As I read the article, “A Gay Referee Tries to Find His Place in Hockey” by Jason Buckland, it became obvious that the sport that I love so much needs to change. I had no idea that there wasn’t a single gay person in or even associated with the NHL. The NBA and the NFL have already welcomed their first gay players so why can’t the NHL? I’ve been playing hockey for the past 12 years and have often ignored the homophobic language because trash talk is so ingrained in hockey’s culture. Go on Youtube and search, “NHL Chirps” and you’ll see what I mean. In hockey, everybody pours their heart out onto the ice and tempers flare, but after the game we all shake hands and it’s over. However, making somebody feel unsafe through homophobic words and racist
