Team Trans has been invited to participate in Seattle Pride Classic 2023 as a team by Seattle Pride Hockey Association.
While our tournament will continue to operate as draft style, this intentional decision was made for three important reasons:
Within the “LGBTQ+” acronym, we as an organization believe the “T” (universally recognized as Trans) needs our attention the most right now. Far beyond sports, trans people and identities are under attack. Spanning political policy to transphobia in sport – we want to use our platform to advocate for trans rights and protections everywhere.
Team Trans already operates as a “draft” style organization – meaning, players from all over the nation assemble to form Team Trans, likely stepping onto the ice with each other for the first time. We believe this helps nurture competitive play while also building onto the importance of the tournament.
Following conversations facilitated by the National Hockey League between Teams Trans and Seattle Pride Hockey Association, we had the opportunity to understand at a much deeper level what real inclusivity looks like in action for trans athletes. The power of listening is a relevant lesson we hope all participants can learn from.
We invite you to read more about Team Trans:
We look forward to welcoming Team Trans to Seattle this summer.