{"id":546132,"date":"2026-03-19T05:49:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:49:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/546132\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T05:49:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:49:09","slug":"did-you-know-toronto-has-a-queer-hockey-league-meet-the-toronto-gay-hockey-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/546132\/","title":{"rendered":"Did you know Toronto has a queer hockey league? Meet the Toronto Gay Hockey Association"},"content":{"rendered":"

What to know<\/p>\n

The Toronto Gay Hockey Association offers a safe, inclusive hockey league for LGBTQIA+ players and allies, welcoming all skill levels.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1994, the league has grown from three teams to 20, with about 300 regular players and a growing waitlist.<\/p>\n

Weekly games are held at Mattamy Athletic Centre, and are free for the public to attend.<\/p>\n

The organization also hosts events like its annual \u201cfriendship tournament,\u201d bringing together teams across North America to promote inclusivity in sport.<\/p>\n

For decades leading the sport, Canada has given its name when it comes to ice hockey, and one Toronto organization is making sure the game is accessible to everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Ben Baby found interest in sports, as a kid, he felt like he didn\u2019t fit into the hockey community.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not something that I could do, and not something I would have even had chosen to do, because it just innately I knew it was not a welcoming environment for a gay man like me,\u201d he told Now Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Baby is not the only sports fan that felt this way. According to him, this is a wide-field sentiment within the LGBTQIA+ community, with many feeling they just don\u2019t fit into sports, while some junior players often find a barrier to continue playing as adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As explained by him, ice hockey\u2014like most sports\u2014historically has had a toxic culture when it comes to the inclusion of diverse communities, which leads to many not feeling welcome in the industry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of sports have had a very kind of \u2018macho\u2013macho\u2019 mentality. There\u2019s been a lot of toxicity with homophobia, transphobia, not welcoming for people of different identities, which is true in a lot of sports,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although he had seen some progress in inclusion, with several events in and outside of the industry centering on pride and diversity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition, with the popularity of author Rachel Reid\u2019s gay romance novel Heated Rivalry, which has also recently been adapted into a Canadian series by Crave, Baby said he has seen more representation on queer sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been really wonderful for everybody in sports really. It\u2019s showing a best case scenario for what it could look like, but it also gives a snapshot into what people might experience, having to feel they can\u2019t be themselves, having to hide, having to not live their authentic lives. And that\u2019s something that a lot of people face, even now,\u201d he explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

But even then, he says \u201cit still is not where it needs to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there is one organization in Toronto that is doing something about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Toronto Gay Hockey Association<\/a> (TGHA) is a not-for-profit ice hockey league that offers a safe space for heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ people to participate in the sport. The league was initially founded in 1994, and started with three teams, focused on fostering an environment free of discrimination that encourages fair play, openness and friendship.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even before joining the organization as a commissioner five years ago, Baby says just knowing about it gave him something to look forward to as a gay teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was 16 when I found out about the TGHA. So, it was always a beacon for me, knowing that there was this place that I could go and play hockey and be myself. So, it meant a lot to me for a long time,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AnAfter sitting out from ice hockey as a teen, Ben Baby has joined the Toronto Gay Hockey Association five years ago, and became a Commissioner in 2025. (Courtesy: Baptiste Segers\/TGHA)<\/p>\n

Decades later, Baby was not the only one to find the organization, which has grown to host 20 teams with 300 regular players, plus some occasional players.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the commissioner, the TGHA welcomes residents from all communities to play, follow their games, or just support their operations. To join the league, players must be 19-plus and submit registration<\/a> through their website, and although some foundational skating skills are encouraged, all skill levels are welcome.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the league continues to grow, its waitlist now sits at about 80 eager players so far, as the organization continues to consider the possibility of growing to support more players. With the end of their 2025-2026 season coming up soon, Baby says they will soon start reviewing their waitlist for new members.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven being on the waitlist, we\u2019re looking to bring in those people closer to our community. So, even if people are on the waitlist, it doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not a part of our community. We want to make sure that even if you\u2019re not a skating member, you can still be a part of the TGHA. Come out to our games, come out to our events, and be a part of our community,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most TGHA games take place on Sunday afternoons at the Mattamy Athletic Centre at 50 Carlton St., and hockey fans are welcome to attend and cheer the teams on, free of cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every fall, the organization also hosts a Thanksgiving weekend called the \u201cfriendship tournament\u201d which attracts teams from all over Canada and the U.S. to showcase their skills and foster inclusivity and competition.<\/p>\n

Those looking for more information about the league can follow them on Instagram at @torontogayhockey.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What to know The Toronto Gay Hockey Association offers a safe, inclusive hockey league for LGBTQIA+ players and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":546133,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,5239,82,3302,212850],"class_list":{"0":"post-546132","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-toronto","13":"tag-toronto-gay-hockey-association"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546132\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/546133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}