Ryan Whitney is a Boston University guy, born and raised in Massachusetts. Drafted fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins following his freshman year, Whitney is now an alternate captain with the Edmonton Oilers.
An Olympic medalist, Whitney has been an LGBT advocate and volunteered early for You Can Play. “I participated because it’s something I believe in. I’ve tweeted before about supporting gay marriage and also thought the You Can Play Project was a great idea,” Whitney said. “It’s going to someday help someone come forward and not be afraid to say they are gay and an athlete. If over 10 years it helps one kid come forward, that means it was a huge success.
“I think and hope the Oilers would be open to have any teammate that treats his teammates with respect, and can play hockey no matter what race, sexual orientation or anything else you could think of,” Whitney continued. “And, yes, I would encourage other athletes, if they believe in the cause, to come forward because you can never have enough voices to support a cause like this.”
One voice makes a difference, though, and we’re proud to have Ryan’s.