The Chicago Gay Hockey Association (CGHA) is a fantastic group of hockey players who provide a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQA+ hockey players and more, not only through playing in adult leagues around Chicago but also holding fundraisers, partnering with the Chicago Blackhawks, and participating in the Pride Parade. You can learn more about their organization here:
https://chicagogayhockey.org/
When I decided to start my Chicago Hockey Diversity Portrait Project, I couldn't do it without CGHA's participation. Not only were they kind enough to let me take their portraits, they were willing to share some of their stories with me as well. Though still part of the project, I highlight them here on their own page .
The goal of my Chicago Hockey Diversity Portrait Project is to cultivate a more inclusive and welcoming environment for others to join by celebrating the diversity in our hockey community through the cultural and gender spectrum. By seeing those like themselves already finding comradery, joy, and purpose through hockey, I hope to inspire more people to explore this beautiful sport without the fear of exclusion.
Andrew Sobotka (he/him)
Identifies as: Cis Gay Male
First Hockey Memory: Riding the Zamboni
Hockey Experience: 30+ years
Favorite Player: Paul Coffey
"Being a gay hockey player has helped me realize that you can't fit any person into a standard mold. People can do anything or be anything that they want, regardless of what society says."
"I love how hockey teams are more than just friends, your teammates become your family."
"I love playing with the 'gay' hockey team and providing a place for anyone to comfortably play hockey. Every time we hear a negative reaction on the ice from the other team about who we are or what we stand for, it's usually because we're kicking their ass."
Tony tiet (he/him)
Identifies as: Vietnamese, Gay
Hockey Experience: 24+ years
Favorite Hockey Memory: Scoring the game-winning shootout goal in the championship game in a pee wee league
"I feel fortunate being able to play a sport that’s not a typical sport someone of my ethnicity/financial background would partake in."
"Growing up I sort of had an idea I was different, but not sure how. People started making fun of me and calling me a sissy. I then saw kids playing roller hockey and decided to join. I was already a better skater than most of them so I had an advantage. I then found pleasure in playing and noticed I made more guy friends and people stopped making fun of me. 'Hockey is a tough sport, no way he is a sissy.' I continued to play in many roller leagues through high school and college. What I found in Madison was my first gay relationship and a safe way to play the sport I love in a Gay Hockey League. I eventually moved down to Chicago and continued with the CGHA in 2008. The rest is history. Made lots of friends and had many wonderful memories."
gina (she/her)
Identifies as: Gay Female
Hockey Experience: 24+ years
Favorite Hockey Memories: Playing at Allstate Arena and the United Center and scoring in those games
What I Love About Hockey: "What drives me to continue to play is the plays that are missed. For some reason I really feel like a missed pass or a shot makes me so angry that I have to go back and improve on it."
"It's so nice to be in locker room changing with everyone and the diverse team we have. I don't feel odd as a woman in the locker room, nobody is weird about changing with me, I can shower after a game. It's a true feeling of acceptance and the joys of being part of a team."
"I don't let my sexaulity be humongous part of who I am, but I love being part of an organization that doesn't shy away from it."
Adam Beebe (he/him)
First Hockey Memory: "The first time I put on all the equipment and saw myself in the glass during my first hockey class was striking. To see myself as a hockey player after overcoming harassment from hockey players during my [figure skating] training years as a youth was very transformative and a revelation."
"I was teased constantly as a youth by hockey players at the rink while I was training as a competitive figure skater. I wouldn't engage with them but would let my strong skating speak for itself. It was still really hard. Created a lot of issues around my masculinity and sexuality. When I played my first Rat hockey game I had to keep telling myself that these guys weren't going to tease me but I was very nervous and relived a bit of the trauma. Happily, there's been zero homophobia in my adult experiences in hockey. Getting into hockey helped me put my masculinity into a new place. I can be a beautiful 'feminine' skater and a fast 'masculine' hockey player. Both are true."
Brandon Anderson (he/him)
Identifies as: Gay Male
First Hockey Memory: "When I first started playing, one of my first coaches gave me a hockey puck and told me that I did a great job... a memory that I still have today."
Hockey Experience: 31 years
What I Love About Hockey: "I enjoy the excitement that comes with the fast pace of a game of hockey, where you experience a different challenge each time you take the ice with your teammates."
"Playing hockey with the CGHA and traveling around the country and to Canada have helped me build a hockey family made up of friends from all around the world. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to play with the Albany Gay Hockey Association at the Canadian Cup tournament in Montreal and our friendship continues off of the rink, traveling to spend time with one another and keeping in touch via text/social media."
Caleb
Identifies as: Cis Male, Multi-Racial
Hockey Experience: 12 years, including club and high school
Favorite Hockey Memory: Chris Osgood v. Patrick Roy goalie fight (1998)
What I Love About Hockey: "I love the fast pace of the game, especially that great feeling when everything starts to click."
"When I was younger it just meant that I looked different and just had a hard time knowing where and if I fit in. Now, I'm hopeful that I'm helping paint a bigger picture by being out there, even if it's in a small way."
"My nickname at multiple points in time, completely independent of each other, was either 'Asian', or the more creative 'Blazin Asian'. Probably says a lot about the diversity of the teams I played for if that was a unique enough identifier."
Elliott Gutman (he/him)
Identifies as: Cis Gay Male
First Hockey Memory: "Dad pushing me on skates, sensation of flying"
Hockey Experience: 12+ years, including high school varsity
Favorite Hockey Memory: Skating at the United Center for the Pride Exhibition game
What I Love About Hockey: "The team culture is unlike any other sport, feel true comradery. The process of getting ready, always gets you psyched for the game. Actually skating - feels like your flying, moving so easily!"
Erik Talbot (he/him)
Identifies as: Cis Gay Male
First Hockey Memory: "Pond hockey with my dad and brother on Froggy's Pond, which is actually just a sunken field that my hometown's fire department floods every winter."
Hockey Experience: 25 years, including travel teams and high school varsity
"I think it’s a shame anyone would give [hockey] up because they felt they weren’t welcome. On the other side, the way in which popular culture typically falls on stereotypes depicting gay men can present a picture that’s incongruous with traditionally masculine activities like hockey. [CGHA has] provided me an outlet to more deeply integrate in the LGTBQ+ community."
"Clever chirps remain an indelible part of hockey and competition lends itself to intensity on the ice, but when these aspects manifest in this toxic manner, the culture around hockey loses any sense of being a community. If everyone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella ends up disengaging from hockey, then there’s no counterbalance that would’ve helped a gay kid like me."
Nolan Yzaguirre (he/him)
Identifies as: Male, Cis Man, Bisexual/Pansexual
Hockey Experience: 17 years, including travel hockey and high school
"I came out to my high school hockey team in 2019. I first came out to a coach who has coached me since I started skating. He was very understanding. Then I came out to my hockey team, since we are all Gen Z no one cared, they all understood and moved on , didn’t let it get in the way of how the team or friendships worked."
Sara (she/her)
Identifies as: Transgender Female
First Hockey Memories: "Endless Summer days playing street hockey with my little Brother and the neighborhood kids."
Hockey Experience: 24 years, including high school
Favorite Hockey Memories: "Sunday team breakfasts after 6:30am practices with my Pee Wee hockey team the Troy Red Wings. We affectionately called it 'going to church.'"