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Ivan ProvorovPhiladelphia Flyers / YouTube

(LifeSiteNews) — How did the sexual revolutionaries manage to transform our culture in short order? The answers to that, of course, are legion – historical, philosophical, and even theological. But considering that the story of the Sexual Revolution is the story of how the values of a few conquered a civilization in a half-century, one factor played a more significant role than most: cowardice. 

A key reason that gender ideology infiltrated and took over our institutions so swiftly, for example, is because in most countries – America excepted – there has been very little pushback. I would bet good money that in Canada, you would be hard-pressed to find a single Conservative leader – including Pierre Poilievre, the “freedom fighter” – willing to define what a woman is in answer to a question from the press.

On most of the key issues, the silent majority quietly capitulated, and now the state education system pumps out millions of clones who have been indoctrinated into the ideology of the victor. 

As Lenin once put it: “You probe with bayonets: if you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw. The sexual revolutionaries have been probing, and they’ve found mostly mush – and so they’ve pushed, while we have withdrawn.  

Conservative leaders like Poilievre and the too-clever-by-half political hacks who surround the big fish at the top will tell you that this is actually smart, because there is simply no point dying on lonely barricades in the No Man’s Land of the gender culture wars (even if it is children suffering medical malpractice at the hands of doctors who see “sex changes” as healthcare). But every so often, this cowardice dressed up as savvy strategy is proven wrong. In the most recent instance, that example is the National Hockey League. 

Back in January, Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers politely declined to wear a “pride jersey” during a warmup game, citing his Russian Orthodox faith. Sports commentators were apoplectic, demanding that he be fined and punished harshly to ensure that he was cowed into literally wearing the flag of an ideology he disagreed with on his body.

Provorov played anyway, but barely had the foaming sports pundits toweled themselves off when players from the Minnesota Wild also decided that they didn’t want to wear the LGBT flag during warmup. This time, the media response had a shrill, panicked edge to it. Was the herd moving? 

As it turns out, that may be the case. Last week, Florida Panthers players Eric and Marc Staal also turned down the “pride jerseys,” stating: “We carry no judgement on how people choose to live their lives, and believe that all people should be welcome in all aspects of the game of hockey. Having said that, we feel that by us wearing a Pride jersey, it goes against our Christian beliefs.”

So did James Reimer, the goalie for the San Jose Sharks, who wrote in part: “In this specific instance, I am choosing not to endorse something that is counter to my personal convictions which are based on the Bible, the highest authority in my life. 

As the number of players refusing to wear “pride jerseys” continues to grow, some in the NHL are now beginning to think that the low-cost virtue-signaling may now be getting costly. From The Post-Millennial: 

League commissioner Gary Bettman said in an interview with CTV News when asked about the players that have refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys this season, ‘This is the first time we’ve experienced that, and I think it’s something that we’re going to have to evaluate in the offseason.’

Citing religious beliefs, several players have declined to participate in pre-game warmups while wearing Pride-themed jerseys. Bettman told the outlet, ‘This is one issue where players for a variety of reasons may not feel comfortable wearing the uniform as a form of endorsement.’ The commissioner continued, ‘But I think that’s become more of a distraction now, because the substance of what our teams and we have been doing and stand for is really being pushed to the side for what is a handful of players basically have made personal decisions, and you have to respect that as well.’

The sports pundits and the LGBT movement, of course, have no respect for the consciences of these players whatsoever, and the reaction has been predictable. But consider what this episode tells us for a moment: A single player, citing his beliefs, declined to wear a “pride jersey,” and did so calmly, firmly, and without apology. Others, noting his example, soon followed suit. Now, the cowards who decided that it was low-cost virtue-signaling are reevaluating – just because one guy stood up and said no.

One guy. That’s all it took. Think about that.

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Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States.

He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.

Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.

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