Two additional players have refused to wear the NHL’s Pride-themed jerseys. Last Thursday, Florida Panthers stars, Eric and Marc Staal, released a
statement
saying they would not be wearing them. The players were subsequently absent from the pregame warmups that night.
The brothers said the jerseys go against their religious beliefs, but they “carry no judgment on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in […] the game of hockey.” Other teams whose players have declined to wear the rainbow-themed jerseys include the Philadelphia Flyers, the San Jose Sharks, and the Chicago Blackhawks.
As a heterosexual woman who grew up in the gay community and who, at one point in her life, attended Pride celebrations annually, I am sympathetic to the Staal brothers’ perspective. To me, this matter has less to do with someone’s view on gay or transgender people and more to do with their right to exercise their freedom. Critics have argued that if a player refuses to wear the Pride Night jerseys, they have no place competing in the sport.
NHL PLAYER RESISTANCE TO WEARING ‘PRIDE NIGHT’ JERSEYS CAUSES MANY TEAMS TO OPT OUT
First of all, I’m unclear as to why professional athletes of any sport should be expected to wear insignia supporting gay or transgender rights or any political movement. Political ideology isn’t relevant to one’s ability to play well, and it isn’t an athlete’s job to win people over to the side of social justice.
Secondly, hockey isn’t known to be a particularly woke sport, with
fans
roughly evenly split across the political spectrum. Finally, Pride celebrations, all 30 days of them, don’t start until June.
LGBT activism has become ubiquitous throughout society, absorbed by every major institution and organization, and shoved down the throats of people minding their own business. Bundled in with this messaging is the assumption that every decent person holds the same progressive views, and if they don’t, their opinions don’t matter.
Being critical of this activism doesn’t mean someone is anti-gay or anti-transgender. There are many people who are, themselves, gay or trans, who don’t agree with the corporatization of their respective communities or the hostility masquerading as support espoused by so-called allies.
Bombarding people with wokeness everywhere they turn builds resentment instead of changing minds because it doesn’t engage with opposing opinions in good faith. Recent
statistics
have shown an increase in discrimination against Americans who identify as LGBT, suggesting a backlash is, unfortunately, already underway.
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Dr. Debra Soh
is a sex neuroscientist, the host of the Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
