Buffalo Sabres player Ilya Lyubushkin has joined the growing list of NHL players and teams to opt out of wearing a gay pride jersey during their teams’ gay pride night.
Lyubushkin, who is a native of Russia, announced on Monday that he intended to skip wearing the gay pride jersey for his team’s gay pride night, citing the new anti-LGBTQ propaganda law passed in Russia. The player fears being impacted by the law should he wear a gay pride shirt here in the U.S. and then return to Russia. He also fears for his relatives still in Russia.
Ilya Lyubushkin #46 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on March 13, 2023, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Sabres defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
The Russian Duma recently passed a law that bans LGBT “propaganda” from various forms of media, including television, advertising, books, the Internet, and films. In addition, the law prohibits all non-traditional sexual relations from various forms of media and increases the scope of a prior law from 2013 that banned non-traditional sexual relations from being viewed by children. The law went into effect in November and was later upheld by the country’s court system.
Team captain Kyle Okposo defended Lyubushkin even as he continued to support the team’s gay pride agenda.
“We support ‘Boosh’ in this room, and we want to make sure that he’s comfortable and we respect his decisions,” Okposo said, according to ESPN.
“I have empathy for my teammate, for Boosh in the situation he’s in, but think about it: If there’s a closeted gay member of a team, and you have to have empathy for that person, too, in that situation,” he added. “We have to realize that and that’s part of being accepting, and that’s why we want to be accepting.”
Okposo had expressed sympathy for Russian players in the past.
The team also posted a statement about Lyubushkin’s decision.
“We continue to advocate for underrepresented groups in hockey and hope that our Pride Night, like many across the league, sparks meaningful conversations and encourages support for the LGBTQIA+ community,” the team said in a statement.
Ilya Lyubushkin, #46 of the Buffalo Sabres, prepares for a faceoff against the Carolina Hurricanes during an NHL game on February 1, 2023, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Our team feels strongly that one way to garner support is through wearing Pride jerseys and using Pride tape in warmups,” the team said. Without mentioning Lyubushkin specifically, the Sabres added: “We are aware of general threats to certain players, and understand their decision to forego risk.”
Lyubushkin is not the first to cite Russia’s new anti-gay law. For example, the Chicago Blackhawks also decided not to wear the jerseys during the team’s gay pride night out of fear that their three Russian-born players may be put in jeopardy due to a new law.
The Blackhawks are not the first in the NHL to set aside their gay pride jerseys.
Earlier this month, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer opted out of wearing the jersey, citing his religious convictions. In January, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov also decided not to wear his team’s gay pride jersey for similar reasons. And that same month, the New York Rangers opted out of wearing the gay pride jersey.
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