Gay advocates disappointed with email containing homophobic slang

Watch the video above: Gay rights groups disappointed after coach sends email containing homophobic content

SASKATOON – Gay rights groups in Saskatoon have expressed disappointment over an email containing homophobic slang Huskies hockey coach Dave Adolph sent to players.

Adolph made a public apology Wednesday after the email was leaked.

“Back in the last part of December there was some banter back and forth in our emails and the words that I chose to use in my email were both inappropriate and unprofessional,” said Adolph.

“I’m sorry to all those people who I may have offended,” he added.

There are no details on the exact words he used only that the email contained homophobic slang.

“It adds to the continued use of homophobic language and any kind of derogatory language around sexual identity,” said Rachel Loewen Walker, executive director of Avenue Community Centre.

She says it’s the kind of language they’ve been working hard to stop.

“It speaks to that larger issue that people aren’t thinking about or being conscious of how their language is used and the meanings that come out of the regular slurs and language that they use on an every day basis,” she said.

USSU Pride Centre Coordinator Jack Saddleback agrees.

“Yes you may not necessarily be meaning it as derogatory but it is still derogatory in itself,” he said.

Realizing that this cannot be used is one of the first steps to being able to start breaking down those social disparities that are happening in our society,” he added.

Organizations like You Can Play and Athlete Allies were set up with a focus of ending homophobia in sport and Adolph admits he’s well aware things need to change.

“This language and hockey slang that we use in our sport, in most sports, certainly in the heat of the battle, in our hockey culture needs to change and we need to find words that don’t express homophobic terms and we need to revamp that,” he said.

The U of S slapped Adolph with a two-game suspension meaning he won’t be behind the bench when the Huskies take on the undefeated Calgary Dinos on Friday and Saturday in what will be two of the biggest games of their season so far.

While disappointed by the incident, gay advocates say the response from the university and the coach gives them hope attitudes are changing.