He's known for saying it like it is in the world of hockey, but there's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to Calgary Flames President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke.

Burke spoke at Oilfields High School Monday night on the prevention of bullying and emphasis of giving the LGBTQ community the same respect as any other student in a school would have.

During his speech to those in attendance, Burke said LGBTQ students are three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual comrades because they either don't feel safe in schools or have been bullied.

"You can stop this, even if you say something 90 percent of the time, the bullying stops, but if you can't, you have to report it and you have to go a teacher and tell them," Burke says. "If not and something happens, you're going to think about it for the rest of your life. Maybe I should have said something, maybe I should have told someone and that's going to haunt you for the rest of your life."

Burke has been an advocate for gay rights for years and started the You Can Play Project along with his son Brendan who came out to him when he was in college but passed away in a car accident when he was 21.

You Can Play's message is to end homophobia in sports.

Burke says the bullying and slander towards the LGBTQ community needs to stop.

"I believe acceptance is the key to harmony and I believe good citizenship imposes a duty of acceptance for the support for the students here. I believe good citizenship is something we all strive for and I think we owe it to our society and I think it imposes a duty of fairness kind of acceptance."

Burke says despite the issue still being a hot topic, he hopes one day he won't have to speak on this anymore, hoping for acceptance for all living human beings no matter their life.

"People are getting more enlightened and there is less bias, ignorance and fear so we're getting there but it's just a slow process, just a glacial pace sometimes. Had you backed this up 20 years, my life story 20 years, no one would have asked me to come here 20 years ago."

For more on the You Can Play Project visit the link.

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