Hingham NHL Star Looks to End Homophobia in Sports

New York Rangers forward Brian Boyle is looking to end homophobia in professional sports.

Boyle told SportingNews.com  that athletes should be able to do what they want to do and to pursue what they want to pursue.

“Once you get rid of that mindset of prejudice and things like that with people that don't agree with certain things for whatever their reasons are, you start to get a culture of acceptance and hopefully years down the road it becomes a non-issue, something you don't even have to think twice about,” Boyle told SportingNews.com. “Everybody is welcome to play, and whatever their differences are from you, if they love the game and want to play, they should be able to play."

Boyle, who was raised as a Catholic in Hingham, is one of a dozen NHL players to appear in the first Public Service Announcement for You Can Play, a movement started by Philadelphia Flyers scout Patrick Burke, and his father, then-Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke to end homophobia in sports, SportingNews.com reported.

The Burke family started You Can Play after Brian’s son Brendan died in a car accident, four months after publicly coming out that he was gay.

Last week, You Can Play, the NHL, and the NHLPA announced a partnership to make the NHL the most inclusive sports league in the world.

Boyle told SportingNews.com the following:

"I have my beliefs and my faith, and I think that's completely separate than people's sexual orientation, and attractions are naturally, who they are inside. I think one thing doesn't have to do with the other. That's the argument that I hear a lot. It's not up to me to decide for them. If they want to believe in something, and I'm talking — I'm Catholic, and there's certain views that the church has on these things. It's not up to me to agree or disagree with that. If you're in love with someone and you have a certain sexual orientation, it doesn't mean you're not a good Catholic, in my opinion. That goes right down the line to anything. It's completely separate from anything else. You should be able to do what you want to do, to pursue what you want to pursue, and you're not hurting anybody doing it. I think that goes for all areas of life."

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