We Found Love

Emily’s Point of View

Three days after Jack was attacked, we were having a press conference. Jack was incredibly nervous; he had decided not only to speak about his attack, but to explain why he was attacked. The guys on the team had been nothing less than supportive when Jack came out the day before, and so a few of them were going to give statements following Jack. Sidney hurried into the room a few minutes before the interview was supposed to start, and I had to roll my eyes while I fixed his bright green tie. As I looked around the room, I grinned. Everyone was wearing a different color tie.

It had been Tanger’s idea that every guy on the team wear a different color tie for the press conference.

“If we sit in the right order, we’ll have a rainbow…you know, to support Jack,” Tanger had explained. The idea was greeted with applause and a teary hug from Jack, who had been a wreck since the assault. I was wearing a mint green dress; there were more team members than colors in the rainbow, so some of us wore different shades of the same color to get the idea across. One of the TV guys gave us the go ahead, so we filed into the room where the press conference was being held and sat down, being careful to arrange ourselves just right. A few of the reporters in the crowd mumbled in confusion, and Jack’s hands began to shake again. I patted him on the shoulder as he headed towards the podium, and he smiled gratefully before adjusting his white tie and clearing his throat.

“I would like to thank you all for coming today. As you know, I have been out for the past three days. The Penguins association stated that I was out for ‘personal reasons’, and as you can see,” Jack began, motioning towards his face, “those reasons were quite extensive. Three nights ago I was at a local bar…a gay bar,” Jack continued. Gasps arose from the crowd, and Jack swallowed roughly, but continued in a strong, clear voice.

“I am a homosexual male playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Until today, I have kept this fact a secret from my teammates, my friends, my family, and my fans. My team has accepted me with open arms, and has done their best to support me. However, when I walked out of that bar three nights ago, there were three men waiting outside to attack the first homosexual male to leave the establishment. They grabbed me, and when they recognized me, they jumped me. I have received a concussion from this violent assault, and therefore cannot recall what these men looked like. The police have been notified, and are currently looking for my attackers. My attackers threatened to kill me if I ever set foot on the Penguins’ ice again, and I have this to say to them; you can threaten me all you want, and you can hurt me however you please, but you will not stop me from playing the game I love. My sexuality has not come between me and my teammates, it has not affected my game in the least bit, and I certainly hope that the fans here in Pittsburgh will be just as accepting of me as my team is. Thank you,” Jack said before stepping back. The media didn’t leap up to hound him with questions; they had been told there would be no questions answered today. Next, it was my turn. I approached the podium, my note cards clenched in my sweaty palms, and smiled at the winking camera lenses.

“As Jack said, we as a team have embraced him for who he is and have not allowed it to affect our view of him. Now many of you may wonder why I am making a statement, considering that I am a straight female, and therefore a homosexual male would not ‘bother’ me,” I said, raising my fingers in air quotes when I said ‘bother’.

“However, as a straight female, I have the same inclinations towards men as Jack does. I am simply further pressing the fact that there has never been an awkward moment between Jack or myself, and any other member of this team in the locker room or elsewhere. The bonds this team has are extraordinary, and something as small as someone’s sexuality cannot destroy those bonds, or even affect them in the slightest,” I said before taking my seat. Next, it was Jordan’s turn, and he seemed to be a hell of a lot more comfortable with the cameras than Jack and I.

“Emily is correct in her statement that Jack’s sexual orientation does not bother any of us within the Penguins organization. In fact, we as a team are fully supportive of Jack and any other homosexual athletes out there. Furthermore, we do not condone any violence, whether physical or verbal, towards anyone based on their sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, or nationality. The NHL is a diverse, dynamic league full of talented young men and women, who all deserve respect. The Pittsburgh Penguins will accept anyone who can play hockey onto the team, and will love and defend any of their teammates who come under attack for any reason whatsoever,” Jordan said. Dan and Mario made statements, and then we were ushered off to the back room, where the media couldn’t hound us. Jack was looking teary eyed, and hugged every single one of us as we filtered out of the room.

“Emily, you know I couldn’t have done this without you and Sid, right?” Jack said as Sidney and I walked over to him.

“Jack, we didn’t do anything,” I smiled.

“You were the first person to know Emily, and you supported me the whole way…you even kept it a secret for me. That does volumes,” Jack smiled. Sidney pulled him into a hug and slapped him on the back.

“You never should have been nervous to come out to us Jack…sure, it’ll take some getting used to but we would never treat you any different because of it,” Sid said.

“Thanks Sid,” Jack smiled. Sidney and I exchanged a glance, and we both knew one thing.

Things were going to get interesting in Pittsburgh.