Britta Curl-Salemme, a forward with the U.S. women\u2019s national ice hockey team and the Professional Women\u2019s Hockey League, re-entered the debate around transgender athletes after she collaborated on an Instagram video with a group working to keep transgender women out of women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n
Curl-Salemme and FIERCE Athlete, which aims to promote \u201ctrue femininity in sport\u201d and \u201cempower female athletes to thrive in their God-given identity,\u201d have been linked since the group announced her as a representative in September. But the video posted by both Curl-Salemme and FIERCE Athlete on Monday came weeks after\u00a0the 25-year-old had distanced herself from social media activity that previously drew backlash from progressive fans of the PWHL.<\/p>\n
In the video, Curl-Salemme, who is Catholic, walks through her Sunday morning routine. It shows her getting ready for the day, then her attendance at a Latin mass, and includes on-ice footage of the Minnesota Frost\u2019s win over the New York Sirens. The video also shows Curl-Salemme reading from her Bible at home, and the post\u2019s caption quotes Mark 10:45, which she calls her favorite scripture verse.<\/p>\n
Though FIERCE Athlete branding does not appear in the clip, Curl-Salemme tagged the group on it. It appeared on the group\u2019s Instagram page but has since been removed.<\/p>\n
The PWHL declined to comment on Curl-Salemme\u2019s involvement with FIERCE Athlete or the video\u2019s use of its on-ice footage. The Minnesota Frost did not return requests for comment, and FIERCE Athlete was not immediately available. A spokesperson for USA Hockey said representatives were on their way to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and were not available. Curl-Salemme is set to compete at the Games<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ian Kennedy of The Hockey News first reported the latest collaboration between Curl-Salemme and FIERCE Athlete.<\/p>\n Controversy has swirled around Curl-Salemme\u2019s religion and politics since the run-up to the 2024 PWHL Draft, when the Frost selected Curl-Salemme in the second round.<\/p>\n In the weeks before the June 2024 draft, Curl-Salemme\u2019s past social media activity began to circulate online. Internet sleuths found Curl-Salemme had \u201cliked\u201d posts criticizing Target for selling LGBTQ+ products and criticizing vaccine mandates. She also \u201cliked\u201d posts showing support for Kyle Rittenhouse, who fatally shot two people and wounded a third during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., in August 2020, following George Floyd\u2019s murder in Minneapolis. A June 2023 X post from Curl-Salemme\u2019s personal account also voiced support for the barring of transgender women from women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n Curl-Salemme posted a video on X after the draft apologizing for the \u201churt\u201d caused by her social media activity.<\/p>\n \u201cI specifically recognize that my social media activity has resulted in hurt being felt across communities, including LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals, and I just want to apologize and take ownership of that,\u201d Curl-Salemme said.<\/p>\n Loud booing has nonetheless followed her from the draft stage to her pregame introductions and postgame interviews. At times, jeers can be heard when she touches the puck. In December, she spoke directly about the matter<\/a> for the first time in a profile by The Athletic, arguing that she\u2019s been misunderstood by her critics.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was actually the way people say that I am, I would hope they would boo me. But it\u2019s just not accurate,\u201d she said. \u201cThe person that has been painted and what has been shared, that sounds like a s\u2014-y person. Someone who\u2019s racist, transphobic, hateful and wants people to not exist, I wouldn\u2019t like them either.\u201d<\/p>\n Curl-Salemme said that \u201cliking\u201d a post didn\u2019t mean she agreed with its contents. She said she did not agree with a post she liked in which conservative Candace Owens said stores that carry LGBTQ+ products are \u201cperverted.\u201d Regarding Rittenhouse\u2019s actions, she said she may not have all the facts, but did not support what he did. She also denounced supporters who have pushed anti-trans rhetoric while defending her.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just so gross and hateful,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you\u2019re just coming here to be rude or hateful towards someone, I don\u2019t want you defending me.\u201d<\/p>\n