Transgender people in ice hockey
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The participation of transgender people in ice hockey is an ongoing issue in the place of LGBT+ rights and diversity in ice hockey. Only a small handful of professional players have come out as openly trans, and systemic transphobia presents many barriers to the inclusion of trans people in the sport.[1]
History
[edit]In 2003, USA Hockey banned a transgender woman from participating in the Women's National Ice Hockey Tournament.[2]
In January 2013, the NHL's Vancouver Canucks welcomed transgender teenager and Britannia Secondary School goaltender Cory Oskam onto the ice to stand next to Cory Schneider during the pre-game national anthem.[3][4]
In 2013, Jesse Thompson, a junior hockey player in Ontario, made a complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario concerning harassment and bullying over his being trans.[5][6] In 2017, the Ontario Hockey Federation made transgender training mandatory for all minor hockey coaches as a result of the tribunal.[7]
In 2014, the Whitehorse Women's Hockey League announced a policy allowing anyone who identifies as a woman or was assigned female at birth to participate in the league without restriction.[8]
In October 2016, NWHL Buffalo Beauts player Harrison Browne became the first professional hockey player to publicly come out as transgender during their career.[9] He postponed his medical transition until his retirement from the league in 2018.[10]
In January 2018, CWHL Toronto Furies player Jessica Platt publicly came out as transgender, the first professional female hockey player to come out as a transgender woman.[11][12] Ella Licari, who played in the Australian Women's Ice Hockey League from 2016 to 2019, also came out as transgender that year.[13]
In April 2018, Leksands IF Dam goaltender Leon Reuterström publicly came out as a transgender man, and had to retire due to his testosterone therapy contravening SDHL anti-doping rules.[14][15]
In the autumn of 2018, Fabienne Peter became the first openly transgender player to play in the Switzerland women's ice hockey league.[16]
In April 2019, the San José Sharks honoured 15-year old Elliot Govaars of the San José Junior Sharks in a pre-game ceremony on Trans Day of Visibility.[17][18]
In January 2020, the British EIHL held its first ever Pride Weekend.[19]
Policies
[edit]IIHF
[edit]The 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation Transgender Policy came into effect on 1 June 2020. The policy bars transgender men from playing in women's competitions after beginning any form of hormone treatment, and specifies that transgender women wishing to compete in women's competitions must demonstrate that their serum testosterone concentration has been less than 5nmol/L1 continuously for a period of at least 12 months and continuously throughout their playing time. The policy does not require legal gender identity recognition or surgical changes.[20][21]
Ice Hockey UK
[edit]Ice Hockey UK maintains a policy on transgender inclusion stating that clubs must "be conscious of the wide variety within the trans community, and be alert to the flexible approach needed so that they may be welcomed and included without discrimination, not only as players, but also as managers, coaches, staff members, and in the social life of the Club."[22]
USA Hockey
[edit]In January 2019, USA Hockey announced a new set of guidelines on transgender athlete eligibility.[23][24] The policies included notice that many ice hockey programmes were not limited by gender, such as mixed leagues and children's leagues. The guidelines for eligibility for trans players in restricted leagues stated that transgender women aged 14 and up must have undergone at least a year of testosterone suppression therapy and that transgender men should not have begun testosterone hormone therapy. The policy also explicitly contained guidelines for non-binary players. The policy generally received positive feedback from players.[25][26]
PHF
[edit]The now-defunct Premier Hockey Federation policy on trans eligibility banned players assigned female at birth from playing while undergoing testosterone hormone therapy and specifies that players assigned male at birth must be able to demonstrate that their serum total testosterone level "is within typical limits of women athletes," and that the league may monitor hormone levels via testing.[27] The policy was announced in December 2016, the first professional sports league to announce specific guidelines for trans eligibility, and was developed in collaboration with You Can Play and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.[28][29]
Organisations
[edit]Team Trans
[edit]In 2019, Team Trans was founded in Massachusetts, in the United States, as an all-transgender and nonbinary hockey team.[30] It is believed to be the only all-transgender sports team currently active in the United States.[31][32]
You Can Play
[edit]You Can Play is a social activism campaign dedicated to the eradication of homophobia and the inclusion of LGBT+ people in sports. It was founded after the death of openly-gay Miami University player Brendan Burke.[33]
List of notable transgender ice hockey players
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Forster, Jay (18 June 2018). "I Can Pass, But Can I Play? Playing Hockey While Trans". Outsports. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Cohen, Jodi H.; Semerjian, Tamar Z. (12 December 2008). "The Collision of Trans-Experience and the Politics of Women's Ice Hockey". International Journal of Transgenderism. 10 (3–4): 133–145. doi:10.1080/15532730802297322. S2CID 143510443. Retrieved 31 October 2020 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
- ^ Allingham, Jeremy (17 May 2013). "Transgender teen finds strength in hockey". CBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Stewart, Megan (15 May 2013). "Transgendered teen athlete becomes an advocate". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Donna (8 September 2016). "Hockey player who pushed Ontario on transgender inclusion hopes for more". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Transgender rights activists celebrate Hockey Canada settlement". Maclean's. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Donna (26 September 2017). "Transgender training now mandatory for Ontario minor hockey coaches". Global News. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ White, Dave (22 December 2014). "Whitehorse Women's Hockey League embraces transgender males". CBC News (Interview). Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Clinton, Jared (7 October 2016). "NWHL's Harrison Browne makes history as hockey's first openly transgender player". The Hockey News. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Murphy, Mike (30 April 2018). "Trailblazer Harrison Browne announces his retirement from women's hockey after winning his second Isobel Cup". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Bennett, Donnovan (6 February 2018). "Hockey is for Everyone: The Jessica Platt Story". Sportsnet. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Barnes, Katie (10 January 2018). "CWHL's first transgender woman finds comfort, confidence in professional hockey". ESPN. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Bevis, Hannah (11 January 2018). "Toronto Furies player Jessica Platt comes out as transgender". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Skoglund, Henrik (25 April 2018). "Leksandsmålvakten lägger av – kommer ut som transsexuell". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Andersson, Anna (3 August 2019). "Leon Reuterström om livet under könskorrigeringen". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "First trans woman in Swiss hockey to play for EHC Basel". Swiss Hockey News. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Douglas, William (11 June 2019). "Transgender teenage hockey player embraced by Jr. Sharks". NHL. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Ennis, Dawn (1 April 2019). "The hockey star of the future is a transgender boy". Outsports. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Holmes, Jon (22 January 2020). "Elite League: Why first Pride Weekend in UK ice hockey matters to LGBT+ community | Ice Hockey News". Sky Sports. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "IIHF - Rules and Regulations". iihf.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "2021 IIHF Transgender Policy" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Transgender Policy". Ice Hockey UK. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "Diversity, Equity & Inclusion". usahockey.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "USA Hockey Transgender Athlete Eligibility Policy" (PDF). 2020-11-25. USA Hockey. 20 January 2019.
- ^ Ziegler, Syd (25 January 2019). "New USA Hockey transgender and non-binary policy earns praise". Outsports. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "USA Hockey's New Trans and Non-Binary Guidelines Don't Amount to Inclusion for Many Trans and Non-Binary Athletes". The Victory Press. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ "National Women's Hockey League Policy on Participation of Transgender Athletes". National Women's Hockey League. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Neale, Jen (29 December 2016). "Inside new NWHL transgender policy, which sets pro sports precedent". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Bevis, Hannah (27 December 2016). "NWHL releases new Policy on Participation of Transgender Athletes". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (25 November 2019). "All-transgender hockey team 'like an instant family' for players who felt like outcasts: Co-captain | CBC News". CBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Allentuck, Danielle; Sommerfeld, Mark (15 November 2019). "For 16 Transgender Hockey Players, a Groundbreaking Weekend". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ Baggs, Michael (19 December 2019). "Trans ice hockey: 'Out on the ice your gender means nothing'". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (11 April 2013). "NHL announces LGBT rights partnership with You Can Play to support gay athletes". Slate. Retrieved 31 October 2020.