The only openly homosexual player connected to the NHL, minor leaguer Luke Prokop was once heralded as the man who changed the world of hockey. Man, was that declaration refuted! A rebellion has broken out in the National Hockey League, where more and more frequently teams and individual players are rejecting LGBT pride promotions.
The New York Rangers canceled most of their pride activities Jan. 27.
James Reimer, a goalie for San Jose, refused to wear a pride-themed uniform, due to his biblical beliefs that homosexuality is a sin. He tweeted that he has “no hate in heart,” “every person has value and worth,” but he cannot endorse unbiblical things coming from “the highest authority in my life.”
The Advocate claimed that “his understanding of the Bible supports a little bit of bigotry” and said, “Reimer surely violates many of the rules outlined in the Bible, like working on Saturday and eating certain foods, but is selective about this one in the name of exclusion. In addition, some called Reimer’s actions a publicity stunt that left him on an island, separated from his team.”
The Philadelphia Flyers' Ivan Provorov declined to participate in his team’s pride event, opting instead to “stay true to myself and my religion. "I respect everyone. I respect everybody's choices," the Orthodox Russian said.
Additionally, the Chicago Blackhawks are not wearing pride-themed warmup jerseys before Sunday's game against Vancouver, due to security concerns involving Russian players. Their homeland is cracking down on activities promoting rainbow indoctrination, ESPN reports.
Recently, the Minnesota Wild refused to wear pride apparel though they flew a paralyzed homosexual to town for the game.
All of these rejections of rainbow pride are extremely rare in American professional sports.
In the midst of this rebellion, all the man who changed the hockey world has done is whine about the infidels in a Tweet. Prompting a puff piece on his sexual orientation by People magazine.
Minor leaguer Prokop, of the Seattle Thunderbirds, wrote a letter cross-checking the NHL players spurning pride activities. People magazine suck-up Natasha Dye called it a “thoughtful message” about the lack of "inclusion" among NHL players.
"I share the disappointment in what feels like a step back for inclusion in the NHL," Prokop tweeted. The Nashville Predators’ bush leaguer called pride nights and jerseys an important part of promoting respect and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community, and wrote the lack of enthusiasm around the league is "disheartening."
Prokop scolded the dissidents for refusing to focus on the NHL’s initiative to grow advocacy for the rainbow cause. Gee, I mistakenly thought the cause was pursuing the Stanley Cup. My bad.
"Everyone is entitled to their own set of beliefs but I think it's important to recognize the difference between endorsing a community and respecting individuals within it," Prokop whined.
Well trained in the LGBTQABCD mantra, Prokop said he "strongly" believes that the NHL can become "an environment where every player feels comfortable bringing their authentic selves to the game" if teams and players can "prioritize diversity and inclusion."
That’s all so much nonsense distracting hockey teams and players from pursuit of the Stanley Cup. Let sports be sports … without the rainbow shenanigans. Hockey rinks, football and baseball fields are not the place for people to come out of the closet and affirm their true selves.
