2025-11-08
After 20 years of professional hockey, Rachel Stoneberg is quitting -- not because she wanted to retire, but because she refuses to compete against a biological man.
Stoneberg has been skating since the 7th grade. In addition to her 20 years with the Women's Hockey Association of Minnesota (WHAM), Stoneberg also skated for the University of St. Thomas. Her departure from the ice came with a public announcement -- a written letter, directed at WHAM, and recently shared on social media. Stoneberg titled it, "Dear Hockey: Goodbye."
"Unfortunately, I believe we're beginning to move backwards. ... I have been participating in WHAM since graduating from college in 2005. Earlier this year, I was made aware that males were playing on women's hockey teams in WHAM. Furthermore, these individuals were not required to disclose their gender to their teammates or opponents. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had been sharing a locker room all season with an individual I thought was a female.
"Some of my teammates voiced our concerns to WHAM leadership, and their response was disheartening. In short, they do not care. They passed the buck to USA Hockey and [Minnesota] Hockey. It seems they have determined the perceived rights of these few individuals are more important than the rights of the majority of the league. I am left to believe they do not care about my safety or the sanctity of the sport. I can no longer participate in a league that does not care about me. And I certainly can't support the league or their agenda with my hard-earned dollars. ... If you want to say you're a girl, go ahead. But you can't force me to say it, or believe it -- and you can't ask me to share my restrooms, my locker rooms or my sheet of ice. That would be infringing on my rights."