When you think of hockey you probably think of huge guys beating the hell out of each other on ice, not the groundbreaking progressivism that’s taking place in women’s hockey. In an unprecedented decision, the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) has issued a statement accepting the rights of athletes to express their own gender identity.
This official stance by the NWHL was brought on after Harrison Browne came out as a transgender man. The 23 year old athlete, affectionately dubbed “Brownie,” is the first openly trans athlete to compete in a team sport in North America. He currently is a member of the Buffalo Beauts, where his teammates have been just as open and accommodating as the league itself, accepting Browne’s pronouns and supporting him on and off the ice.
The NWHL’s stance on the issue over gender identity in sports is perhaps the most inclusive in the sports world, as no major leagues have adopted any official policy regarding gender identity. The policy allows for all biological females not taking testosterone and biological males on testosterone blockers to compete. This allows for trans women, trans men, and anyone not one the binary spectrum to play, regardless of whether or not they received sexual reassignment surgery.
Despite only having existed for two years, the NWHL has already left its mark on the sports world. Hopefully, this action by the league will prompt other major sports leagues to create comprehensive and inclusive policies for athletes that do not fall on the gender binary. If they ever need a model the NWHL’s platform seems like a pretty good place to start. The NWHL is in the middle of its season right now if you want to support Harrison Browne and the Buffalo Beauts. Show the sporting world that trans players are worth their attention.
