Major League Soccer Gets it Right...Kind Of

The Seattle Sounders' Marc Burch was caught calling an opponent a "faggot" on camera during last week's playoff match against Real Salt Lake.  I've written about this before, when the NHL's Wayne Simmonds was caught doing the same to Sean Avery.  The difference is that MLS came down hard on Burch, fining him and suspending him for three games, at least two of which will be playoff games.  Meanwhile, the NHL took no action against Wayne Simmonds claiming that the incredibly damning video didn't constitute proof of what he said.  Whether the fact that Simmonds is black and had been on the other side of some insensitive comments a week previous, or that the target was Sean Avery (the RSL of the NHL for you soccer fans) played into the NHL's decision is unclear.

Sixteen NHL Teams Participate in Spirit Day

In case you're unaware, Spirit Day is a 2010 concoction by GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to be observed on October 19th.  Participants wear purple to speak out against bullying and to show their support for LGBT youth.  Unsurprisingly, given the popularity of Patrick Burke's You Can Play Project, many NHL teams rushed to participate either by flashing some purple or by making a statement in support of the day and the project.  They were:

Buffalo Sabres
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Detroit Red Wings (which is ironic given they're partnered with anti-LGBT Amway)
Edmonton Oilers
Montreal Canadiens
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vancouver Canucks

As LGBT (recreational) athletes ourselves, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to those NHL teams and all of those who have been involved with the You Can Play Project.

Editor's Note: Thanks to @BurkieYCP for some great publicity and be sure to let us know if anyone was left off.

Bigotry in Niagara Falls - The Response

Editor's Note: I write for other blogs that do not exclusively cover LGBT issues.  Occasionally there is some overlap and in those cases I like to post in as many places as are applicable.  This is one of those instances.


In case you haven't seen it (part II), the Niagara Falls Reporter has painted itself as a victim, an ardent defender of free speech, and released a response to their anti-gay article that went viral last week. (You can read the article as well as my initial response here.)

Bigotry in Niagara Falls

If you haven't heard about it yet (and you will eventually), a Niagara Falls Reporter writer, Lenny Palumbo, has published an article containing some damning anti-gay language. Just in case the Falls Reporter wants to pull this article and pretend this never happened, I have taken the liberty of copying the text of the article and saving it here.

Hockey Player Cam Janssen Makes Dumb Comments

In case you missed it, a video was released of Cam Janssen, former Blue, current Devil, and St. Louis native appearing on the Thom and Jeff Show out of 105.7 The Point in St. Louis. I'd post video of the show, but it has been yanked off YouTube and other video sites, presumably because of some of the comments Janssen made.

Buffalo Sabres and the Salvation Army Continued

I wrote on updates to the Sabres' relationship with the Salvation Army yesterday.  Today I received a response from Rich Jureller, Sabres Director of Community Relations.

Buffalo Sabres to Continue Relationship with Salvation Army

In case you missed it, my previous post running through the backstory.

LGBT: What the Buffalo Sabres Could Do Better

As some of you are aware, one of my pet projects has been opening a dialogue with the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres in respect to what they could do to reach out to the LGBT community. Recently I made the point that the Sabres could do better in this regard, prompting someone to ask, how?  That’s a good question, one I had to take a step back and think about. I don’t like being the type to offer complaints without possible solutions, so here they are.

You Can Play and Homophobia in Sports

Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke (brother to the late and openly gay Brendan Burke) has created a new nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homophobia in sports.  The You Can Play Project will operate with the goal of showing that sports are more accepting than people think.  A more detailed description of the organization, its goals, and those currently involved can be read here.

Letter to the NHL Regarding LGBT Treatment

Note: We've seen three ugly incidents this year in the NHL, two racist and one homophobic.  During the preseason a fan threw a banana at black forward Wayne Simmonds.  The fan was arrested and charged with engaging in a prohibited activity.  A few days later Simmonds was caught (video, no audio) uttering the word "faggot" at LGBT-friendly player Sean Avery.  Simmonds was not punished.  Now Krys Barch was ejected from a game for using an ethnic slur (no video or audio) at black defenseman P.K. Subban.  His hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.  If the NHL chooses to punish Barch with evidence similar to the Simmonds incident, it is essentially giving an allowance to homophobia.

Letter after the jump.

The NHL and It Gets Better - Where We Stand

Just to do a quick recap of how my correspondences with various NHL teams regarding putting together an It Gets Better Video have gone.

Buffalo - The Sabres are currently working on an anti-bullying PSA inspired by gay Buffalo teen Jamey Rodemeyer's suicide and overlapping with many of the goals of the It Gets Better Project. They have refused to produce an It Gets Better Video because in their eyes it is exclusionary to victims of non-LGBT themed bullying. I have not received word on why they think it's okay to partner with the Salvation Army, who is exclusionary towards LGBT individuals.

Toronto - The Maple Leafs have essentially told me "great idea, we'll look into it," in the simplest of form e-mails possible. Since the organization has already lent itself to a pro-LGBT film, this apparent reluctance is curious.

Minnesota - I have not received a reply from the Wild.

New York Rangers - I have not received a reply from the Rangers.

Boston - I have not received a reply from the Bruins. I think Boston is the best shot at getting an NHL team to make an It Gets Better Video because they seem hell bent on spiting me in being better than the Sabres in every way possible.

In the coming days I will be contacting Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York (I), New Jersey, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Washington, Winnipeg, Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, San Jose, and Los Angeles.