Two Hockey Girls In Love

Hockey fan at Senators-Leafs game

On any given night, you can attend an NHL hockey game and count on a few certainties, like overpriced beer, pale bearded white guys on ice skates, and an occasional fight breaking out.

In any given year, you can venture out on the night of March 17th and find some of your fellow human beings, particularly us Mc-SomethingOrOthers and hordes of our sympathizers, enjoying fairly predictable past times, like green beer, parades with bagpipes (however Scottish that might actually be), and drunken wailing that attempts to pass as traditional Irish folk music.

Here's what no one expected last weekend on St. Patrick's Day at an NHL game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.

The first time I watched this video (Hat Tip to my friend Wes Crisp for sharing it via email) I actually got a little misty-eyed. Seeing people in love is always nice, but c'mon, I see that all the time and it's nothing to get all weepy about. And clever marriage proposals can be sweet, but those don't usually get me either.

I watched the clip a second time, and as I reflected on what moved me about the video, I realized that it was actually the cheer of the crowd that stirred me. I was touched by the way the fans reacted to the idea of two girls in love - with the same moment of roaring adulation they would have shown if the couple had been comprised of a man and a woman. The crowd, like me, simply felt happy, privileged even, to share in that moment of real personal joy with the couple on the ice - and so they cheered.

Thanks to the Ottawa Senators for hosting the proposal, kudos to the NHL for sharing the video on their website, and hurray for Canada - where they aren't afraid to let two people in love get married!

Jamie Hubley - Another Gay Teen Suicide

Jamie Hubley, Ottawa Canada, 1996-2011

I wish I didn't have to write this post, and I'm sorry you have to read it.

I wish I had just finished reading more online about the economy or the rapture or baseball.

I even wish this was another painful follow-up post about Jamey Rodemeyer, the bullied gay teen who committed suicide last month. It's not.

I wish damaged human beings with complex problems received only love and support, instead of bigger and higher hurdles than they already have.

But wishes like these don't come true.

Jamie Hubley was a 15 year-old gay teen from Canada, the son of a city councilor, who committed suicide this past weekend. He was an avid blogger, he was an excellent figure skater, he was passionate about music. He was a boy.

According to the few news reports I have seen, Jamie was a deeply troubled young man who suffered from severe depression. Like Jamey Rodemeyer, he chose to document his sadness online. His Tumblr blog entitled You can't break...When you're already broken is fraught with the kind of uber-dramatic words and images you might expect from a boy who is crying out for help. It is difficult to read and not appropriate for everyone. Jamie did receive help from his parents, doctors, and counselors, but as with Jamey Rodemeyer, the struggle to go on living was simply too great in the end.

In a heart-wrenching written statement, Jamie's father acknowledged the many overwhelming challenges his son faced, and while perhaps not the only reason for Jamie's decision to commit suicide, being bullied as a gay teen was a factor. Jamie's father also said this:

"Over the years I have tried to help a lot of people and I was very proud that my beautiful boy was also learning the joy that comes from helping others. I need time to deal with the pain of not being able to save my precious boy and will speak more on his life and these issues later."

Jamie's father's full statement is eloquent and beautifully written. I hope you'll take a few minutes to read and reflect on it. There is nothing else I can find to say about this.