Defying the Ice: A Gay Hockey Player’s Fight for Visibility in an Era of DEI Deletion

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Defying the Ice: A Gay Hockey Player’s Fight for Visibility in an Era of DEI Deletion

Standing up during the great whack down

Feb 15, 2025

Transcript

Let’s now unravel a tale of ice, courage, and the rarest of human traits—authenticity. The arena? The United States of America. The combatants? Not merely swinging sticks, but young hockey players armed with an even deadlier weapon—conviction. And leading the charge, like a modern hero through the temple of tradition, is Brock McGillis, the first openly gay NHL hockey player who dared to challenge the untouchable gospel of hockey culture.

In 2023, he embarked on a quixotic quest across Canada—100 minor hockey teams in 100 days—saying: be yourself, break conformity, and stand up for one another. The Shiftmakers Tour, as it’s now known, is no ordinary tour. It is a clarion call, a battle cry against the unspoken rules that govern locker rooms and silence dissent. Brock made history by coming out in 2016 as was the first openly gay professional hockey player, and since then, he has been at the forefront of changing sports culture—earning accolades like The Hockey News "100 Most Influential People in Hockey" and Queerty’s Pride50. He's backed by NHL, NHLPA, the Seattle Kraken, Chicago Blackhawks, and our own Warner Brothers and the Shiftmakers Tour is tackling racism, homophobia, and sexism in hockey by inspiring young athletes to foster inclusive environments where everyone belongs.

And now he’s bringing his mission to the U.S. for the first time.