NHL’s Andrew Ference Helps Launch Rainbow Tape To Support Young LGBT Hockey Players

"Let's show EVERY player they're welcome on the ice," says the NHL's Andrew Ference.
From: NewNowNext

A new campaign is encouraging LGBT hockey players to stay on the ice.

 Pride Tape, rainbow-colored strips that hockey players can decorate their sticks with, is intended for LGBT athletes and allies alike to show their support.

 “[It’s] a badge of support to LGBT youth, to say ’you’re welcome in our sporting communities,'” Kris Wells, director of the Institute for the Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alabama, told CBC.

 “This is a way to signal you’re an ally without having to actually say anything.”

 “Some kids just stop playing the game they love, just because they’re gay,” says the Edmonton Oilers’ Andrew Ference in the clip below. “Let’s show EVERY player they’re welcome on the ice.”

The Pride Tape campaign’s Kickstarter page has garnered 133 backers already, totaling $6,000 to date.

The goal is to get $39,386 in donations by February 4, in order to manufacture and distribute 10,000 rolls of tape.