The Toronto Marlies are grabbing attention off the ice as the first full team to sign onto Leafs GM Brian Burke’s You Can Play initiative.
The team posted a video to YouTube Monday, in which all members give voice to the message that no one should be excluded from play because of his or her sexual identity.
“The Toronto Marlies pledge to support all of our coaches, teammates, and fans- gay or straight,” players say in the video. “We stand for the idea that athletes should be judged for their character, work ethic, and talent. Not their sexual orientation. Racist, homophobic, and sexist language have no place in our arena.”
By Thursday, the video had over 5,000 views and was garnering positive response online.
“The Toronto Marlies are all beauties,” wrote YouTube user Laurie James. “This is a fantastic pledge that should be taken by all teams.”
Another user wrote the video makes him want to move to Canada.
You Can Play created the pledge specifically for the Marlies when team members asked how they could deepen their involvement at a September presentation given by You Can Play co-founder Patrick Burke and gay hockey player Scott Heggart.
Burke’s brother, Brendan, became the inspiration for the campaign after dying in a car crash in February 2010. The 21-year-old had come out to his family three years before his death.
In addition to the video, the Marlies’ coach and all players autographed two copies of the pledge, placing one in the locker room and another in the concourse at Ricoh Coliseum to let fans know their team supports them -- and that homophobia and other forms of discrimination are not welcome at games.
The move comes around the same time that two members of the Toronto Argonauts ‘outed’ themselves as allies of gay professional football players.
In an interview with Gay and Lesbian news site Xtra, offensive lineman Joe Eppele and wide receiver Mike Bradwell acknowledged that there is still homophobia in the sport, but said they would accept and support a gay teammate.
The move comes just as attention fixes on the team, with the Argos set to play in the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto on Sunday.
