Hockey Games at the Garden Collide With Gay Patrons Offended by Traditional Anti-Gay Taunts

Apparently it is common to see and hear the crowd taunting the players and other fans by shouting chants like Ho-Mo Larry!!! over and again. Check out this NY Times article about the issue. Kevin Jennings is a Rangers fan who happens to be gay and has at times boycotted the games for allotted time frames because of the often toxic environment. Many gay hockey fans can recall a time when nearly the entire crowd booed when the name of The New York City Gay Hockey Association flashed breifly across the jumbo screen. Directors of the gay hockey league have contacted Rangers General Manager to ask for a fan-education program that denounces anti-gay remarks. A city council speaker later joined them and since then the Rangers have broadcast warnings that they will remove fans who behave offensively. (This is subject to perception I am sure considering that I myself would likely be offended by nearly all of the drunken behavior of a traditional hockey crowd even without any anti-gay comments or behavior). The Rangers turned down the offers for assistance in making public service announcements urging fans to be more respectful though those who offered had a long track record of creating such announcements for MTV and other outlets. This is an interesting story. I nearly didn't post it because I am not a hockey fan myself, but I thought again and decided to post the story simply because I do believe that there is a general need for the world as a whole to be more respectful of others and until we can all say that we are legally equal in America I will be posting such stories. Have fun reading the article in the link above as it goes into much more detail than I ever could.

Ho-Mo Larry NY Times toxic New York City Gay Hockey Association Rangers offensive hockey respectful