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San Jose Shark Kurtis Gabriel Takes His Allyship to the Next Level

A Club MORE Exclusive In-Depth Article

With his first training camp with the San Jose Sharks underway, Kurtis Gabriel is already making headlines for his good work both on and off the ice.

Gabriel, 27, recently debuted his new custom skates on his Instagram made by Guby Customs. The custom skates display the Pride flag with the words “Love is Love” on one, the other displays “BLM” with the words “Hope, Empathy, Change” as well as the raised fist symbol.

The importance of using sport as a medium for social change has evolved. More than ever before, athletes are leveraging their platforms in unique ways.

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Gabriel is no stranger to being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” says Gabriel, “We are all one race. [It] does not matter what color you are, what part of the world you’re from, what religion you practice, what your sexuality [is], who you love, who you identify with… I could just go on and on; we are all the same.”

During Pride Night 2019, Gabriel decorated his stick with a rainbow-colored Pride Tape to show his support for the community. That night, he scored his first-ever National Hockey League (NHL) goal while playing for the New Jersey Devils.

While most players only display their pride gear during Pride Night games, Gabriel left the rainbow tape on his stick and does not plan on taking it off any time soon. Gabriel says he isn’t worried about what his teammates, coaches, or fans think about him expressing his support for the LGBTQ+ community, an underrepresented group within the NHL.

“I’m lucky enough to be in a very classy organization that is a real leader in this way. I really think that if they didn’t want me to play here because of my outspokenness then I wouldn’t want to play here.”

Organizations Stand Up for Inclusion

You Can Play and partner organizations like Pride Tape are consistently collaborating with Gabriel, the Sharks, and all NHL teams to provide support and amplify this message of inclusion.

You Can Play encourages their partners to go “beyond the Pride Night” and create authentic relationships with the local community, but sometimes showing up can be difficult with the demanding schedules and travel of pro hockey players. 

“The league (NHL) is so progressive when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion,” says Jonas Worth, a representative for You Can Play. “The league’s efforts to diversify their sport are truly authentic and Kurtis is giving everyone an individual example of “how to be an ally.” From league leadership to the players, we have definitely entered a unique era where sport has a say in promoting social justice.” 

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), National Hockey League (NHL), and its 31 Member Clubs started Hockey Is For Everyone. The annual campaign focuses on awareness and activities with organizations that celebrate the diverse communities of people who play and watch hockey— people of every race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and disability status.

“It’s because of the macho nature of our sport,” Gabriel remarks, “We are proud of being the toughest athletes. We can fight on the ice. We skate on little thin blades and rocket around at 30kph, hitting each other. It’s very dangerous! We carry big sticks, so it’s just the whole conditioning into you [that you] got to be the toughest guy. Focus on hockey, don’t worry about anything else, and I’m sick and tired of that and it’s changing right now.”

That change is happening right now for the San Jose Sharks. In January, the team announced their new Teal for Change Council. The Council has worked to develop ways that they can use their platform to encourage positive change both within the organization and throughout the Bay Area community.

The Bay Area has high standards for their sports teams. The missions of Teal for Change is to create equal access to sports for everyone. The Sharks see themselves as part of a community that is making authentic connections and creating positive social change. 

“There is a social reckoning going on right now and especially in this part of the world and especially in hockey and I’m not going to be on the wrong side of history anymore,” said Gabriel. “I was on the wrong side of it when Kaepernick took a knee. I wasn’t ready to talk about this. I had white fragility all over the place, well straight fragility, to [homophobia], and was not comfortable talking about it.” 

This movement is not just happening in the NHL.

“The NBA, WNBA, MLS, NFL, and many leagues have all done their part recently, including demonstrations of allyship that were not part of their traditional advocacy work,” says Worth. “But we also see moments of allyship and bystander intervention happening in real time, such as the San Diego Loyal’s walking off the field together in response to a homophobic slur or Paris Saint-Germain and their opponents walking collectively off the field during a Champion League in December in response to an apparent racial slur. Collective action against homophobia, racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination is becoming the norm and that is something positive we have gained out of the challenges of 2020.”

Athletes, celebrities, and influencers are able to reach so many people by using their social media presence. The professional athlete community has realized how it can use something as simple as an Instagram account to engage with different communities and model qualities of allyship. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are contacting Gabriel to thank him for his support. He reposts them anonymously and adds heartfelt messages.

One message reads, “I just wanted to say [you’re] an amazing hockey player and [you’re] so inspirational. It was hard playing hockey as the only LGBTQ+ player when I was growing up but you helped my cousin so much knowing not everyone has bigotry in their hearts and helped him join the same Triple A team. So thank you for not only helping me but my family.”

“Kurtis has modeled the ideal elements of allyship for the hockey community, from leveraging his position of power to successfully engaging his audience on social media,” said Worth. “He demonstrates the most important form of being an ally: consistent commitment.” 

“It’s so important to be an ally and especially a White ally. I think it is because we have caused most of these issues,” said Gabriel, “There’s more people outside of these communities than in them, so it’s going to take the people outside of them to help out, and that is why allies are important.”

While this is great for the LGBTQ+ community, is Gabriel truly making an impact?

“I think Kurtis’ actions set the tone for future generations and we have had an increased interest in grassroots education as a result of his efforts for sure,” said Worth. “And those grassroots programs are essential. They teach future pro players, coaches and fans to encourage environments where people can be their true selves. I like to think that Kurtis’ dedication to this change has created a ripple effect.” 

In professional hockey and many sports, we don’t have enough openly LGBTQ+ athletes, and that signals that there is still more work to be done. 

“If we can encourage allyship at every level of the game and help ambassadors to ‘walk the walk and talk the talk’ of inclusion, it [will] send a message to anyone that they can bring their true self to their team” said Worth. “Whenever possible, we try to celebrate the success stories of LGBTQ+ athletes who are already excelling as their true selves and share the stories of the allies that helped them on their journey.” 

So how can you become an ally?

Q&A Vlog just went up on my youtube! Heres the link. Please like and subscribe if you enjoy it! 💗https://t.co/lWmuU9XcqV pic.twitter.com/y33XqotfcV

— Kurtis Gabriel (@kurtisgabriel) August 30, 2020

“There’s more people outside of these communities than in them, so it’s going to take the people outside of them to help out, and that is why allies are important,” Gabriel explained.

“If you don’t know how to start, [you can] educate yourself. You can do it in private until you’re ready to start talking about it, said Gabriel. “It’s something to wade into, and it takes some time out of your life, but I think that it’s the right thing to do. If you’re a human and a part of the human race, you should be helping.” 

Project MORE is wishing Gabriel and the San Jose Sharks a great season. To see the Sharks schedule, Click here. 

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