Jessica Platt: Pioneer Woman

Editor's Note: According to the U.S. Library of Congress, "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan." Pride Month is also observed in Canada and many other countries.

Pi·​o·​neer: A person that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity. ( Merriam-Webster )

Jessica Platt more than qualifies for that description. A secondary definition, appropriately in the category known as transitive verbs: "to open or prepare for others to follow."

We were first introduced to Platt at last year's Seattle Pride Classic. As we wrote at the time, "In 2018, the then-pro women's hockey player came out publicly as transgender.

"'I saw an opportunity to make a positive difference in the world,' Platt said. 'It wasn't even a choice in my mind. I have this opportunity and have to take it.'

"Since then, she's written a book chapter on her journey, been the subject of a documentary, and earned a display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, lauding her as the first transgender woman to play elite level women's hockey."

Jessica Platt is returning to Seattle for the 2024 Pride Classic at KCI June 7-9, as you'll hear in the first of our two-part Kraken Reaction conversation.