She Can Play

Charline Labonté is a phenomenal hockey player. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada, and has won numerous accolades in the CIS, international tournaments, and various Canadian tournaments that she's played in. In other words, she can play. One thing that she's never spoken about in great detail is her personal life, and I completely respect that. While she may be in the Canadian public's eye, her personal life should be her own. So it's with great admiration and respect that I read Miss Labonté's article on Outsports.

I'm still not sure why there is such prejudice thrown on a person's sexuality when it comes to sports. I know there is a stigma that comes with being gay, but it seems ridiculous to carry on with that stigma in this day and age. After all, my gay friends aren't GAY friends. They're just my friends.

In saying this, Miss Labonté's "announcement" today didn't raise my eyebrows. Instead, I am happy for Charline. She shouldn't be viewed as different because she prefers the company of women. She should be celebrated by all Canadians for her efforts in winning gold medals for her country and bringing people of all walks of life together across this nation. Again, her personal life is her own.

If you'd like to judge Miss Labonté for who she is, that's your loss. I still think she's an outstanding individual and one helluva goaltender. Whether she's gay, straight, white, black, woman, or man, her contributions on the international stage are in no way diminished because she's in love with a woman. In fact, her article seems to say that she felt more comfortable being herself and having her partner with her in Sochi, so Canadians should actually be thankful she didn't have that added stress on her shoulders.

More than anything, though, she's proven she can play, and I'd take her on my team any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Her sexual orientation matters little when she's on the ice. All she has to do is stop the puck. Her trophy case of Olympic gold medals and gold and silver World Hockey Championship medals proves she can certainly do that.

As a Canadian who is proud for what you've done for this country on the ice, thank you, Charline. You can play on my team any time you like.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!