Pride nights are not just a major occurrence on the schedules of NHL teams. Minor league hockey clubs are going to great lengths to host LGBT-themed events as well.
The Manitoba Moose - the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets since 2015 - announced that it will host a Pride Night on Saturday that will serve as a fundraiser for Rainbow Resource Centre.
"The 2022 Pride Game aims to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere where all fans feel welcome regardless of their ethnicity, race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation,” a press release from the team announced. So by implication, the rest of the Moose games are lawless, horrific scenarios of tribal bloodletting -- "The Lord of the Flies" with beer and donuts.
But on Pride night, the fans put away their sharpened sticks and beat their scalping knives into rainbows. “This game showcases that hockey holds no biases and truly is a game for everyone.”
While that sounds welcoming, certain people within the world of hockey have clearly shown there is a bias for LGBT personnel over other groups of people -- especially Christians. But that’s a song for another time.
In addition to being a fundraiser, the event is also doubling as an educational seminar in gender-inclusive language. The Moose are encouraging fans to avoid using words such as “boy” and “girl” to help “respect” the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Before we look at Manitoba’s updated terms of engagement, you might want an explanation for what the “2S” in that acronym stands for. It means “two spirited,” which represents “An indigenous identity reflecting gender diversity, fluid gender roles, and attraction.” So not only your gender can be fluid, if you’re indigenous, your spirit can be too! Delusion is no respecter of cultural boundaries.
Anyway, here’s the list of the sexual orientations the Moose want to celebrate, and the proper words they think are acceptable to use when addressing anyone who might fit one of these categories.
By educating ourselves that language matters, we can show our support to the 2SLGBTQ+ community and help create an inclusive environment for all 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/6xrqf5K4t7
— Manitoba Moose (@ManitobaMoose) February 16, 2023
We’ve seen some over-the-top LGBT-themed events in the past, this one is probably up there with the most ridiculous. Not only did a hockey team come up with a way to legitimize the derangement of people who think their “spirit identity is fluid,” it now presumes to lecture fans on how to be more inclusive with their words. Come for the hockey, stay for the authoritarian speech moderation in the name of “inclusivity.”
Am I the only one that wishes for the days when we could watch sporting events at all levels without wondering if we were going to get the LGBT agenda shoved down our throats?
