#feel free to add on!! ik I'm new here so I may have missed smth!!

[mulchmarner]

I want to talk about pride night for hockey players and everything that's happened recently with players refusing to wear their pride jerseys. Now, I'm rather new here. I've been into hockey since roughly November or December so I couldn't confidently tell you if players refusing to wear pride jerseys is new or not, but I wouldn't doubt it.

Now, as a queer person, seeing hockey players speak up about players not wearing their pride jerseys means a lot, because to me? That's not the bare minimum they could be doing. The bare minimum is wearing the pride jerseys. The extra mile is talking about it.

Wearing them means a lot, it's not to say it doesn't. Seeing queer people represented as a queer and trans person means a lot. To know that players wouldn't do the bare minimum and won't wear the jersey? That just sucks, to know that their homophobia is that deep that they won't wear a jersey of all things. I also want to make it clear that homophobia based on religion is still homophobia.

Moving on though, seeing players speak up about players not wearing their jerseys means something. It's not the bare minimum to speak about it, especially in a fanbase that's created a culture that can be very toxic to marginalized people. Now, Tumblr is different obviously, but my time spent on Instagram and the comments I've seen have kind of shown me that the type of toxic culture that has been curated doesn't necessarily phase out just because it's 2023. It's lesser, but it's not gone.

People like Zach Hyman, Tyson Barrie, and Matthew Tkachuk, Ethan Bear, and Quinn Hughes talking about it is important. It's putting their voice out there and saying they won't stand for it and that it frustrates them to see it and that they accept their fanbase. They welcome people to games, no matter who they are and who they love and that's important. Existing as a queer person can be tough on its own, but to know that people, specifically players, welcome you to the game? That's important.

The Leafs have taken it a step further by inviting Meghan Duggan to speak up about her own experiences as a queer female hockey player, because she provides perspective and that's important. So often it's hard to understand other people's marginalization, because it only exists from your perspective of them and not how they've perceived their own oppression and marginalization.

This isn't a comparison but rather an appreciation for how the Leafs as an organization have taken it a step further. Some Leafs players have even taken it to put pride tape on their sticks during /other/ team's pride nights. That's important, that is no small thing. That is support even though you're not being mandated to show that you support queer people.

I appreciate the players that have really taken steps in showing their support for their queer community outside of the pride jersey and the tape. That still means something, but it means a lot when players are willing to use their voices as respected players in the league and speak up about it. I think it gets easy to focus on the way players haven't shown their support and it's important to recognize that as well as it shows a lot about how the league has handled issues like this, but it's also important to recognize players who do speak up too and how they've contributed as well.

However, I also want to talk about the feeling of bitterness that comes with seeing this as well and to feel as if it isn't the bare minimum. Ideally, speaking up should be the bare minimum and it probably would be if it weren't for the fact that players aren't doing the genuine bare minimum, which is wearing the actual pride jersey.

I recognize that appreciating players speaking up can have a certain bittersweet feeling and I think it's important to acknowledge that, especially when there are larger issues at hand, especially with queer and trans identities. But I also think it's especially important these players speak out, even if it feels like that should be the bare minimum.