An all-trans and gender nonconforming ice hockey team played their first match in the US over the weekend, with members of the team taking to social media in celebration of the occasion.
The team, called competed as part of Boston Pride Hockey's 'Friendship Series', held last week at the Simoni Ice Arena in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"When I came out as trans I sort of lost my sense of community," player Harrison Brown wrote on Twitter.
"Today I felt like I found that sense of belonging again."
In a , teammate Jessica Platt said it was "special" to be able to play with other members of the trans community.
"We often feel hostility and are forced to potentially quit playing sports... So to have a series like this is incredible. To [feel] welcomed and included in sport is something that most take for granted."
Even though Team Trans came up short in their game against Boston Pride Hockey, losing 4-3, the experience was invaluable for those involved.
“ lost our first game to Boston in a 4-3 nailbiter, but we had a lot of fun anyway," one of the team's non-binary players, K8, wrote on Twitter. "It certainly didn’t feel like our first game together.”
They continued, explaining why the 'Friendship Series' event was so important: “As a trans person you’re always afraid you’re going to be let down - someone misgendering you, or questioning you, any one of the million things that even well-meaning allies do that make everything just a little heavier, a little harder.
They added: “Last night in practice, and at today’s game - in the locker room and on the ice - none of us had to carry that weight. None of us had to worry that we might need to explain ourselves.”
When it comes to the sporting world, ice hockey is shaping up to be at the forefront of LGBTIQ+ inclusion.
In the past few months alone, two professional or former professional ice hockey players have come out as members of the LGBTIQ+ community. In October, Danish playerfollowed this month by Janne Puhakka, a retired player from Finland, coming out as gay with a passionate plea for greater visibility in the sport.
Australia's ice hockey community has also been productive in tackling homophobia in the sport - and
