Op-Ed: James Reimer Should Just Come Clean and Admit His True Feelings

By: Zachary Draves

William Shakespeare once said that “honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself.” In other words, if one is not being truthful they are not being who they purport to be. That philosophy perfectly epitomizes the twisted sensibilities of San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer. 

(Ron Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports)

On Saturday, the 35 year old veteran and soon to be free agent boycotted a pregame warmup before their matchup against the New York Islanders. His reasoning? He refused to wear a pregame jersey that featured rainbow pride symbols and a patch bearing the message “Love Wins” in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community as part of the team’s Pride Night activities. 

(Courtesy: Kavin Mistry/NHLI Via Getty Images)

In a prewritten statement, he cited his Christianity as the basis for his refusal. 

“For all 13 years of my NHL career, I have been a Christian – not just in title, but in how I choose to live my life daily. I have a personal faith in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and, in response, asks me to love everyone and follow him. I have no hate in my heart for anyone, and I have always strived to treat everyone that I encounter with respect and kindness. In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions which are based on the bible, the highest authority in my life. I strongly believe that every person has value and worth, and the LGBTQIA+ community, like all others, should be welcomed in all aspects of the game of hockey.”

When navigating through the weeds of this cryptic construction of words, it won’t take too long to find out that Reimer is being completely disingenuous. 

(Courtesy: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

How can you say that you believe that LGBTQIA+ people are welcomed in hockey, but you refuse to take part in the smallest gesture imaginable to let them know that they are indeed welcomed? Not only that, but you are the starting goalie and the general rule of thumb in sports is that if you are starting, your presence during pregame is vital so that you can be fresh and ready for action.

If he was playing youth or college hockey, chances are his decision to be intentionally absent before what is most likely a required team warmup, he would be benched and rightfully so for that kind of behavior regardless of the reasoning. 

Clearly he didn’t help his team because the Sharks lost 4-1, but that’s beside the point.

The real issue here is that Reimer is mouthing off the same old tired tropes that opponents of LGBTQIA+ equality have been saying for years. They like to reinterpret religious text to justify discrimination against a historically vulnerable population that they seemingly deem to be unworthy of love, protection, and acceptance. Or as it’s commonly refer to as “love the sinner, but hate the sin”, which happens to not be in the Bible. 

The fact of the matter is that LGBTQIA+ people are not sinners for being who they are, they have not violated any sacred passage of the Bible that is supposedly unique to them, nor should they be subjected to an unnecessarily higher standard on morals, virtues, and values.

If anything, continuously citing religion is a way to hide and conceal one’s real intentions. 

Throughout the history of the LGBTQIA+ movement in America, supposed religious leaders and extremist political leaders would spew outright bigotry as a means to legitimize doing actual harm. They would mask themselves with religion when the time was right, but they said what they truly felt and in some case their actions spoke for them. 

In 1977, born again Christian singer and actress Anita Bryant fights to overturn anti-discrimination measures that protect gays and lesbians in Dade County, Florida and started the campaign Save Our Children, which was rooted in the homophobic idea that gay people present a harm to children. 

In 1979, Rev. Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority and put out a “Declaration of War” against homosexuality. 

Notorious North Carolina Congressman Jesse Helms showed complete disregard for AIDS victims in 1987 when he said that he was opposed to federal funding for AIDS educational programs that “promote or encourage, directly or indirectly, homosexual activities”. 

Former HUD secretary and surgeon Dr. Ben Carson made the absurd claim in 2015 that being gay is a choice and cited prison by saying “a lot of people who go into prison straight, and when they come out they’re gay”. 

On March 16, a Texas doctor and far right wing activist were kicked out of a Senate hearing about a proposed bill to restrict gender affirming care for queer youth after calling transgender people “pedophiles”.  

These are a few of many, but each of them owned their bigotry and wasted nobody’s time in showing us who they were. 

I don’t know what’s in Reimer’s head or heart, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out he follows in the footsteps of these morally bankrupted individuals and makes statements that are even more derogatory. 

If he truly believes in love and being welcoming, not only would he wear the jersey, but he would tell LGBTQIA+ people that you are loved and welcomed unconditionally. 

He would call out the over 300+ bills that have been introduced or implemented that rolls back LGBTQIA+ rights. He would encourage queer youth to be proud of who they are and call out the scourge of bullying and harassment that has led to a frighteningly high rate of suicides. He would consult with Brian Burke, President of Hockey Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and co-founder of the You Can Play Project in honor of his late gay son Brendan who was a former hockey player. 

(Courtesy: NHL Images / National Hockey League / Getty)

Burke put it best in response to Reimer’s action when he said in a statement the Sharks broadcast on NBC “I wish players would understand that the Pride sweaters are about inclusion and welcoming everybody. A player wearing Pride colors or tape isn’t endorsing a set of values or enlisting in a cause! He is saying you are welcome here. And you are, in every single NHL building.”

That is what being loving and welcoming looks like in public. Otherwise James Reimer, say what you really mean and stop trying to have it both ways.