Sean Avery of the National Hockey League's (NHL's) New York Rangers has created an international incident after taking a pro-same-sex-marriage stance, and one person even has been fired after supporting anti-gay tweets.
The situation started earlier this month when Avery, 31, who has played for four teams in the NHL since breaking into the league in 1998, cut a video in support of marriage equality for New York's gay couples. "I treat everyone the way I expect to be treated, and that applies to marriage … Committed couples should be able to marry the person they love. Join me in supporting marriage equality," he said on the video, made for the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign.
In a separate interview with the New York Times, Avery stated, "I certainly have been surrounded by the gay community. And living in New York and when you live in L.A., you certainly have a lot of gay friends."
Avery's NHL career has spanned 565 regular-season games, and he has scored 87 career goals and recorded 157 assists. He has played for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and New York Rangers.
Avery's comments first agitated Todd Reynolds, the vice-president at Uptown Sports, a Canadian company that represents several NHL players. Reynolds tweeted criticism of Avery's support of gay marriage, calling it, "misguided."
Several other agents then blasted Reynolds' comments.
However, Damian Goddard, an anchor with Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto, decided to weigh into the gay marriage debate prompted by Avery's support for same-sex couples and his tweet led to his firing. Goddard said on his personal Twitter account: "I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage."
Rogers management issued the following statement: "Damian Goddard is no longer with Rogers Sportsnet. Mr. Goddard was a freelance contractor and in recent weeks it had become clear that he is not the right fit for our organization. As this is a confidential personnel matter, we will not be commenting further except to say that views expressed by Mr. Goddard on Twitter are his own and do not reflect the views of Rogers or Rogers Sportsnet."
Andrew Sobotka, the president of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association (CGHA), said Avery was "very brave" for saying what he did.
"I don't think [Avery is] one to shy away from speaking his mind and I'm glad he's chosen to speak out for gay rights, for something he believes in," Sobotka said. "For a straight athlete to stand up and say that it's alright to be gay, he's helping a lot of struggling gay athletes out there and setting a good example for other straight athletes. If gay people are to gain equal rights and equal standing in society, we need straight allies to speak up with us.
"I think [Reynold's response] is a perfect example of why we look to athletes to be role models and not their agents. Todd Reynolds seems to be in a mindset that gay people are not deserving of equal rights and that's sad and misguided."
The CGHA grabbed worldwide headlines about a year ago when it had the Stanley Cup and Brent Sopel, a member of the 2010 Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, ride on the team's float in the annual Chicago Pride Parade.
"Sean Avery is setting the bar high for other athletes to take a role in political issues," Sobotka said. "The video that he made for New Yorkers for Marriage Equality will hopefully encourage other athletes to do the same. It seems that everyday more and more athletes are voicing a pro-gay stance and it's really great, not just for the gay community but for gay athletes as well."
Avery and former standout NCAA wrestler Hudson Taylor are two of the many top-tier athletes who have taken a pro-gay stance. Several NBA players, including Grant Hill, have also supported the LGBT community.
"Opinions are changing, and more and more people are realizing that a human is a human. We're all in this mess together, so instead of trying to oppress each other we should support each other," Sobotka said. "Being gay is not a choice. I was born gay, just as others were born with brown skin or with blue eyes. It's a personal attribute that cannot be changed. However, being a closed-minded person is a choice. And being represented by such a person is also a choice. Todd Reynolds' comments, as well as his father's comments are bigoted, as much as he doesn't believe they are. I strongly encourage anyone affiliated with his firm to seek new representation immediately."
Avery has, in recent years, been known for his keen fashion sense. In 2008, for instance, he interned at Vogue Magazine. Also in 2008, he guest-edited MensVogue.com, the website for Men's Vogue magazine.
In 2009, Avery worked with men's fashion label Commonwealth Utilities to present a clothing line for Fashion Week in New York City.
"The fact that one of the bad boys of hockey has come out in support of gay marriage takes the issue in the locker room of every team in the NHL. If an enforcer like Avery can support gay marriage, it undermines the idea that toughness and machismo don't mix with equal rights for gay Americans," said Cyd Zeigler of Outsports.com .
"What bothered me the most about [Reynold's] response was that he said he was speaking for the, 'silent majority.' But a large majority of Canadians support gay marriage, and various polls say a majority of people in the U.S. support it as well. His response is that of someone stuck in the past, and his facts reflect that."
Zeigler predicted more athletes in other leagues also will be taking a public stance in favor of gay rights.
"With every athlete who adds their voice to the cause, others become more likely to do it," Zeigler said.
Avery and football players Scott Fujita and Brendon Ayanbadejo are three of the most outspoken straight allies for the LGBT community.
"Five years ago, it was impossible to find a professional athlete who would openly support gay marriage," Zeigler said. "Two years ago it was a distinct rarity. Now Sean is at the forefront of a movement of athletes who aren't just saying the sports world needs to change, but that it's time our entire culture welcomed gay people as equals.
"Their voices are greater than just the sports they play, and it's amazing that so many of these role models are using their notoriety to advance equality for groups of people they don't fit into themselves."
