The Toronto Marlies are making history as the first team to sign a pledge declaring support and respect for all players, regardless of their sexuality.
The pledge is the result of a partnership with the You Can Play Project, the organization founded in March by Patrick Burke to carry on the legacy of his brother. Brendan Burke was the youngest son of Toronto Maple Leafs president Brian Burke. Brendan's coming out story, and tragic death, inspired a movement to promote LGBT equality in sports.
In September, around the time that now-former Blue Jays' shortstop Yunel Escobar was at the centre of a controversy after writing a homophobic slur on his face, the head coach of the Toronto Marlies, Dallas Easkins, asked You Can Play to come speak to the team about homophobia in sport.
