Due to the barrage of racist language he heard in the bag area and on the snow, Brock McGillis never felt comfortable enough to come out while a college and semipro soccer player.
He will then tell his story to slight sports teams over the course of the following 100 days in an effort to ensure that no present player has to go through a similar experience.
McGillis will meet with 100 minor soccer team in 100 times in all of the NHL’s Canadian house locations as part of a series of speaking engagements known as the” Culture Shift Tour.”
McGillis intends to use his personal experience as a case study to illustrate the negative consequences that language can have on anyone who does not fit the stereotypical mold of the hockey player during his presentation.
If you ca n’t follow the rules, you’re othered in this sport in particular, he told Outsports, regardless of whether you are LGBTQ+ or just a child who fits in.
McGillis even asks his visitors to consider one in their life who might be a member of the LGBTQ area or who usually exists outside of hockey norms before telling his story. He therefore applies his knowledge to personalize the experiences of those players as they enter the locker room or onto a club.
In the 2023 sports lifestyle, they continue to carry a burden. McGillis cited a 2022 Hockey Canada study that found that the most charged form of language in the game was racist in nature, despite the fact that he believed that explicit homophobia has decreased since his days as an athlete.
” I believe that language and actions, particularly at younger ages, make people feel as though they wo n’t be welcomed. However, he estimated that 98 % of the players may be open and willing to change their speech and behaviors as they go, as well as extremely supportive or inviting to a gay partner.
With that in mind, McGillis shifts to sharing tales of game players who have attempted to combat ingrained bigotry and cruel language as his talk progresses. McGillis refers to these individuals as” change makers” and demonstrates to his audience how they can also alter the culture of their respective sports.
McGillis gave the example of a young player he worked with in 2015 who confronted the offending player and told him,” We do n’t use that language here,” in response to homophobic locker room talk.
McGillis was n’t playing sports at the time.
” That experience helped me understand that I had the power to change things and that this lifestyle could change. It led me to this trip and the work I’ve been doing for the past six or seven years, he said, and that time had a ripple effect.
All types of people have benefited from McGillis ‘ labor over that period. He has been approached by some Gay athletes, and he has assisted game families in accepting their LGBTQ children. Immediately players have occasionally confided in him that they enjoy painting or writing poetry, which is at odds with the machismo streak that permeates the sport.
They all love items that they would n’t usually share with colleagues, despite the fact that these are not cultural norms. And they all follow these cultural conventions. Why do n’t we simply deviate from the norms so that everyone can feel at ease and at home there? They’re going to become less likely to judge someone else for their distinctions when that occurs, he said.
Following the NHL’s fighting Pride sweaters and Pride Tape fiascoes, McGillis ‘ visit has acquired new significance. While he was aware of the metaphoric significance of Pride jerseys, his focus was much more on exposing the causes of anti-LGBT behavior within the activity.
McGillis was pleased to discover saner heads prevail and lift the NHL’s moratorium on Pride Tape. He said,” If we’re giving people the freedom to choose their uniforms, I think they should be able to use tape if they want to help marginalized parties.”
On November 15, the” Culture Shift Tour” does begin in Vancouver and end on February 3 in Toronto. McGillis intends to take his lecture to the United States in the future and travel to more Canadian places. He would even love to speak with every NHL team after having previously worked with the Battle, Blackhawks and Maple Leafs.
Spending 100 time away from home traveling and speaking is a pretty difficult work, he said, adding that there is currently much bad in the world and I’m hoping that this can turn it around. Finally, it will benefit folks, but I hope they recognize that as well as find some joy and inspiration in it.
