Rainbow-coloured hockey tape to support LGBTQ youth in sports | Edmonton Journal 

The University of Alberta's Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services announced a new initiative involving rainbow-coloured hockey tape on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, which is designed to tackle the issue of discrimination in hockey and other sports.

The University of Alberta’s Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services is launching an initiative to create rainbow-coloured rolls of hockey tape to garner support for LGBTQ youths around the hockey world.

A Kickstarter campaign is underway, with the goal of raising $54,000 to manufacture the first 10,000 rolls of Pride Tape. The first round of production, which will be made in Canada, will be given to local hockey teams across the nation and sold to the general public. The profits will be divided between the institute and the You Can Play organization which believes athletes should be judged on talent, heart and work ethic, not sexual orientation.

There are also plans to eventually adapt the tape to other sport.

“We call Pride Tape a badge of support for LGBT youth,” said Kris Wells, an assistant professor for the department of education at the University of Alberta and the institute’s faculty director.

“Of course, in Canada, hockey players are role models to many youth across our country. We want to provide a way for not only professionals or NHL players, but at all levels of sport, to signal that they’re open and inclusive and supportive of LGBT youth.”

Jeff McLean, creative director at Calder Bateman Communications, had a hand in creating the concept for the tape.

“We wanted to come up with an icon — a hockey icon — that wouldn’t be obtrusive to the game,” he said. The rainbow palette tape will “be a great way to individualize an individual’s support on the ice.”

A multimedia campaign will roll out Friday on Canadian television, with a commercial featuring defenceman Andrew Ference of the Edmonton Oilers. NewAD will also provide advertisement space in restaurants and bars in Canada.

Embracing LGBTQ youths wasn’t always at the forefront, but Randy Wimmer, dean of education at the U of A, believes the past five to 10 years have seen the desire for more openness in classrooms and society.

“We’re seeing shifts, (but) I personally need to see a lot more,” Wimmer said. “These are major social considerations and that kind of change — cultural change — it takes time. As long as we keep on moving forward, and we are, then that’s the direction we’re going in.”

Sports have been used as a vessel to raise awareness of social matters before. The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association began Hockey Fights Cancer in 1998 to increase attention and raise money for cancer research institutions, children’s hospitals, and many related organizations. Lavender is the colour used to represent all forms of cancer, so players sport lavender jerseys before games and decals on their helmets, while coaches and media members wear lavender ties. More than $15 million has been donated since the initiative began.

“Sports can lead social change, and it has,” Wells said.

Recreational hockey player Elliott Tanti has no problem sporting the colourful tape.

“Frankly, I’m just happy to be part of it and will continue to use the tape.”

People who wish to donate can go to go to www.PrideTape.com, where they will be redirected to the Kickstarter campaign.

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