Ivan Provorov refused to wear Flyers’ Pride Night jerseys because of his religion. He’s getting Christianity all wrong.

On Tuesday, Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to wear a rainbow warmup jersey during the team’s LGBTQ Pride Night game against the Anaheim Ducks. He was the only player to do so. Provorov, who hails from Yaroslavl, Russia, cited his Russian Orthodox faith as the reason for abstaining from rainbows, telling reporters after the game that he had chosen “to stay true to myself and my religion.”

As a queer woman, a former hockey player, a Christian, and an NHL fan, I am disappointed at the league and the Flyers’ response. In refusing to wear the Pride Night jersey, Provorov refused to acknowledge the humanity of LGBTQ people. And the league, in defending his stance, went right along with it.

» READ MORE: Ivan Provorov shuns LGBTQ+ community as Flyers miss a chance to make a difference on Pride night

In a statement released Wednesday, the NHL said: “Clubs decide whom to celebrate, when and how — with league counsel and support. Players are free to decide which initiatives to support, and we continue to encourage their voices and perspectives on social and cultural issues.”

In other words: There’s no problem with players being vocally antigay. Flyers head coach John Tortorella doubled down on the support of Provorov’s homophobia, telling reporters after the game: “This has to do with his belief and his religion. It’s one thing I respect about Provy, he’s always true to himself. That’s where I’m at with that.”

Too few people understand that this tacit acceptance of discrimination — especially as it relates to sexuality and religion — is a matter of life or death for members of my community.

Provorov is entitled to his personal convictions. He can believe that only marriages between a man and a woman can be blessed by God, or that homosexuality is a sin. But I wish he knew this: For other populations, when they adopt the church, the suicide rate decreases. For LGBTQ people, when they adopt the church, the suicide rate increases.

Provorov should have donned that rainbow jersey and, yes, put rainbow tape on his hockey stick — not because he accepts gay marriage or because he’s eager to march in a Pride parade — but to stand up for LGBTQ people who are suffering. The defenseman had a chance to make a statement against bullying, against hatred, and against violence, without even opening his mouth. Instead, he chose not to step on the ice for warmups. That is shameful.

I would recommend that Provorov, Tortorella, NHL leadership, and anyone who disagrees with me — take a moment to read the book Heavy Burdens by sociologist Bridget Eileen Rivera. In it, she shows how generations of LGBTQ people have been condemned and alienated by churches. That legacy has caused immeasurable harm to my community. It is a heavy burden to carry.

Next, dive into Affirming: A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality, and Staying in the Church by Sally Gary. Gary is the executive director of CenterPeace, a nonprofit organization that helps members of the LGBTQ community feel a sense of belonging in the church — and provides resources for Christian leaders and parents of LGBTQ kids to respond to the queer community as Christ would: with love and acceptance.

After that, I would recommend that Provorov sit down and spend time with his Bible.

If Provorov truly wants to follow Jesus, the best thing to do is to stand up for the vulnerable. One of the first things Jesus said in announcing his ministry was: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

That is how close the vulnerable were to Jesus’ heart. If Provorov’s Christianity does not center on helping the vulnerable — and I mean every vulnerable population — then he’s missing the mark.

And LGBTQ people are one of the most vulnerable populations here in the United States, and in Russia. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that makes it illegal to spread “propaganda” about “non-traditional sexual relations.” Closer to home, the Central Bucks school board earlier this month banned teachers from hanging Pride flags.

» READ MORE: The NHL, John Tortorella comment on Ivan Provorov’s boycott of the Flyers’ Pride Night festivities

My heart goes out to Provorov. He’s trying to follow God with the knowledge and resources he has.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus had some of the strongest warnings for the most religious of his day. He warned his followers to be wary of those who “preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (Matthew 23:3-4)

I’m asking Provorov to move his finger. Clear these burdens. Reading the Bible with fresh eyes might open his mind.

(And at least Gritty isn’t a homophobe. Bless that creature.)