it’s crazy to me that people would even think saying “there are and have been gay people in the NHL” is even slightly controversial when we can confirm that:
1. a gay player almost came out, called a press conference and was ready to go through with it until 2 hours before when he decided he wasn’t comfortable with it.
2. two players on the same team one time went to a gay bar not knowing the other was there and they made eye contact and pretended they both just thought it was a normal bar
3. the nhl had a gay rights activist and public speaker talk with the gay players in the NHL (without outing them) as a way to share their stories with someone who could understand.
4. players have said that having a gay player in the locker room actually improves team relations between everyone and promotes a healthier environment
all these all come from a documentary you can watch today that came out years ago but sure let’s pretend you JUST realized gay men might exist when even from the closet they’ve been shouting “we’re here” for years.
