Yesterday, we were featured in a story by ABC 11, and we saw some folks questioning why there’s a need for an LGBTQ+ fan group for the Carolina Hurricanes. Given the political climate, some of those questions probably don’t come from an honest place. But we know some people are genuinely wondering: if we believe hockey is for everyone, why carve out a separate space at all? Doesn’t a dedicated LGBTQ+ group contradict the very inclusion we say we want?
It’s a fair question, so I thought I’d try to to answer it.
The word “affinity” does a lot of work here. An affinity group is built around a shared experience – in our case, being LGBTQ+ hockey fans – not around keeping anyone out. We exist because there’s value in gathering with people who share that experience: who know what it’s like to scan a crowd before deciding whether to wear the shirt, hold the hand, make the joke. That shared understanding is the thing we offer that a general fan group, however welcoming, simply can’t replicate.
And to be clear about what “LGBTQ+” means here: it’s about who people are, not what they do. The shared experience we’re talking about is moving through the world as a gay, lesbian, bi, or trans person – the small calculations, the second-guessing, the relief of being somewhere you don’t have to do any of that. It has nothing to do with sex, and everyone at our events is there for the same reason anyone goes to a game: to watch good hockey with good company.
When we say the Gayniacs Are For Everyone, we mean it. “Hockey Is For Everyone” isn’t a slogan we borrow when it’s convenient. It’s the principle our whole group rests on. So by that same measure, we welcome everyone to our events. Allies, family, friends, the curious, the lifelong Canes fan who just wants good company – if you’re not bringing disapproval and hate, you’re wanted here.
There’s no contradiction in being both a space for LGBTQ+ fans and a space open to everyone. Plenty of communities work exactly this way: built by and for one group while keeping the doors open to all. The first part is what makes it meaningful. The second is what keeps it from being exclusionary. As long as you’re not bringing hate into our space, we’ll cheer right alongside you.
So why does it matter? Visibility is part of it. When LGBTQ+ fans show up together, openly, at a hockey game, it tells the next person who wasn’t sure they belonged that they do. Representation in the stands matters the same way it matters on the ice.
Community is the other part. Sports fandom is one of the great connective forces we’ve got, and everyone deserves to experience it without quietly editing themselves first. We’re here so nobody has to. That’s why we exist: not to wall anyone off, but to make sure a particular group of fans has a home base – and to leave the door wide open while we’re at it.
Whether you’re LGBTQ+, an ally, or just someone who loves this team, we’d love to see you at our next event. Hockey is for everyone. So are we.