01.12.2023
by Sam Hill
Brock McGillis was one of seven winners of the prestigious Herbert Carnegie Trailblazer Award presented by The Carnegie Initiative (The CI) last year. He was recognized for his work in making hockey more welcoming and comfortable for the LGBTQ+ community.
He continues to make his mark in enhancing the culture of hockey. Currently, he is on the Culture Shift Tour, a 100-day journey across Canada where he is speaking to nearly 100 minor hockey teams about the prevalent homophobia deeply engrained in hockey culture and how it can be combated. The CI is proud to be a partner of the Culture Shift Tour.
In 2016, the former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and semi-pro goaltender became the first professional player at any level to come out as gay. Since that time, McGillis dedicated himself to ensuring that future LGBTQ+ players won’t have the same negative experiences he did. He told Global News that the main goal of his tour is to “humanize my lived experience, which is fairly similar to a lot of queer people in the men’s and boy’s hockey space… and then give them tools to be shift makers to evolve things.”
The tour started in Vancouver on November 15, 2023. McGillis has made his way through the Western part of the country and has spoken to 59 teams and more than 800 players. Positive feedback has been flowing from players, coaches, and managers in the hockey communities along the tour. One particular highlight occurred following a meeting with one of the teams. McGillis was asked to come back to work with them to help resolve an incident that had occurred a few weeks before the meeting with one of their players. The follow-up session allowed him to work closely with the team and provide the players with solutions and resources, giving them a greater understanding of their impact on society.
“People are receptive to this, people want this, and we’re seeing it not just in the major urban centers,” McGillis reflected through a video about his experiences on tour. “They are passionate about this and the game to evolve and have a safe space.”
The tour hits three more major cities over the next month including Montreal (January 8-13) and Ottawa (January 14-23) before ending in Toronto (January 24-February 3).
McGillis will be on hand at The CI Summit 2024 on January 30-31. It is the second straight year in which he will serve as a panelist at the conference.
About the Author: Sam Hill, an Honours English undergraduate student in his Senior year at the University of Carleton in Ottawa, Ontario, is serving an internship with The Carnegie Initiative.