Pro hockey player Zach Sullivan of the Manchester Storm made a bit of sports history over the weekend when he came out as bisexual.
In a statement release on Twitter yesterday, the 25-year-old says he hopes by coming out he “will give other hockey players around the country the same confidence to do the same.”
“I’m not doing this in the hope of any publicity,” he wrote. “I’ve always been a very private guy, but I realize that I have a unique opportunity to do some good.”
“If I can be open and honest about my sexuality, then hopefully that will give other hockey players around the country the same confidence to do the same.”
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#PrideWeekend #ICanPlay #YouCanPlay @officialEIHL @Mcr_Storm pic.twitter.com/2FH6AtDZ4f
— Zach Sullivan (@ZachSully11) January 26, 2020
Sullivan’s tweet was met with over 5K likes, 800 retweets, and 400 comments.
“You’ve lifted a huge weight off your shoulders,” one person wrote. “Step on the ice tonight and be proud, leave us to be loud.”
“You are amazing! We are so proud of you!” another commented.
“It is great that you felt you were able to tell your truth,” a third person said. “You will have the league fans on your side.”
Sullivan’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect either. He coincided it with Elite Ice Hockey League’s first official Pride weekend to promote inclusivity and diversity within ice hockey.
“We couldn’t be happier for our teammate and we 100% have his back,” said Manchester Storm’s captain Dallas Ehrhardt. “The hockey world is a tight-knit supportive community and when something as important like this happens, the whole sport gets better.”
Head coach Ryan Finnerty added that this was a “historic moment” because Sullivan is believed to be the first pro ice hockey player ever to come out publicly while still playing the sport.
“His strength and courage will inspire the youth of tomorrow,” Finnerty said.
kevininbuffalo
Elite Ice Hockey League? Never heard of it. Let me know when it’s a guy in the NHL.
jayceecook
Yes because only what happens in North America, specifically the USA, matters.
Prinny
If he was gay that would have been noteworthy.But he’s bisexual and probably sees men as just a side thing so meh.
Donston
“Bisexual” is just a word. It can mean practically anything. And most of these other identities mean different things for different people. We really don’t have any idea where this guy is on the romantic, sexual, emotional investment, relationship contentment spectrum or what is relationship ambitions are. But even if he only saw dudes as a “side thing” he has a right to express that.
Doug
I notice a lot of guys in the public eye are testing the waters by saying they’re “bisexual.” But from then on they’re exclusively hooked up with other guys.
Donston
Yes, this is something that does happen. Bi/pan/fluid/queer/I-don’t-believe-in-labels are sometimes used to test the waters and gain further self-comfort and self-understanding. But your perspective is problematic. That viewpoint can sometimes make guys feel that they need to date and/or have sex with with women in order “prove” their bisexuality. Wanting to exclusively date your sex and only have sexual encounters with your sex doesn’t equate to being homosexual. Just like many folks who live entirely hetero lifestyles aren’t really heterosexual.
It’s funny that you think this announcement means he’s about to only “hook up” with guys. A previous poster thinks this means he’s just gonna view guys as merely a “side thing”. Everyone has their own assumptions when it comes to other people’s identities. We just need to stop placing identity and sexual pressures on anyone, accept that everyone has their own journey and motivations, and accept that many people are within the gender, romantic, sexual, emotional investment, relationship contentment spectrum. No one should feel that they need to validate themselves to the public, need to identify as something or have sex with someone or date someone.
Kieran
I remember when Elton John identified as bisexual. That said, I hope Zach has a wonderful life being true to himself. Clive Davis insists it’s a thing.
Baldmedic64
Must have been a slow news day. Never the less, I wish him every success. I wish I had come out in my 20s, or 30s or 40s or…… just shoot me now!
Thad
Most of us North American hockey fans have no idea what the EIHL is. The U.K. is hardly a hockey hotbed and rarely competes on the world stage. I had to look this up to be sure it wasn’t referring to the minor league team in Manchester, New Hampshire
That being said. I’m glad “You Can Play” is having a global outreach! It’s celebrated in all 31 NHL arenas…I went to three events last year, at the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Carolina Hurricanes. It’s in connection with “Hockey Is For Everyone,” and seeks to encourage participation by gay players, coaches, and fans.
The Stanley Cup is the only major sports trophy that’s been to Gay Pride. It enjoyed the festivities in Chicago in 2010 after the BlackHawks won their first of three Cups in the 2010s.
And…Manchester won their Pride Night game, beating Dundee 3-0.
Donston
The stakes are much lower when it comes to players in these small leagues. The hetero pressures, the conventional masculinity pressures, the pressures to be a “queer mascot”, the potential to lose money or opportunities or jobs, the media attention, the constant media questions, the potential taunting- it’s all much lower than what you would see in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB. But good on him for feeling he can share his self-identity. Though I hope he obtains or has already obtained genuine self-comfort and can feel he can genuinely be himself and live his life freely. Revealing an identity doesn’t automatically equate to that stuff.
Gandalf The Grey
I’m proud of him!
Jim
Question.
Say 10 years ago saying one was bisexual was a precursor to coming out as gay. I know more and more people acknowledging their bisexuality, but is this a case of testing the waters if you will?
Donston
We don’t know the dude. You can’t really know why someone identifies as whatever or exactly where they are on the spectrum. Yes, some still use “bi” as an ease-in. But that isn’t anywhere near always the case. The thing is when someone says that they’re bi/pan/fluid/queer and gives no details beyond that it’s pretty hard to get what they mean. I’ve read people claiming to be “bi” based purely off of their past dating experiences or past experimentation. I’ve read and heard people claiming that they identify as “bi” because they don’t want to be “branded gay”. I’ve both read and heard people saying “bisexual” can mean anything the individual wants it to mean. While there’s a good amount of gay identifying people who are inherently bi/pan or who live bi lifestyles. And there’s a ton of non-heterosexuals that will never see themselves as anything but “straight”. You can never really know what’s up. Fluidity is a real experience for many folks. The gender, romantic, sexual, affection, emotional, relationship spectrum is so wide and varied. And there’s so many motivations behind why people do what they do or say they are whatever they say. Identity is ultimately a choice at the end of the day. That’s why getting so caught up in what people call themselves doesn’t make a lot of sense, and it actually impedes progress and genuine honesty. Just let folks live. We do need to preach that “gay” does not have to be this definitive, passe, one-note word. Even if it’s not an identity you embrace, it needs to stop being promoted as something belittling, de-humanizing, basic and limiting, which is how a lot of “queers” view it.
startenout
Instead of questioning his motives, his sexuality and whether he’s famous enough to matter to you, you just say “Congratulations on living your truth. I hope you will be an inspiration for future generations!”
You can copy and paste this sentiment if you cannot pull it together long enough to just be happy that someone did publicly what many people still don’t have the bravery to do privately.