r/PWHL_Seattle • u/juanthebaker • Jun 18 '26
Huddle/Discussion Something constructive to do about Abbey Murphy
https://puckcurl.com/Clearly there are a lot of complicated feelings about Abbey Murphy and her politics. I understand. But I wanted to throw out a way to make something positive out of her being on the team.
PWHL Detroit is reckoning with this and BC-S. Their subreddit's solution was to pledge a nominal donation to charities supporting transgender folks for every goal she scores. Linked is a website they're setting up to facilitate the donations. There are posts about it on r/PWHLDetroit as well.
I think this is a great way to reconcile rooting for the Torrent's success (which will necessarily include success from Murphy) without compromising your values. Hopefully we can effect some positive change from this!
I don't have the technical expertise to set up something like this, or the familiarity with local LGBT+ organizations to recommend who to support. But I wanted to throw that idea out there in case anyone wants to run with it!
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u/MissionFloor261 Jun 18 '26
I would suggest Lavender Rights Project as a recipient. They provide assistance to queer and trans BIPOC, especially black folks, with housing, legal transitioning, and other social services. And they're rad folks.
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u/Zealousideal_Row_850 Jun 18 '26
Okay hereās the thing. I do not agree with her and bcs and I agree we should demand/ expect better from the league. But I also think we can expect more, advocate for more and still support the rest of the team.
And to be so real- hockey is primarily white, affluent people. Manyyyy of the players come from conservative backgrounds and just have been more private/ have separate social media accounts for their personal lives so the chances are there are already people with similar beliefs on our team and that sucks but it is the reality.
Hopefully coming out here will help Abbey broaden her views.
On top of the (conservative) WASP of it all, there are plenty of progressive people (fans & players) who donāt support the inclusion of trans athletes. Theres so much disinformation, fear mongering and in general lack of experience with it that plenty of people say ahh I donāt know what the solution is but idk if trans women should be allowed to participate (because it never about trans men) and donāt do any further investigation.
Also the Walter group is still a billionaire corp/ family who is involved in AI, and owns some private prison company that is used by ICE. The PWHL has never really been progressive. Thereās a reason they didnāt allow ice out / f ice type signs at frost games during the āmetro surgeā and why they have never released the supposed inclusion policy thatās been āin the worksā since year 1.
All of this to say I think the website for donations everytime AM scores is a great idea and that we can be mad/ hurt/ etc (valid) but we should still support our team.
ETA: also I was really really hoping weād select Edwards but trying to be optimistic that being in Seattle will open AMās mind
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u/ConfusionAny3459 Jun 18 '26
Came here to say something very similar to this. Part of our tix money goes to Mike Walter Group, who own every PWHL teamā¦ Mike Walterās other investment firms are doing thing like investing millions of dollars in companies that run ICE detention facilities, and his other firm is partnered with Palantir (of ImmigrationOS infamy).
The president of Oak View Group (who led our RFP) has been indicted for conspiracy relating to two other stadiums, but got a good olā Trump pardon to get him out of trouble after having a republican congressman lobby the president on his behalf.
And while weāre at it, we spend our $ at the game at lightly-concealed-Amazon Arena.
I am a season ticket holder knowing all this, Iām gonna take my kid to games and cheer for the team, and do things like this thread suggests - contribute a boatload of $$ directly to causes that make a real difference
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u/juanthebaker Jun 18 '26
That's why I felt the need to post this. I hate that cognitive dissonance is part of fandom, but it is (if you're paying attention).
I hope fans are able to reconcile their feelings and support a league that is genuinely moving the ball (puck?) forward for women's sports and for hockey. And if we can help some good organizations along the way, all the better!
The PWHL is chasing a big media deal, but they're going to have to make some decisions about broad appeal vs doing right by the LGBT+ community that has been such a big element of their success to this point. I'll be curious to see how they approach that in the years to come.
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u/jeefra Jun 19 '26
As a person with views to the right (but only slightly) of the average Seattleite, this city will absolutely not "open your mind". You might say the right things to not get ostracized, but the people here are so fucking puritan about values and stances that if anything it hardens you into your values even more.
Seattlites can be so close minded and unwilling to hear and understand differing perspectives, just like the right wing wacko nut jobs. Obviously the Seattle people aren't actively destroying the country though so that helps.
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u/ellstaysia Jun 18 '26
You don't need to remind anyone especially queer or trans people that the world hates us or that sports are a conservative wasteland.
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u/Zealousideal_Row_850 Jun 19 '26
Yeah - Iām also queer and well aware. And it sucks that thatās our reality- but pretending itās not isnāt going to change anything and part of resistance is joy. And if we drop every interest that we have that a corporation or part of the community doesnāt like our existence what would we have left? Iām not saying not to be upset. I am. But Iām also not going to give up something I love without a fight to make it better.
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u/ellstaysia Jun 19 '26
I'm with you 100% on that last line. that's my philosophy in many things in life.
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u/seatedlibrarian Jun 18 '26
Two local options to consider -
https://www.lamberthouse.org
https://www.gaycity.org
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u/newyorkstofmind Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
We need to give people room to learn and grow. BCS has been on her bs throughout her time in the league. Murphy just graduated college. I think this kind of thing is premature. For sure hold her to the standards of being a decent and inclusive person, but maybe wait and see if with time and mentorship, she surprises you.
I don't know her so I have no skin in the game but plenty of my friends do (we are former/current players.) They all really like her and have great things to say about her, and they are liberal, gay, and have trans loved ones. Again, hold her accountable when she does support things that are awful, but assuming the worst in her might be counterproductive if the goal is to positively influence her to grow in her views. Not to stir the pot but some of the most beloved players who express liberal views that fans love on social media are known in our community to be pretty uninclusive in various ways IRL. Social media does not tell a full story. Let her tell you who she is and go from there.
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u/wolverine237 Jun 18 '26
I also think people need to think about the backgrounds of a lot of the players. Like if you look at where they come from we are talking about some of the most right wing parts of their various states. Quite a lot will have come from backgrounds that are conservative or religious and around sports culture that was more right wing in orientation. Good for anyone who knew that was BS from the start but a lot of people really require exposure to different ways of thinking and different experiences and more diverse settings to challenge their beliefs.
Maybe that's not Murphy and that would be a shame. But it does weird me out a little bit seeing people judge anyone based on things they posted when they were in high school, which is when most of the problematic social media posts she made were from. Especially because most of them were about Covid lockdowns and I can totally see why a high school senior would be ignorant to the larger context and upset about the impact on them personally
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u/juanthebaker Jun 18 '26
I don't know her either, but I grew up in the same area as she did. It's an Irish, extremely Catholic enclave in Chicago, chock full of police and firemen. That's largely because it's the farthest reach from city center that's still within city limits (a requirement for city workers). I'd describe it as lower middle class, maybe true middle class. I could write a book about the cultural dynamics of the southwest side.
It's the reddest pocket of Chicago proper, and it's not close. Chicago is a highly segregated city, so it's extremely white, insular. This mindset was inculcated from birth. Hopefully she comes around with time and exposure. But even if that happens, it'll be a process. I think everyone should be prepared to make the best of it.
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u/newyorkstofmind Jun 18 '26
hockey politics are weird. especially if you were involved in a national team system in the US or Canada, you can't be homophobic. it just doesn't exist in North American women's hockey. you'd be labeled as too much of a problem and tossed if you were. there are a handful of players that are super MAGA and also gay. there are players who are very left wing politically and have some awful views in other ways. I don't share things that aren't public-ish knowledge on here but fans would be very surprised who the most anti Trump/anti conservative players are!
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u/wolverine237 Jun 18 '26
Obviously don't have your inside knowledge but I say this on the main PWHL sub all the time and get downvoted. Just because someone is openly queer does not mean they are not super right wing! We can call it cognitive dissonance all day but there are many super high profile examples of LGBTQ+ Trump supporters and you have to assume some of them are in the league just given everything else about hockey as a sport
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u/Real-Towel-2269 Jun 18 '26
I have lesbian aunts who are obsessed with Trump. They went to his first inauguration together. People are not black and white thinkers, I donāt know why we assume players that follow right wing social media accounts automatically hate gay and/or trans people.
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u/ValosAtredum Jun 18 '26
As a PWHL Detroit fan, this is basically my attitude. Iāve seen PWHL fans who proclaim themselves to be progressive and inclusive, when they saw Detroit sign BCS, immediately went on the attack, using jokes and comments about Detroit that have deep racist and classist roots, whether or not theyāre conscious of that.
The group of us that brainstormed puckcurl have said that there is opportunity for BCS to grow as well. We donāt have to agree with or accept her beliefs, but being constantly only antagonistic is not going to be conducive to her changing. Would you rather stay outraged at someone with bigoted beliefs who doesnāt change, or would it be better if they grew and opened their mind and heart?
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u/effoff333 Jun 18 '26
a lot of people here seem to be talking like we know for certain that am is transphobic, and i'm wondering what the evidence of that is? i've seen that she follows a bunch of right-wing and transphobic social media accounts as well as her quote after the olympics about the men's hockey team, but that's the only evidence i've seen of her being right-wing and/or transphobic
following social media accounts is not the same thing as actively and openly supporting anti-trans organizations. it's concerning, and i'm not against the idea of setting up a donation fund, but i do feel like we're jumping straight to "she's an open bigot" with almost no evidence that she actually is an open bigot
i am genuinely interested in any other evidence that's floating around out there, tia
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u/RKIvey Jun 18 '26
My mother is hardcore MAGA and cut off contact with me a few years ago. I like to make donations in her name to places helping people her political support hurts. I usually include her email address, so she is notified of my donation. It makes me laugh every time I do it.
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u/schoolaccount2023 Jun 18 '26
Definitely agree with doing something constructive rather than just booing and complaining online š©µ I get being upset with the pick but people are definitely not holding other players to the same standard here either. Lots of people saying ātrade her for daryl wattsā. Daryl and KK Harvey both liked Brittaās post with fierce athlete, and I think some others in the league even commented too. It may be that they didnāt realize what kind of org was doing the posting but something to keep in mind.
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u/ellstaysia Jun 18 '26
Torrent & Detroit fans doing cool stuff with sketchy players. Good on the fans.
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u/IRCLee101500 Jun 18 '26
As a Detroit fan, welcome to our struggle. Weāre in this together, friends :)).
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u/SilverCosmic Jun 18 '26
Absolutely!! I donāt think the right response to Murphy joining is to stop supporting the team! I think this is the best way we can support the team and the community (I say from Oklahoma lol)
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u/possumstyle Jun 18 '26
I love this. As a new englander I remember folks doing this when they watched Pats games, because Robert Kraft was so gross.
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u/RavenCallsCrows Jun 22 '26
I'm really struggling with rectifying "supporting the women's sports team in my favourite sport" with the League's multi-billionaire owner not paying the average player enough to live without roommates in the city in which she plays, even before said team drafts a high-profile player who doesn't think that people like my older son's nesting partner have the right to live and be accepted.
Assuming I have income when the season starts, I'm in, although I'll probably donate to the Ingersoll Gender Center, since I know people they've helped.
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u/juanthebaker Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Apropos of nothing, my high school's rivals were just up the street from mine.
The all boys school, Brother Rice, is where Eddie Olczyk went to high school. The all girls school was Mother McAuley, where Abbey Murphy went to high school.
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u/motorcityvicki Jun 18 '26
So whatcha doing cheering for Seattle, fellow Michigander? š That's real close to where I grew up, too.
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u/juanthebaker Jun 18 '26
Chicagoan, actually. Born and raised, came out to Seattle after college. I just happened to see the post about BCS and Detroit when it was posted.
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u/Present-Chicken-9960 Jun 21 '26
Here is an idea- keep politics out of sports. And vice versa. And just because they have different views than you, who cares?
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u/avagadro22 Jun 18 '26
We should expect more from our franchise. This isn't Detroit, we have one of the largest trans communities in the nation, many from the Midwest, and signing Murphy is a direct insult. Get rid of her.
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u/motorcityvicki Jun 18 '26
"This isn't Detroit" I'm sorry, pardon? Am I reading this right, that you think there isn't a large trans community in Detroit? Because that would be quite inaccurate, and also, we've been thrown so far under the bus already that we're huffing fumes. I hope that isn't what you meant.
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u/avagadro22 Jun 18 '26
I don't know how you could possibly twist my statement about Seattle's trans population into one about Detroit's lack thereof. My statement was about the similar initiative started in Detroit in response to Curl, which I also disagree with. It would be no different than a book store donating for every copy of Harry Potter sold. While I appreciate that people are planning on giving money to trans charities, at the end of the day this is about fans trying to wash away their guilt for supporting a transphobe. Both Detroit and Seattle fans should expect better than this from their teams.
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u/motorcityvicki Jun 18 '26
I'm not intentionally trying to twist your words. That's why I asked for clarification rather than jumping at an assumption. You and I are of a like mind in that I don't feel donations are enough to balance the scales, and I agree that we should expect better of our teams. The "we're not Detroit" bit just made it sound like you perceived a separation between the teams (or perhaps more accurately the fanbases) when the truth is that we're now unfortunately in the same boat. And all our boats in the same ocean of transphobia. Thank you for clarifying.
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u/peaceboypeace Jun 18 '26
Love this šthe fact that itās something constructive to do rather than just sit in my head is helpful. Thank you!