Protestors gather at the legislature during a rally for trans rights in Edmonton in February, 2024.AMBER BRACKEN/The Canadian Press

Harrison Browne, who became the first trans player for the National Women’s Hockey League in 2016, is the co-author of Let Us Play: Winning the Battle for Gender Diverse Athletes and the director of the short film Pink Light.

I knew from a very young age that I was different from my peers, but I didn’t have words for it. I had never heard the term “transgender,” so this difference was all-consuming and debilitating growing up: Because my voice seemed wrong, I would never speak up, and I would hide my body under oversized clothing and shyness.

But then I discovered hockey. On the ice, the nagging thoughts swirling in my head went silent. The speed of the game and the bulky equipment I wore made me feel like I was in a different world – one where I wasn’t seen as a boy or a girl, but simply as an athlete. I found great comfort in that; I felt free to let go and be myself.

Sports changed my life. They were my refuge, giving me so many cherished friendships and memories, as well as the confidence I needed to move through the world. I have no idea who I would be without them – or if I would even be here at all.

That’s why all the attacks on transgender........

© The Globe and Mail