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Ivan Provorov Doesn’t Fear the Backlash
As much as it pains me to say something positive about a member of the Broad Street Bullies, I saw this story Tuesday night: “Flyers’ Provorov cites religion for boycott on Pride night.”
Ivan Provorov is a defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers had their “Pride Night” last night, where the players wore “pride” jerseys during warmup and many players used rainbow-colored tape on their sticks. All NHL teams have such an event each season; I usually just ignore the “woke” stuff and enjoy the game (no matter what teams are playing).
Provorov, an Orthodox Christian, was having none of it:
Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov cited his Russian Orthodox religion as the reason he did not participate in pregame warmups when the team wore Pride-themed jerseys and used sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape.
He spoke briefly about it after the game:
“I respect everybody’s choices,” Provorov said after the game. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Flyers coach John Tortorella, never one to shy away from benching a player, said this:
Flyers coach John Tortorella said Provorov “was true to himself and to his religion.”
“It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself,” Tortorella said
Of course, now Provorov is persona non grata to the woke:
Let me get this straight, you have a player that OPENLY declines to participate in an inclusive initiative for a community I am proud to be a part of. And you still dress him in the game? Be better @NHLFlyers https://t.co/rSyV6D35Oo
— Erin Ambrose (@ambrose_13) January 18, 2023
Rod Dreher has a blog in support of Provorov here. As Dreher puts it, “Provorov Lives Not by Lies.”
Good for Ivan Provorov for standing up, and to Torts for backing his player. I await the reaction from the league.
Published in Sports
Instead, we’ll probably get “Chicks with Sticks Day.”
Now are Conservatives more likely to be welcoming to Hockey Stick Chicks or are Gay Men more likely to be welcoming to Hockey Stick Chicks?
Who cares?
Hockey Stick Chicks might. Or were they just a convenient conservative talking point until omg omg they inconveniently turned out to be human beings?
It was a joke, son!
I think that’s rather the point. Can’t we just treat each other as human beings without having to be mindful (let alone celebratory) of anyone’s sexual proclivities. . . especially at a HOCKEY game??
Can you imagine us normies demanding a pregame warmup that included jerseys touting our heterosexuality?? Absurd.
I understand “minorities” have suffered persecution and, in some rare instances in the west, still do. Guess what? Everyone suffers. There are laws against beating up the bartender I worked with for being gay (for being anything). There are no laws to punish someone for my kid’s brain tumor and her dad and I suffering as we gowned up and walked her into the surgical suite for her first of three surgeries — having to assure her “we’ll see you later” before she underwent anesthesia when we weren’t so sure. . .
These mandatory celebrate my victimhood performances are infantilizing (narcissism much?) and are pitting us against each other. Most of us couldn’t care less about what gays do in the bedroom — until we’re forced to. Expect more pushback. And you know who will be suffering then? The minority of religious folks willing to say, “no.” Time to grow up.
Amen, Sister!
Great idea. Let’s have human being pride month!
Steven Seward (View Comment):
Why is it necessary to publicly celebrate and promote any group’s private sexual practices? This is perverted. When do the Flyers plan on celebrating those who practice coitus between men and women?
I think the hetro parallel to the Flyers event would be one where an overwhelmingly gay gathering celebrated the thing that, you know, brought them into being. Not holding my breath.
It’s a one way street, sort of like celebrating the king’s birthday. Eventually this will (pardon the expression) breed resentment among those who are compelled to celebrate, but are not celebrated themselves. Sure it’s childish, but it’s real. It’s not 1952. Gays have gone from being disqualified from jobs and schools and neighborhoods to preferred, un-fireable job applicants who may not be criticized for any reason. I think society should take a bow for becoming tolerant in ways that might astonish our grandparents (and a little gratitude wouldn’t hurt.) Instead, the community demands that we publicly promote their lifestyle. Can we grow up and move on?
No. A society as wealthy and privileged as ours can afford to never grow up. At least until something really bad happens that puts things in perspective. Suffering tends to restore sanity.
My bad. To be fair your delivery could have been better.
Pride Month is about more than sexual proclivities (otherwise the pregame warmup would be….) just like being gay is about more than sexual proclivities. And we didn’t make it that way, you guys did. If you’re feeling buyers’ regret don’t blame us.
I don’t think conservatives are normies now (if they ever were). The normies are the players involved in Pride events.
Yes, that’s true.
How does that make it bad to celebrate the end of persecution?
Pride isn’t about celebrating victimhood, it’s about celebrating the end of victimhood.
Why does that make you feel victimised?
Honest question.
My initial hunch is that when you’re used to privilege, equality can feel like oppression – but if it’s something else, tell me.
Drag shows.
https://www.newsweek.com/im-gay-leave-ivan-provorov-alone-opinion-1775084
What an honorable and mature thing to say! I love it!
I’m working on it!
I think you’re so deep in the leftist progressive identitarianism you can’t even hear yourself. Pride isn’t pride. Celebrating the end of victimhood isn’t dependent on being a victim (and the status you’ve achieved thereby). Inclusivity and tolerance demand that Provorov wear your colors or he’s an anti-gay hater despite saying exactly nothing critical of gays. Equality is achieved when everyone but people the Left doesn’t approve of (observant Jews and Christians, black conservatives, . . .) gets celebrated during sporting event pregame warmups. . .
This is gaslighting. Or, at least, self-deception. Conservatives don’t care about your gay identity until you force us to! We’re much more interested in the content of your character.
Normies (not necessarily conservatives) don’t pin everything about themselves — their very identity — on who they’re shtupping. We don’t go around saying “I identify as heterosexual.” I don’t expect you or anyone else to care! You want to stop being treated differently for being gay? Stop making it the end all be all of who you are and shoving it in our faces.
And, btw, if the Pride movement is about celebrating the end of victimhood, doesn’t that suggest something uniquely good about the (Judeo-Christian) West? How’s that Pride movement going in Muslim countries?
Funnily enough, I’ve never heard of celebrating the end of slavery in America by honoring people like my family who fought and died for the cause. I guess we’re privileged to have lost relatives in Andersonville.
You are getting too good at this! Leaves me nothing to add. Only one thing that is mystifying my brain…..What is this “shtupping”??!………………..
You’re a smart guy. I think you’ll figure it out (Google it). ;-)
There’s a meme for that:
Maybe a little strongly worded at the end.
??
Indeed, that’s why Provorov’s team mates are involved in Pride events. I don’t think they’re gay.
Did I say any of this? He’s got the right to do what he wants, people have the right to respond. As do you to them.
We aren’t forcing you to do anything. There aren’t enough of us to do that. Normies are. That’s what seems to be your issue here.
I recall with gratitude how Conservatives stood against anti-sodomy laws (that were largely targeted at gay people) in the past. Because they didn’t care who we had sex with. It was a matter of principle. That’s a truly moving memory. Who passed those laws in the first place? Who knows?
That’s a false equivalence, don’t you think? We live in a “heteronormative” world – naturally enough, because heterosexuals are the majority. It’s like having Christmas decorations up everywhere in Sydney – it’s normal, most people here are from Christian backgrounds. Or Diwali decorations in India.
Iow, stop being so visibly different. Integrate. Pretend that we are exactly the same, except for this one little (or not so little, sorry, couldn’t resist) thing that we do out of sight and out of mind.
How does it work out for minorities when they accept that who they are isn’t really acceptable as is, that they need to look and behave like everybody else – at least on the surface?
(Hint: it’s a disaster, because it’s predicated on accepting that difference is bad.)
Sure. The West has the gift of unbelief, of the decline of religiosity. That’s what makes it possible.
Which role am I playing in your psychodrama today? Underground jihadist or gay liberationist. I don’t think I can do both at the same time. Pick one.
No idea what you’re trying to say here.
I don’t expect you to know this because you do not live over here, but half of the country is pushing the gay and transgender agenda. It is not just gays, who only make up about 3% or 4% of the population. It is nearly all people on the left, the majority of which are white middle to upper-class women. I have gay friends who are conservatives and are against all this stuff.
That was (sort of) my point.
We are as diverse as any other group. What’s their take on SSM?
One couple who have been together for at least 30 years that I know of, never mentioned gay marriage as something they ever wanted to do. Another guy who was a student of mine, said he and his live-in boyfriend of some 25 years got married solely for the financial benefits. I’m not sure what benefits he was talking about. Then there is this one guy, a sculptor, who I didn’t know very well or for very long, who once had a heated argument with my wife that he felt disenfranchised because he was not allowed to get married in this country (this was more than 15 years ago). He said he didn’t have as many rights as Europeans did because of this. But then, this sculptor, was such an abhorrent person that no sane guy would ever marry him. Another gay artist ardently warned me to never get mixed up with him.