NHL’s Andrew Ference helps launch rainbow tape to support young LGBT hockey players

There’s one thing very apparent about Andrew Ference that has gay men everywhere applauding the NHL player. Of course, it’s what rests underneath his hockey helmet. But, there’s something even better resting under those perfectly shaped eyebrows: compassion.

For years, hockey has been one of the most macho sports. At the same time, gay people have been labeled less than macho. A bunch of sissies if you will. The two worlds rarely meet, and when they do it’s not talked about. Andrew is trying to change that alongside the new campaign Pride Tape, rainbow-colored strips that hockey players can decorate their sticks with, is intended for LGBT athletes and allies alike to show their support.

“[It’s] a badge of support to LGBT youth, to say ’you’re welcome in our sporting communities,’” Kris Wells, director of the Institute for the Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alabama, told CBC.

“This is a way to signal you’re an ally without having to actually say anything.”

The Pride Tape campaign’s Kickstarter page has garnered 215 backers already, totaling more than $9,000 to date.

The goal is to get $39,386 in donations by February 4, in order to manufacture and distribute 10,000 rolls of tape.

“Some kids just stop playing the game they love, just because they’re gay,” says the Edmonton Oilers’ Andrew Ference in the clip below. “Let’s show EVERY player they’re welcome on the ice.”