SEATTLE — Justin Rogers, the assistant athletic trainer for the Seattle Kraken, went public seven months ago with a letter he wrote to his younger self. It revealed a long-held secret in the world of hockey.
Rogers wanted to share with his peers that he is gay. He's now believed to be the first openly gay support staff member in the NHL.
Rogers went on the record with KING 5's Joyce Taylor and talked about what it means to live authentically in sports and in life.
'They love me no matter what'
On Christmas Day 10 years ago, Rogers felt ready to come out to those closest to him, his family.
"It was the time that I finally was able to build up my own courage and comfort level with myself," he said.
He was inspired by Robbie Rogers, who is a gay soccer player and wrote a book called "Coming out to Play." After reading it, Rogers said he immediately bought cards and wrote everyone in his family a note.
"They read their cards, and there's some silence. And then they all just kind of jumped out, gave me a hug, like said they love me no matter what," he said. "And then we went along with Christmas Day."
After holding on to the secret for so long, Rogers said it changed his life to let his family in.
"It was comforting. And it was like, I felt like I didn't have to hide as much anymore," he said.
Coming out to Kraken staff
Before Rogers published his letter, he met with Seattle Kraken General Manager Ron Francis and came out to him. His response? "We have your back. The team loves you."
"I had zero doubt that I had his support," Rogers said. "Ron is an incredible human being; he might be one of the most loving human beings you'll ever find. If you are one of his people, he's going to have your back to the end of the world."
It was a sentiment echoed by other staff members and the players.
The players showed their support in person and on the ice. During the LGBTQ+ Pride games, they used rainbow tape on their hockey sticks.
"These guys are showing acceptance to me and they don't even realize the amount of acceptance that they're showing within the community," Rogers said.
Rogers' letter came out amid controversy surrounding LGBTQ+ Pride in the NHL. The league was pushing back against the specialty Pride jerseys and, at one point, even banned Pride Tape outright.
"Obviously, I'm a little disappointed the players weren't able to show off the jerseys on the ice, I'm more disappointed for the artists that have been able to design the jerseys," Rogers said.
However, it wasn't a driving force for Rogers to come out at the time, as he had been writing that letter for months.
'Dear younger JR, becoming the best you will take time and understanding'
The letter Rogers published last year is one of compassion for his younger self and a celebration of the life he now leads. The letter reads, in part:
"Dear younger JR,
Becoming the best you will take time and understanding.
That knot in your stomach – the one that makes you feel confused, isolated, lost in the world –invisible to everyone but you? It will slowly loosen. You don’t even understand the knot, but with time you will learn things about yourself and fulfill dreams so many others like you feel they cannot.
You will accept yourself as a gay man, creating a life authentic to you, while welcoming others into it. It won’t be easy, and you won’t do it alone. It will take time. The building blocks will start to take shape now as you enter your teenage years.
When you first start to shadow your high school athletic trainer you can’t even imagine where it will take you. While success is so individual and hard to measure, please trust you have the ambition and drive to achieve it in so many aspects of your life."
Rogers was then flooded with an outpouring of support from peers and fans, not just on a national level but internationally as well.
"It’s really empowering and kind of incredible to hear," he said. "Truly, the depth of people and the breadth of people that we're able to see and read and react to my story."
He shared the kind of story that impacted many people and possibly even saved lives.
"It’s hard to think about it that way. But it's probably true," he said. "So it's so incredible that the love and support that I've gotten, again, is helping other people as well.
"Keep being you, keep building your community, and keep showing the love to others the way you have received it from so many before you
With all the love from your much more confident self,
-Justin"