The two biggest news stories this week were the Blues signing Dillon Dube and the Supreme Court upholding bans on trans athletes. On the surface, these two things might seem unrelated. Often when we talk about sexual assault, especially in heterosexual contexts, it’s not framed as something that directly affects queer people. Yet, I wanted to learn more about the connection between the two, and my friend Not Kate Sports recommended that I read Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence by Adrienne Rich.

Adrienne Rich describes compulsory heterosexuality as “a cluster of forces within which women have been convinced that marriage and sexual orientation toward men are inevitable—even if unsatisfying or oppressive—components of their lives.”

Rich argues that it is essential for feminists to study heterosexuality, saying, “I am suggesting that heterosexuality, like motherhood, needs to be recognized and studied as a political institution—even, or especially, by those individuals who feel they are, in their personal experience, the precursors of a new social relation between the sexes.”

In her essay, Rich lists 8 characteristics of male power which contribute to compulsory heterosexuality.

Characteristic number 2 is forcing male sexuality upon women.

This quote contains a lot of examples, but I see these falling into two main buckets. The first is forcing male sexuality upon women physically, in the case of rape or conversion therapy. The second is social, for example, “the socialization of women to feel that male sexual ‘drive’ amounts to a right”, which can come from media and culture.

Applying this framework to the Hockey Canada SA trial, the alleged incident itself is an example of male sexuality being forced upon a woman physically. However, NHL teams signing men who were charged in the trail is an example of male sexuality being forced upon women socially, because the NHL is a form of mainstream media which is normalizing this behavior.

The 5th characteristic of male power listed by Rich which contributes to compulsory heterosexuality is preventing the movement of women.

Not only does sexual violence force male sexuality upon women, but it also physically limits the movements of women. I thought it was really interesting that Rich mentioned women’s athletic capabilities in this same category, because it positions women’s sports as a threat to male power. While Rich mentions “horizontal segregation of women in employment” (forcing men and women to do different types of jobs), I think of horizontal segregation of women in sports, such as forcing girls to do figure skating instead of hockey. Furthermore, efforts to keep trans people out of sport are not just about maintaining segregation and removing trans people from social spheres, but about physically preventing their movement.

People like to think of men’s and women’s hockey as being separate, but they exist within the same ecosystems of media and ownership. The NHL isn’t just entertainment, it’s a cultural institution that affects who feels welcome in all spheres of hockey. I chose not to watch the Stanley Cup Finals this year because of Carter Hart, but even without me watching it, it will continue to affect hockey culture. That’s why I can’t just talk about women’s hockey, I have to actively push back against rape culture in men’s hockey as well.

The Saint Louis Blues have signed Dillon Dube to a one year contract.

WATCH: My video talking about this signing.

In 2025, five hockey players were charged with sexual assault: Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube, Michael McLeod, Cal Foote, and Carter Hart. The incident was an alleged group sexual assault that occurred in 2018, where members of the 2018 Canada World Juniors team allegedly assaulted a woman in her hotel room. The victim was known as E.M. All five men in the trial were acquitted, and this was one of the biggest trials in all of Canada. To learn more, I recommend watching Neil Dein’s video covering the case.

Carter Hart was the first of the five men to come back to the NHL. Dillon Dube will be the second. Carter Hart was the starting goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights, who made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final this year. There were literally "no means no" chants breaking out in the arena.

It was really easy for everybody to root against the Vegas Golden Knights because a lot of people already hated the Golden Knights even before they signed Carter Hart. The Hart signing solidified the Golden Knights as the villain of the NHL. I definitely played into this narrative myself, but I felt like it was important for people to understand that the hate for the Golden Knights came from a lot of different reasons. The Stanley Cup Final had this feeling of good versus evil, and when the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup there was like this huge sigh of relief. Even though it was shitty to have Carter Hart be in the final, like at least he didn't win.

Yet, this signing of Dillon Dube confirmed something that we all knew, which is that sexual assault isn’t just a Golden Knights problem, it’s a hockey problem. The Hurricanes initially showed interest in Michael McLeod and Carter Hart, although they ultimately did not sign them.

The NHL is the only major pro sports league in North America that does not have a formal written policy about sexual assault.

SOAR Canada is working with the NHL and the NHLPA to implement a sexual assault policy. You can sign their open letter or their petition.

I also recommend reading We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture by Rick Westhead. This book was super eye-opening for me because a lot of the focus for “hockey culture” is on the NHL, but the junior hockey system is really what teaches misogyny and sexual assault to young men.

On June 30, the Supreme Court ruled that states may ban transgender girls from participating in sports at publicly funded schools.

There’s a false narrative that trans people are “ruining women’s sports”, when the reality is that trans people have always made women’s sports special. My favorite experiences playing and watching sports have been with trans people, and the queerness of women’s sports is what made me want to talk about it every day. If you’re reading this and you’re trans, I just want to say thank you. ❤

Idaho enacted the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2020. The law bans trans women and girls from participating on any women’s and girls’ sports teams in public schools from elementary school through college. Since then, 25 other states enacted similar bans.

West Virginia passed the Save Women’s Sports Act in 2022. The law prohibits trans women and girls from participating on women’s and girls’ sports team in public secondary schools and colleges.

Lindsay Hecox: Now 24, she filed the lawsuit in 2020 when she wanted to try out for the women’s track and cross-country teams at Boise State University in Idaho.

Becky Pepper Jackson: Now 16, her mother filed the lawsuit in 2021 when Becky wanted to participate in cross country and track-and-field.

For a complete breakdown of the court ruling, please see the SCOTUS blog.

These laws aren’t just about sports, they are about trying to force trans people to not exist. Nothing shows this more clearly than Justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion.

The fact that sports are serving as a battleground for queer rights shows just how powerful sports are politically. While anti-trans people will use sports to discriminate against trans people, we can use sports to build our own communities and culture.

One example that comes to mind is the 1968 Olympics Black Power salute, where Tommie Smith, John Carlos, and Peter Norman protested for civil rights while on the podium for the 200m running event. Almost 50 years later in 2016, Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the anthem, and Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity.

Thank you to pwhldaily on Instagram for putting together this awesome carousel of trans people in professional hockey. 🏳‍⚧️ ✨

In January, USA hockey modified their Participant Eligibility Policy to ban trans players in programs restricted by sex. USA hockey oversees all levels of the game in the USA, from youth hockey and beer league to the US national team.

While the PWHL posted on Instagram to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, they have yet to create a gender inclusion policy.

There is currently one openly nonbinary player in the PWHL: Carly “CJ” Jackson, who plays for the Seattle Torrent.

PWHL player Britta Curl-Salemme has alienated trans fans by partnering with an anti-trans organization.

As a cis person, I really want to be a good ally to trans people. I’ve found that directly listening to trans voices has helped me understand what’s going on and it’s given me the tools to discuss these issues and push back against transphobia in my day-to-day interactions.

In “Whose Ice Is It Anyway? A critical look at how coverage of the NHL and PWHL frames Queerness, revealing the politics of who gets to define the game’s culture,” I spoke to author Heaven Silver about the importance of queer perspectives in hockey media.

P.S. If you made it to the end of the newsletter, congratulations! I tried something different this week, hope you enjoyed! - 365 🫶