Thunderbirds Representing Pride Month
Jun 12, 2020
Throughout history, many milestones have been achieved through the tireless and hard-fought efforts of human beings looking for change. No different, each June, Pride Month is celebrated in honour of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising that took place in Manhattan. The physical celebration was usually held on the last week of June to commemorate the riots but to this day, each city and nation celebrates in its own significant way. In doing so, cities will often times hold parades, parties and various other forms of celebration for the LGBTQ+ movement.
June of 2020 commemorates the 51st anniversary of the tradition. As members of such an evolutionary time, today we as human beings are proud to celebrate all of the LGBTQ+ community. The city of Halifax celebrates as a community in June but also hosts a festival during July 16-26th. Attracting more than 150,000 participants, the Halifax festival is one of the most sought-after celebrations in Canada.
In addition to parades and celebrations, the Halifax Thunderbirds took part in their first ever You Can Play night. An organization founded by Patrick Burke, You Can Play works to ensure the safety and inclusion of all in sports; including LGBTQ+ athletes, coaches and fans. For further information on the organization and their mission, head over to www.youcanplayproject.org
During the Thunderbirds home game on January 11th against the Colorado Mammoth, players wore You Can Play themed warmup shirts, and many taped their sticks with the memorable pride tape. The Thunderbirds were at the forefront of the National Lacrosse League’s participation in the You Can Play game celebration. Throughout the game there were various activations to bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ community. There was a ticket package and all proceeds from t-shirt/merchandise sales were donated directly to You Can Play LGBTQ+ efforts. In addition, proceeds from the 51/49 raffle also went to the LGBTQ+ efforts. This is an initiative that the Thunderbirds are proud to represent and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Current player Kyle Jackson said, “It was an honour to be at the forefront of this specific initiative in our community. As the first NLL team to commemorate this initiative and use our platform as a place to bring awareness to the LGBTQ+ community was especially important to us. No matter the race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, all can play this beautiful sport.”
A tremendous thank you goes out to all of the LGBTQ+ community and especially Patrick Burke for founding such an incredible organization.