hateful individuals over at Puckdaddy’s.
Yahoo indeed.

By: Sally

Sally — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:51:40 +0000

I didn’t grow up a sports fan, but I’ve learned to love that sense of community I feel when I’m nestled in the Garden with 18,200 of my best friends, watching the Rangers kick the Islanders’ butts. Isn’t that sense of community something that every hockey fan loves? Unfortunately, it’s the fans more than anyone else (even Redden!) who shatter that bond for me when they say make their stupid homophobic, racist, or sexist comments.

Thanks for starting this discussion, Justin. It IS going to take some time to fix these problems, but we’ll never get anywhere if people aren’t willing to start these important discussions.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:44:18 +0000

To quote Angela…
“and when the first pro hockey star finally comes out, he will be one of the biggest hockey heroes of them all, in my book –”
I, too will be a HUGE fan of the first openly gay hockey player….unless it turns out to be Sean Avery =)

By: jtbourne

jtbourne — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:10:41 +0000

Heyyyy, Amy Jo, thanks. I feel like I’m a part of a team again, gettin’ a little back-up.

I just want to say thanks so much to all those who’ve sent me messages of support, some very personal messages, and let you know I’m sorry I haven’t had time to write everyone back individually (I received over 100 emails today). I think tomorrow at three I’ll stop looking at this computer screen and start looking at a pint of Guiness. That sounds like waaayyy more fun.

By: Darren

Darren — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:07:28 +0000

@Josh – Given that Justin wrote an article targeting a problem in hockey that is prevalent, and one that you just admitted exists, I’m confused as to how you think he could be simply writing for popularity.

If it was about racism in hockey, nobody would find it controversial or disagree with Bourne’s argument. But because it’s about something that people want to keep invisible, hidden, and closeted, they decide it’s a non-issue, controversy over nothing.