Not entirely gay, but as sad as Boy George, or even worse

Editor’s Note: The following article was written by Chad Townsend. Chad began reading astrology columns by Jeane Dixon and Sydney Omarr when he was old enough to read the funny papers. Now he reads Rob Breszny next to the comics. He apprentices for a local family Arizona vineyard and winery. He is also a certified Zen Shiatsu therapist, licensed massage therapist, and certified direct care provider.

Chad also sends me interesting emails. When he alerted me to this story about coercive sex and abuse in professional hockey, I asked him to write an article for Daily Astrology and Adventure. His resulting article can be read below. –RA

Dear Friend and Reader,

ON SUNDAY, RACHEL WROTE how gay Thanksgiving week was here in the USA. Across the border to the North, in Napanee, Ontario, David Frost, former agent of former professional hockey player Mike Danton, was acquitted of 12 counts of sexual exploitation Friday, November 28, that allegedly occurred over a decade ago. Danton is now serving the remainder of a seven-and-a-half year sentence for attempting to hire someone to murder Frost.

Frost first met Danton when he was 10 years old in 1991 at a summer junior hockey tournament: Pluto was in Scorpio. Frost became a powerful influence in Danton’s life as a Svengali-like mentor and followed Danton as his coach and eventually as his agent through his entire hockey career.

Suddenly, and after Danton’s team was eliminated from the NHL playoffs in 2004, Danton was arrested with his girlfriend, Katie Wolfmeyer, for plotting a murder-for-hire attempt. Both originally pleaded not guilty, but Danton changed his plea to guilty two months after his arrest.

Recorded telephone conversations between Frost and Danton from his prison cell led to two Canadian women accusing Frost of forcing his teenaged players to have group sex with their teen-aged girlfriends while Frost watched and touched during the 1996-1997 season in Room 22 (ironically, 22 would be Danton’s jersey number in the NHL) at the Bay View Inn in Deseronto. Frost lived in Room 22 with three of his young players and for some time one of the teenaged women who testified for the prosecution. Frost’s ex-players testified that Frost was not present and that the then teen-aged girls were “into it.” Judge Griffin found the women’s testimony to be inconsistent and possibly collusion.

Misogyny in sports is not limited to hockey, but there appear to be many incidents that form what Laura Robinson defines as a “rape culture” in Canada’s national sport. Robinson writes exposes, such as, Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada’s National Sport, based on her book of the same title, and Gods and Monsters – More Disturbing Stories about Hockey Violence against Women, for Play the Game, an organization dedicated to promoting strong ethics and encouraging democracy, transparency and freedom of expression in sports. Pluto was in Sagittarius during the 1996-97 hockey season, when the group sex occurred. Robinson comments on that time:

These charges involved his sexual relationship, not only with his players, but the girls the players coerced into coming to the hotel room where, the girls say, sex with their “boyfriend” meant sex with Frost. The players, who testified, not for the Prosecution (called the Crown in Canada), but for the Defense during the trial, say there was lots of group sex — in fact that’s the way hockey players like sex — but none of it involved Frost. One other player, Ian LaRoque, who was a teammate and good friend of the two players with whom Frost is accused of touching sexually, confirmed under oath in court that Frost regularly had group sex with these two players and girls, and that he spoke openly about it on the team bus and in the locker room.

Pluto enters Capricorn. Neco Cockburn reports the following for the Ottawa Citizen:

It became clear during the trial that group sex involving one woman and multiple males is common in the hockey world, according to players, one of whom called it a “bonding thing.” Judge Griffin said he was concerned about misogyny and “the use of women as sexual playthings” and denounced the treatment, calling it ‘extremely offensive.’

Shanna mentioned Uranus relating to homosexuality. Jeffrey Green says Uranus indicates trauma. While there is testimony that Frost had sex with Danton, which many of Danton’s team mates deny, prison telephone transcripts show Frost and Danton both ending at least one conversation with “Love you” before the final “Bye.” In 2006 Danton wrote a 35-page letter, Why David Frost вЂ?became my father’, from his prison cell recounting his abusive upbringing, with his biological family, the Jeffersons. Danton is seeking extradition to Canada where he would be eligible for parole immediately. He wants to create a foundation for abused children when he is released.

Gare Joyce filed this in his report for ESPN about Danton’s younger brother, Tom Jefferson:

“Tom Jefferson, Mike’s worshipful little brother, wanted in. In the summer of 2000, Tom, then 13, went to Frost’s cottage with Mike, Sheldon Keefe and a couple of other players. Tom came home with a story that his parents didn’t believe at first: that he’d been forced to dance naked for hours, that he’d been bound with tape naked to a bedpost, that he’d been forced to climb a tree naked while Frost fired a pellet gun at him. A few months later, a photo of Tom, naked and bound, was passed on to his parents, who forwarded it to the Ontario police. When detectives questioned Frost and his players, they had a story that they stuck to: Tom was a willing participant in an initiation. Police told the Jeffersons that they couldn’t build a case against Frost or anyone else — it was he said, they said.”

So, no “gay” (I guess threesomes don’t count as “gay” even when there are more males than females involved) sex occurred in this reported incident which I find similar to Boy George’s recent “adventure,” yet the cult-like power trips and mind games Frost held over his teenaged players, I also find eerily similar to another junior hockey coach, Graham James, who sexually abused his teen player, Sheldon Kennedy, a decade earlier. Kennedy has been public about his abuse and now works with RespectEd of the Canadian Red Cross. RespectEd promotes safe relationships and communities through respect education.

Sex or no sex, Frost still continues to have power over Danton in his prison cell. Frost is 41. This puts Frost in the Uranus-Pluto conjunction in Virgo window. Monday, December 1, the first business day after his acquittal, Frost announced the launching of his website, Hockey God Online. The website features a page called “Danton’s Den” claiming Danton will be blogging for the site from prison. Frost is requesting that women send him photos of them wearing nothing but hockey jerseys for his “Hockey Hottie” contest.

Shanna also mentioned the phrase, “duality in justice,” for Pallas in Gemini. I agree with Judge Griffin that this case has exposed the “dark and very unhealthy side of hockey.” I disagree with Griffin’s decision to release the names of the two 28-year old women who came forward to testify against Frost, but to also protect the names of the players who testified for Frost. One of the women, now a successful business professional and married, demonstrated a lot of courage to describe the details of her personal past from the ages of 16-22. I hope their challenging Saturn returns strengthen their resolve and they are not devastated by the aftermath of their revelations. Rosie DiManno documents more of the women’s testimony in the Toronto Star here. Frost faces more criminal charges next week for using Danton’s credit card at a gas station after Danton was arrested.

Tuesday night, the National Hockey League indefinitely suspended player, Sean Avery, for his sexist comments regarding his former girlfriend, Elisha Cuthbert, dating another professional hockey player, Dion Phaneuf. NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, had a hearing with the player Thursday. There is no time table for the league to determine the extent of the suspension.

Hockey has been my favorite sport since I was a child. Sexual exploitation is not limited to hockey, sports or Canada. The NHL has an opportunity to set a standard concerning the conduct of professional athletes. There is a difference between exercising freedom of speech and slandering a former partner to gain a psychological advantage over an opponent.

Sex is not on trial in this situation. Avery’s comments objectify Cuthbert, and imply that she was a possession and that she neglects her personal hygiene. If Avery had referred to Cuthbert as his former partner, lover or girlfriend, he would at least be acknowledging her as a person, rather than something disposable, while still claiming some sense of propriety over her. Avery is really degrading himself by portraying Cuthbert as someone who has become less desirable, simply because she has had relations with him.

Yours and truly,
Chad Townsend

2 thoughts on “Not entirely gay, but as sad as Boy George, or even worse”

  1. jlo- Thank you for sharing your thoughts

    “Self-responsibility is where the buck falls…. I know, I’ve spun my head hard over all the issues that smack people in the face everyday”

    Laura Robinson said she had to relocate from rainy Toronto to sunny Banff in the Canadian Rockies to complete her book. She said she needed to ski during her downtime to release and distance herself from the effects of delving so deep into the heavy details of the material. She found she had to take care of herself to keep from being consumed by the negativity. Gare Joyce said he hopes he never has to cover Frost again. I would imagine it is the same for journalists covering any human tragedy, such as the Holocaust, Jonestown*, the September 11 attacks, and most recently the events in Mumbai.

    “Humanity is only metaphoric language for “oneself”. ”

    Robinson has also identified the vicious”victimized becoming victmizers” cycle. Unfortunately, those who have been victimized have a greater risk of becoming victimizers. Most rapists have been raped. On a metaphyical level, some schools of thought say victims were perpetrators in previous lives. Victims in this lifetime may be experiencing karmic retribution for their past-life transgressions. This lifetime victims can break the cycle, or perpetuate it by feeding into compliance and/or vengeance.

    “I wouldn’t dream of justifying the acts of a bunch of chauvinistic pigs, but I do feel impelled to (understand equilibrium) realize a larger whole that we all participate in within our daily lives known as reality: people, regardless of gender are beyond fucking screwed up.”

    Greg Wyshynski has gathered reaction about Avery’s chauvinistic statements for his Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo!. Women seem less offended by Avery’s comments, because they have grown accustomed to lurid behavior from celebrity athletes and because this incident pales in comparison to more aggregious acts of misogyny, specifically domestic violence, committed by other high profile stars. Avery has been suspended for 6 games by the NHL and will lose $125,000 in salary. Some fans think the punishment doesn’t fit the crime considering some players have only received 2-game suspensions for elbowing another player in the head. Avery’s current team is trying to demote him to the minors, but one of their minor league affiliates refuses to take him. The team tried to demote Avery prior to his comments. Eris retrograde is conjunct Avery’s Sun.

    *Jonestown- It is interesting to note that Danton will always be remembered by hockey fans for his quote, “I’m not drinking Lou’s Kool-Aid.” The quote refers to Lou Lamoriello, the general manager of the New Jersey Devils, who refused to pay for the medical bills when Danton sought advice for an abdominal tear on his own, without telling the team. Danton was subsequently traded to the St. Louis Blues. The joke amongst hockey circles is, if you are a New Jersey Devils fan, then you drink Lou’s Kool-Aid. Some of Lamoriello’s team policies include no long hair or facial hair during the regular season, and players used to have stay together in a hotel during playoffs instead of at home with their families for home games to minimize distractions.

  2. As respectful as can be realized…. I come from a background of misogyny and unconditional (LOVE) pacifism, not so terribly healthy. I wouldn’t dream of justifying the acts of a bunch of chauvinistic pigs, but I do feel impelled to (understand equilibrium) realize a larger whole that we all participate in within our daily lives known as reality: people, regardless of gender are beyond fucking screwed up. I’ve actually taken the time to view/converse/study: myself, and folk around me (and input further data), and what I realize is that there has always been equanimity in all relations… the activity part has “seemed” unbalanced do to the action/reaction principle. It’s a bitter pill, but without “truth” in confirmation (story jumping…. Please always trust your intuition but, don’t use it to judge), we spin the universal wheel further at a greater pace. Not a “bad” gig but…

    Humanity has become disassociated with the Earth. “This” Is what we are experiencing. Humanity is only metaphoric language for “oneself”. I applaud continuance in reportive matters of misogyny, patriarchalism,… every other ‘ism’s as well as gender issues…

    Assessment is a fine tool… judgement is a crazy path. Self-responsibility is where the buck falls…. I know, I’ve spun my head hard over all the issues that smack people in the face everyday… I so want justice, I so want to help but,… ONLY when I can live this power will I understand the unnecessary necessity of life, and accept all others as being on this path of existence, therefore CREATING the magnetic energy that expands to encompass any who CHOOSE to see: that we all are in this together (cheese, I know), and it is ONLY OUR DIRECT ACTIONS that have any effect in this here perfect, beautifully shared world/reality we live in.

    Yeah, pseudo-cryptic, I know… It’s not exactly what I meant to say verbally but, I think it’s acceptable in stream of conciousness prose.

    Love ya,

    Jere

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