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March 10, 2023
Former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and professional hockey player, Brock McGillis, is on a mission to bring the LGBTQ+ hockey community together and create a safe space for them within the sport. Conceived last year with its official launch last week, his Alphabet Sports Collective (ASC) nonprofit is galvanizing athletes, sponsors and the media to create action plans to make sure that the LGBTQ+ community has a seat at the table across all levels of hockey, from grassroots leagues to the NHL.
McGillis was among the first professional hockey players to come out as gay and is a leading activist in the LGBTQ+ space. With ASC, he is working towards a “safe and inclusive environment in the sport for all sexual identities and gender expressions through education, community building and mobilization.
“I saw that there weren’t very many spaces for queer people within the sport (of hockey). I also felt that the way the sport is — nobody is out, nobody is comfortable in coming out, they’re all living in silence — and we need to have space for everyone,” said McGillis.
Born in response to LGBTQ+ attacks, the Canada-based “queer-led non-profit” is focused on designing spaces free of institutional biases and systemic violence experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community. It will connect LGTBQ+ youth to members of their own hockey-engaged community to create a network that champions and supports one another. Canada is now home to about one million people who identify as members of the LGBTQ community. Police from the country’s capital received reports of, on average, more than one hate crime per day in 2022, which led to another rise in the annual total of LGBTQ+ focused hate crimes.
“By having people unified in the space, those people who are struggling can have a lot of different people to go to,” McGillis said. “And also, beyond that, it makes them realize how many of us there actually are. And that, in itself, is a relief. The reality is there’s thousands of us in this sport, plus allies.”
When he announced his plans for ASC on Twitter last year, McGillis received thousands of responses in support from around the world. He has since formed a board for the non-profit that includes hockey agent Bayne Pettinger, Nashville Predators prospect Luke Prokop (the first player under contract with an NHL team to come out as gay) and former Maple Leafs forward Kurtis Gabriel. Leafs defensman Morgan Rielly and Flyers center Scott Laughton, as well as hockey media personalities Pierre LeBrun, Gord Miller and Ray Ferraro are among the organization’s Ambassadors.
The collective is set to begin programming and membership opportunities on its website soon. ASC will host resources and services for players suffering from abuse and homophobia, offering opportunities where they can speak with athletes or experts who have either studied or suffered the same abuse.
“I think the space Brock is creating is so important for LGBTQ+ athletes because so many don’t feel like they have a place in sport,” said Jessica Platt, a member of the ASC board. “Through their experiences playing the game, many people have felt like they are excluded and have had to fight for their spot or give it up entirely. I once felt that I had to pursue happiness in my life or keep playing hockey. Having to make that choice to give up the game I loved playing was extremely difficult.”
Source: The Star
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