Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers, recently came to the attention of the media when he refused to take part in his team’s pride night. Choosing to please God and not men, he refused to wear the LGBT-themed warmup jerseys.
Citing his Russian Orthodox religion as an explanation for his boycott of the pride-themed jerseys; Povrov said, “I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices,” he said. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That’s all I’m going to say.”
“I respect everybody and I respect everybody’s choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.”
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 18, 2023
Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov on refusing to wear a rainbow jersey for warm ups during “Pride Night” due to his Russian Orthodox faith.
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Soon after he released the statement, the athlete received backlash from people, online, calling him ‘ignorant’, ‘homophobic’ and that he did not have equal respect for everyone. One news anchor went so far as to state that the hockey league of Canada should “ fine the Flyers billions of dollars” for the athlete’s actions.
Being LGBT+ is not a "choice." Being ignorant, obnoxious, and homophobic is a choice.
— Rachael Millanta (@rachaelmillanta) January 18, 2023
Ivan Provorov wasn't wearing uniform tonight and the @NHLFlyers should not have let him play. Stop letting bigots hide behind their cherry-picked religion. Do better. https://t.co/WTnqibGsXj
But Provorov obviously does not respect “everyone”. If he did respect everyone, he would have taken part in warm-up and worn the Pride Night jersey. Don’t hide behind religion. https://t.co/Qk6dTgAnmP
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 18, 2023
However, the National Hockey League and his coach, John Tortorella came to his support and told reporters that he was simply “being true to himself.”
“This has to do with his belief and his religion,” the coach explained. “It’s one thing I respect about Provy: He’s always true to himself. That’s where we’re at with that.”
Flyers head coach John Tortorella defended Provy and refused to bench him tonight:
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 18, 2023
“He’s being true to himself.”
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Although the athlete’s view does not align with the LGBT community, it is only logical and important for any group to acknowledge and embrace the diverse beliefs within society. As for Povrov, he did what was right and important for him. It is high time that the LGBT community recognizes that nobody, outrightly owes them recognition and participation in the agenda they are seeking to fulfill.
