Baseball and Its LGBT Fans: At the Crossroads of Progress

[u/[deleted]]

"Why are you going to so many Cubs games? Why do /you/ care?"

-said by too many people to count

"You know you're gay, right?"

-said by a friend after seeing me decked out in Cubs gear

"I swear, there are more faggots here every season."

-Asshole next to me on the El

"We get it you suck dick. But stay out of sports."

-A different asshole near me at a game

"Now, why do they have to do that here..."

-An uncomfortable mother the row behind a guy I was holding hands with

LGBT baseball fans are queer, they're here, and the MLB needs to get used to it. While players are overwhelmingly ready for gay teammates, ownership, marketing and fans in the stadium have been hesitant to accept that there are many LGBT baseball fans. Baseball executives have been obsessed with getting young people more interested in the game, while ignoring that fact that Major League Baseball does very little to encourage interest in kids who will grow up to be LGBT. The last five years especially have seen historic growth in LGBT rights, but the sports world has mostly failed to adjust.

Teams like the Padres, Mets, and Cubs have pride-themed days and even have floats in their cities' pride parades. This is a great start. There is a huge market to be tapped into, and a large group of people who would otherwise be interested in the game who feel that they do not have a place at the table. I don't appear stereotypically gay, and several times have had fellow fans near me at ballgames pass indescribably homophobic remarks, not realizing I am gay. Of course, assholes will be assholes but there is a "macho" attitude still pervasive in the experience of going to a baseball game that is unacceptable.

A clear marketing shift and engaging in things like pride events, not permitting hateful homophobic remarks from patrons at the stadiums, simply not kicking out or reprimanding same-sex couples who happen to kiss in public, and penalizing players further for homophobic actions and remarks could go a long way in encouraging new fans from different walks of life to join in this amazing game.

I write this not to play the victim. I'm a happy, proud LGBT baseball fan and I've been able to brush off the negative experiences I have had because of that combination. But it is something that has been on my mind after years of being a gay baseball fan, and this symposium seems like the right time to share my thoughts and start a conversation. I truly love this subreddit and think that some discussion will be helpful to a lot of people, including myself.

I write this to admit the fact that I do not feel very comfortable participating in my favorite sport live because of an ingrained culture of macho homophobia. Things are absolutely moving in the right direction, and as young people grow up to become players and other MLB professionals I believe this attitude will change. But for now, baseball (and all professional sports) must make a place for its marginalized fans. Societally, people are permitted more than ever to be their true selves, and otherwise great institutions like the MLB and its fans must go with this tide or see the game become stagnant.

Other interesting reading on this topic:

LGBT Inclusion In Major League Baseball Is Long Overdue

With Gay Fans, Major League Baseball Strikes Out Looking

Out Sports

[u/90percenthalfmental]

I was at ATT park for Pride night this year and I noticed the kiss cam was about 50/50 straight/gay couples.

On the other hand, the Mets kiss cam used to include a joke gay couple dressed in the opposing teams uniform. I think they only stopped doing that last year or something. I went to Citi field for a family outing, including my gay brother and his partner, last year. Mortifying to see that.

[u/luciu_az → u/90percenthalfmental]

I was a season ticket holder for the dbacks last year, and used some points included to get my wife and I on the kiss cam. The announcer guy came to our section, found a straight couple at the other end of our row, and featured them despite us getting his attention and telling him it was for us.

I was pissed, and sent letters to my account rep and the front office. They said it was an oversight and they wanted to make it up. The next Friday was "Faith and Family" night, so I said we wanted to be on the kiss cam then, which they agreed to.

Sadly, I just can't follow the team like I did.

[u/90percenthalfmental → u/luciu_az]

I'm sorry to hear of your experience. It's good they wanted to make up for it, but to call it an "oversight" was disingenuous on their part. Hopefully this has resulted in more inclusive training for the announcers involved and other workers at the stadium. This is exactly the kind of thing needs to change to make all fans feel welcome.

[u/SnakeAColdCruiser → u/luciu_az]

Why would you make a point to be on kiss cam during faith and family night?

[u/luciu_az → u/SnakeAColdCruiser]

We felt very slighted, and what we suggested to each other jokingly seemed like a good test of the team's commitment to making it right. My wife and I have been together for 16 years, and have 2 kids, so I wanted the team to recognize that our family was valid, too.

[u/[deleted] → u/luciu_az]

I'm really glad you did that! Being a functioning family unit is not "shoving it in anyone's faces" (if I hear that one more time.......), it's people confronting their own stuff

[u/SnakeAColdCruiser → u/luciu_az]

I can accept that.

[u/[deleted] → u/SnakeAColdCruiser]

She said she was there with her wife. They're a family.

[u/SnakeAColdCruiser → u/[deleted]]

Oh so not trying to stick a finger in anyone's eye.

[u/CleverUserName755 → u/SnakeAColdCruiser]

So it's okay for the team to completely diss her and her relationship but not ok for her to want to draw attention to that?

[u/SnakeAColdCruiser → u/CleverUserName755]

She felt dissed, made it known and the team apologized (or did I not get that right?). In any case I was genuinely wondering why she zeroed in on "faith and family night" for her 5 seconds of making out on the jumbotron. Maybe she didn't target that night, idk.

[u/TACnyc → u/SnakeAColdCruiser]

Because it would be great to be featured on the kiss cam during a night that celebrates families?

Also, in case you're thinking it, faith does not mean anti-homosexuality.

[u/tinoynk → u/TACnyc]

To be fair, there's more than a handful of people in this country who thinks that just because they have a boner for Jesus, they need to hate gay people.

For the record, I think that if the Faith & Family night was a conscious decision, that's fantastic. It's a perfect illustration of what family really means, and I'm sure there were a few pearl clutchers who got their feathers ruffled, which is always good in my book.

[u/Cjwillwin → u/90percenthalfmental]

Turner field in 2010 they did the normal kiss cam then went to two dudes and started playing "I'm Mr lonely"