The world of sports is filled with images of achievement, teamwork and a drive to be the best you can be. But, what if you’re an athlete who feel the need to hide part of yourself away from the world? What if the highly public sports culture in which you are immersed forces you to be very private about an essential part of your identity?

Today on the Canadian Launchpod, two authors who have new books out that take us into the lives of LBGTQ2 athletes who are bringing their true selves out into the open. Paul Coccia’s new YA fiction release, The Player, tells the story of Cooper a goalie for a high-performing hockey team and the romantic relationship that he develops with one of his teammates


Erin Silver’s non-fiction release, Proud To Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ Athletes Who Made History, is a book about the secrets kept by some of Canada’s most elite athletes—and what happened when they told their truth to the world.

Also joining us on the Launch Pod, volleyball player and coach, Chris Voth, one of the athletes featured in Erin’s book. Chris is Canada’s first active openly gay national team athlete.

Find out more about:

Paul Coccia: https://www.paulcoccia.com/
Erin Silver: http://www.erinsilver.ca/
Chris Voth: https://www.facebook.com/vothster