Proud to Play

by Erin Silver

The 2018 Winter Olympics marked a milestone for LGBTQ+ athletes. Thirteen athletes out of 3,000 competitors were out and proud -- nearly double the number who felt comfortable sharing their sexuality four years earlier at the Sochi Games. Many athletes stay closeted for their entire sports careers, often unable to compete at their highest ability because of the shame and self-doubt they feel in not being true to their orientation or identity. But coming out still means facing harassment from fans, teammates, opponents, and the media, and a lack of sponsorship opportunities. While organizations like You Can Play, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Eagle Canada have made progress in recent years in promoting inclusivity at the grassroots and elite sporting levels, there is still much work to be done to ensure all athletes feel safe being their authentic selves.

Athletes profiled include swimmer Mark Tewksbury, rhythmic gymnast Rose Cossar, professional hockey player Brock McGillis, speed skater Anastasia Bucsis, pairs figure skater Eric Radford, volleyball players Betty Baxter and Christopher Voth and hockey player Angela James.

Generously illustrated with photographs and given context by an overview of the history of LGBTQ+ athletes in Canada, this book will make all young sports enthusiasts and competitors proud to play.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT

120 pages, ebook

First published January 12, 2021

About the author

I'm an award-winning children's author based in Toronto. My latest titles include Sitting Shiva, Good Food, Bad Waste: Let's Eat For the Planet, and Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam. My other titles include Just Watch Me, Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ athletes who made history, and What Kids Did: Stories of Kindness and Invention in the Time of COVID-19. Several more titles are forthcoming.

I have been writing professionally for nearly 20 years. My work has appeared in everything from The Washington Post and Globe and Mail to Harper’s Bazaar and Good Housekeeping, among many other North American magazines, newspapers and blogs. I also write for several corporate clients.

I have a postgraduate journalism degree and an MFA. I’m a member of CANSCAIP, SCBWI, IBBY and The Writers Union of Canada. I frequently attend conferences, critique groups and workshops and am always brainstorming new ideas for books my kids will read. Visit me online at erinsilver.ca.

Reviews

[Storytime With Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many athletes in your favourite sport do you know who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community? Not many right? Things are changing and there are some sports where the culture is supportive enough for LGBTQ+ to feel safe to be out, however there is still so much work to be done to ensure that all athletes at all levels of sport can be themselves without fear. In Erin Silver’s new non-fiction biography Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ athletes who made history, she shares the stories of many prominent high profile athletes and coaches in the hopes that their stories will inspire the next generation of athletes.

Through her interviews and profiles, readers can learn about Mark Tewksbury, Caroline Ouellette, Jessica Platt and many others. We learn what it was like growing up and being in the public eye all while having a piece of themselves they felt they couldn’t share. Erin Silver sheds light on how things have changed in sport through these profiles. Each athlete’s experience was different and the profiles share what it was like growing up, competing and what has happened since they have chosen to live openly. There is a ton of information, information that will help young athletes know there are these incredible people who have opened the doors and are pushing to ensure sport at all levels is inclusive and supportive. Readers learn about the athletes as well as background information about organizations that are pushing for equality.

Proud to Play is a book that needs to find its way into school libraries all over Canada, to ensure all readers know they have the right to play and enjoy sports.

[Alexane Desbiens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read, this book does a good job at presenting a variety of stories from LGBTQ athletes in Canada. I wish there was more of a discussion on missing narratives; on why so few male athletes in team sports and women in individual sports have come out (as mentioned briefly in the book) as well as the fact that most athletes in the book are caucasian. The writing style felt a bit too juvenile and simplistic, and the book could have used more editing and a better layout. Enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Danya Lantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from an educational standpoint, I find Proud to Play inclusive and thought provoking. An original book that focuses on the various challenges that these athletes had to face is eye opening. A must read for all ages and is a great lesson about tolerance, understanding and compassion.

[Peyton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of LGBTQ+ sport stories. I didn't like the formatting because it made the text seem blocky and unappealing. It needed to be jazzed up a little. I hope this book will help further LGBTQ+ rights, awareness, and acceptance in sports communities.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for Grades 6+. It would have benefitted from additional edits. One part, for example, erroneously copies and pastes the achievements of one athlete from another section.