An Open letter to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Dear Columbus Blue Jackets:

Few have had the privilege to witness as much of Columbus hockey as I have. One of my earliest memories is attending a Chill game with family long passed, I’ve got the poster from your inaugural game against Chicago to prove I’ve been around, and I don’t have to tell y’all what a brilliant night the Stadium Series was.

First, thank you (and, by extension, team owners the McConnell family) for your radiant presence in this city. Hard not to look up to folks like Ron Tugnutt, Rick Nash, Brandon Dubinsky, JLGP, Nick Foligno, my favorite announcer Jody Shelley, and of course the dearly departed Johnny Gaudreau, just to name a few.

To move on to business, as you might be aware, USA Hockey has banned transgender people from many programs, including the suspension of their USA Hockey Transgender Athlete Eligibility Policy. Hockey is not for everyone if we don’t stand for everyone; it doesn’t matter whether or not you watch “Heated Rivalry.”

I can understand as a general notion why the team might not make a statement, but I say as a queer person that silence on this issue makes your annual Pride Night worthless. Olivier doesn’t pull his punches, and neither should the front office.

I am sorry to say that neither myself nor several of my fellow gay Jackets fans feel that Nationwide specifically on Pride Night is a safe space for us. The hate you do not speak out against in the league and our own fan base is disgusting. Just look at the comment sections on your Remembrance Day or Kwanzaa posts if you need proof, or post something for Black History Month and see how that’s treated.

If the Blue on your Jackets represents any kind of unity, speak up for the least of those in our community. Transgender people make up a fraction of a fraction of the population; you know as well as I do this is nothing more than politics corrupting the game.

Similarly, I don’t know why I see basketball players speaking out against ICE when people are being disappeared from the streets of Columbus and the cannon remains silent.

If these are not understandable sentiments to whomever may read this, ditch the Union Blue and put on Confederate Grey.

I’ve already lost my relationship with my Dad, the man who introduced me to hockey, because of nothing more than who I am. Please, don’t make me lose hope in you, too.

Respectfully,
Josh Courtney

Josh Courtney is a 30 year resident of Central Ohio, a queer naturalist, and he will always mourn the untimely loss of the Gaudreau brothers.