On Tuesday night, a devout Russian Orthodox NHL player declined to wear a “pride”-themed jersey to warm up before a game, politely citing his faith and opting to make no further comment on the matter.
In response, a Canadian pundit slammed the league for not punishing the player and called for his team to be fined $1 million.
No, this isn’t The Babylon Bee. This is a real-life news story in 2023, and it is indicative of a glaring problem in contemporary thought about religious liberty, sexual ethics and basic personal freedom.
Here’s what happened.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov skipped pregame warmups ahead of a contest against the Anaheim Ducks as his teammates skated around in rainbow-adorned jerseys to tout the team’s support for the LGBT movement.
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“I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices,” the Russian-born athlete told reporters after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”
#Flyers Ivan Provorov on his Pride Night pregame boycott :
“My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.” pic.twitter.com/YSFKvkyEJC— Dan Gelston (@APgelston) January 18, 2023
“That’s all I’m going to say,” he added, confirming that he was Russian Orthodox before telling the reporters he would answer any hockey-related questions and discuss the jersey issue no further.
I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices. Does this sound like a man who wants to “force his religion on others”? Hardly.
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A man who apparently does want to force his religion on others, however, is Sid Seixeiro, a Canadian broadcaster who bashed Provorov’s personal choice as though he had warmed up in a Nazi uniform instead.
“The theme from the National Hockey League is ‘hockey is for everyone,’ OK? The theme is not ‘hockey is for everyone — dot, dot, dot — unless you don’t believe in gay rights, then do whatever you want,’” Seixeiro said on “Breakfast Television” on Wednesday in response to the story.
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov didn’t take part in the NHL’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” pregame warmups – where players wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape – citing his religion as the reason. @sid_seixeiro shares his thoughts ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8c7XnP2FYJ
— Breakfast Television (@breakfasttv) January 18, 2023
This is an incredibly nonsensical argument, if we can even call it that, and one that rips off the phony façade of “tolerance” to reveal a doctrine of compelled speech and animosity toward religion.
It’s not “tolerance” and “inclusivity,” it’s “celebrate progressive sexual lifestyles or you will be excluded.”
Seixeiro then proceeded to shout the quiet part out loud by demanding that the NHL reprimand Provorov and advising it to support the LGBT agenda “properly.” By requiring everyone in the league to support the LGBT agenda too, apparently.
“If the National Hockey League is going to do this — if any league is going to do this — do it properly or reevaluate what you’re doing because there’s not a lot of repercussions that I’m seeing from any league,” he declared.
Yes, he is calling, with a straight face, for the NHL to send the message that its players are not allowed to disagree with liberal sexual values on the basis of their religious convictions, which is the natural conclusion of the narratives that inform his worldview, when we get down to it.
The fact that Seixeiro felt perfectly confident taking this stance on-air serves as very strong support for the argument that LGBT “tolerance” directly targets religious liberty by not simply tolerating liberal sexual ethics, but demanding that they be normalized across the board.
It gets worse.
Seixeiro went on to say that the Flyers should be fined $1 million, virtually satirizing woke, cultural revolution-style cancel culture tactics — only he’s not. He’s dead serious.
“I think you fine the Flyers $1 million for this. I’m not kidding. Figure this out and stop offending people,” he ranted on. “It’s supposed to be about inclusivity. The National Hockey League need to attack this and figure this out because what I heard last night was offensive and didn’t make any sense.”
A dude who said he “respects everybody’s choices” and that he was going to “stay true to his religion” offended the guy who wants to punish people for holding traditional beliefs.
This is legitimately how these people think, and it is terrifying.
The problem isn’t this random Canadian broadcaster, however. The problem is much broader — it lies in an overbearing mainstream culture that has aggressively stigmatized simply disagreeing with LGBT lifestyles.
That is to say nothing of its rabid hatred for conservative Christians, Jews, Muslims and those of other faiths who believe the culture should stop promoting radical new ideas about sex, identity and family.
If you’re not awake to this yet, I don’t know what to tell you.
It’s not our fault that polite disagreement has become such a bold act, but it’s time for much, much more boldness.
