Patrick Burke calls it "casual homophobia" in hockey.

It's the jocular language used in the locker room and on the ice that's intended to be humorous among teammates or insulting to opponents, but are essentially gay slurs for comedic effect. It's the kind of language that's helped keep gay players in the NHL and other levels of professional hockey from being candid about their sexuality, feeling the environment isn't a friendly or safe one.

"Those guys are using homophobic slurs but not meaning them in a homophobic sense. You see a guy say 'don't be gay' and he's not saying 'don't be a homosexual,' he's saying 'don't be an ass,'" said Burke, the son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke and a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers.

"We're all about makin' fun of each other. I understand how guys bond. But we need to cut out that language so those athletes that are hiding can feel safe."

You Can Play is Burke's bold new initiative that enlists NHL players — the count is up to around 30 as the campaign kicked off Sunday — to "change the sometimes homophobic culture of locker rooms with a message that athletes should be judged on athletic skill and ability, not sexual orientation or other discriminatory factors," according to the organization.

"Through You Can Play, we want to let guys know why that [casual homophobia] is hard for gay athletes to hear. Even if you don't mean it in that sense, there's probably a guy in the locker room that can't take it in any way but in that sense," said Burke.

The first PSA in for You Can Play will air during Sunday's New York Rangers vs. Boston Bruins game on NBC:

It features the following players: Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets; Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks; Brian Boyle of the New York Rangers; Matt Moulson of the New York Islanders; Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs; Claude Giroux of the Philadelphia Flyers; Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators; Scott Hartnell of the Philadelphia Flyers; Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks; Andy Greene of the New Jersey Devils; Dion Phaneuf of the Toronto Maple Leafs; and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

It also features Brian and Patrick Burke, carrying on the legacy and preaching the message inspired by the late Brendan Burke, who came out in November 2009 and immediately changed the perceptions for gays in hockey for millions of fans and athletes.

Patrick Burke hopes You Can Play can help achieve his late brother's dreams for the sport in every level: That it becomes a place of acceptance, support and safety for gay athletes, to the point that one day an openly gay player can compete for a National Hockey League team without incident and feeling secure about it.

Because as long as they can play, they can play.

THE BEGINNING

Brendan Burke came out publicly in November 2009, two years after he told his father Brian Burke he was gay. The admission sparked a widespread conversation about LGBT issues in sports and turned Brian Burke — the gruff, no-nonsense promoter of "truculent" hockey — into the leading voice for acceptance in the NHL.

In February 2010, Brendan Burke died suddenly and tragically in a car accident in Indiana. Patrick Burke penned a heartfelt tribute to his late brother on Outsports, a leading website for gays in sports. At one point, Patrick Burke wrote the following phrase about his brother's legacy, and it stuck with him: "If you can play, you can play."

"I liked the way it sounded. It was a simple expression that players could use and that fans could use to let people know that the sports world is more welcoming than people think," said Burke.

Over the next year, Patrick Burke began working with GForce, a hockey team comprised of LGBT athletes that travels the country and presents Sports Invisible Athlete Forums, which allow gay athletes to discuss their plight in a safe environment. Burke appreciated their work ethic and commitment, and offered an idea: What about enlisting NHL players to help further the cause through a public campaign?

You Can Play was born.

Glenn Witman, a co-founder of You Can Play, is a former hockey player at Hobart College and founder of GForce Sports. "Any player, gay or straight, knows how homophobic locker rooms can be," Witman said. "Coaches and teams don't get the best performance when a member of the team is forced to keep any secret, or when any player feels shut out. You Can Play shows coaches, team captains and players how important it is to focus on skills and work ethic, not personal differences."

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