Jessica Platt

Jessica Platt (born May 8, 1989) is a professional ice hockey player and an advocate for transgender rights. She plays for the Toronto Furies in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and was the first transgender woman to play in the CWHL.[1][2]

Jessica Platt
Born (1989-05-08) May 8, 1989
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
CWHL team Toronto Furies
Playing career 2016–present

Career

Platt was drafted into the Canadian Women's Hockey League in 2016 in the 61st overall pick[3] and was invited to play four games for the Toronto Furies in the 2016–17 season when another player was injured.[4] During the following season she played full-time.[4]

Early life and transition

Platt spent her childhood in Brights Grove, Ontario, and attended a Catholic secondary school for which she played hockey.[5] After leaving high school, Platt started to undertake hormone replacement therapy in 2012, with full support from her family.[5]

She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2014 and worked teaching children to ice skate on campus. Platt then joined a recreational league to return to hockey.[4]

Public reception and recognition

Platt announced that she was transgender through Instagram on January 10, 2018,[6] following support from within the sports community. Platt was the first professional female hockey player to come out as a transgender woman, and the second player in the professional women's to come out as transgender[7] following Harrison Browne's announcement as a transgender male in October 2016 while playing in the National Women's Hockey League.[8] Platt told sources that Browne was instrumental in her decision to announce her identity.[3]

In September 2018, Platt was recognized as one of Canada's Women of Influence's "Top 25 Women of Influence 2018".[6]

References
  1. "Canadian Women's Hockey League". www.thecwhl.com. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  2. "The First Openly Transgender Player in the Canadian Women's Hockey League".
  3. "Hockey is for Everyone: The Jessica Platt Story - Sportsnet.ca". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  4. "CWHL's first transgender woman finds comfort, confidence in professional hockey". espnW. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  5. January 20, Paul Morden Published on; January 22, 2018 | Last Updated; Est, 2018 2:47 Am (2018-01-20). "Sarnia's Jessica Platt is the first openly transgender player in Canadian Women's Hockey League". Sarnia Observer. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  6. Harris, Teresa (2018-09-06). "Top 25 Women of Influence 2018: Jessica Platt". Women of Influence. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  7. "Toronto Furies forward Jessica Platt comes out as transgender". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  8. Masisak, Corey. "Looking forward: Harrison Browne, first openly transgender..." The Athletic. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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