Jessica Platt (born May 8, 1989) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player with the PWHPA and an advocate for transgender rights. She played for the

Toronto Furies The Toronto Furies were a professional women's ice hockey team that played in Toronto, Ontario, as members of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The Toronto Furies played their home games at the Mastercard Centre in Toronto. The team was establish ...

in the

Canadian Women's Hockey League The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey féminin ‒ LCHF) was a women's ice hockey league. Established in 2007 as a Canadian women's senior league in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, and Ottawa, the league ...

(CWHL) and was the first transgender woman to play in the now defunct CWHL.

Career

Platt was drafted into the

in 2016 in the 61st overall pick and was invited to play four games for the

in the 2016–17 season when another player was injured. During the following season she played full-time.

Early life and transition

Platt spent her childhood in

Brights Grove, Ontario Brights Grove is a neighbourhood of Sarnia, Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. Brights Grove is located on the shore of Lake Huron. History The Owenite Project Brights Grove was the site of Canada's first commune. In 1829, Brights Grove was esta ...

, and attended a Catholic secondary school for which she played hockey. After leaving high school, Platt started to undertake hormone replacement therapy in 2012, with full support from her family. She graduated from

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

in 2014 and worked teaching children to ice skate on campus. Platt then joined a recreational league to return to hockey.

Public reception and recognition

Platt announced that she was transgender through

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

on January 10, 2018, 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 following

Harrison Browne Harrison Browne (born Hailey Browne on May 13, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Metropolitan Riveters and Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL). Browne was assigned female at birth an ...

's announcement as a transgender man in October 2016 while playing in the National Women's Hockey League. Platt told sources that Browne was instrumental in her decision to announce her identity. In September 2018, Platt was recognized as one of Canada's Women of Influence's "Top 25 Women of Influence 2018".

Career statistics

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Jessica 1989 births Living people Canadian women's ice hockey defencemen Transgender sportswomen Canadian transgender people Ice hockey people from Ontario LGBT ice hockey players Canadian LGBT sportspeople Sportspeople from Sarnia Toronto Furies players Professional Women's Hockey Players Association players