The SF Giants have not had any players opt out of wearing Gay Pride-themed uniforms during Pride Night at Oracle Park in previous years, and manager Gabe Kapler does not expect that to change this year. When Kapler was asked if he expected the Giants to replicate their 100% participation from last year during his pregame availability on Friday, he responded, "I do. I expect to see that level of participation." The Giants Pride Celebration is set to take place on Saturday June 10th, when they will host the Chicago Cubs.
"It's really important," Kapler said about the event. "Austin Slater's [comments] last year I thought was important because he talked a lot about acceptance. It's just an indication of how devoted our community in San Francisco is to accepting people from everywhere, all walks of life, and, in particular, the LGBTQ+ community. It gives us an opportunity to stand strongly behind that community, and I'm really proud that our organization has continued to be at the forefront of that."
Kapler was referring to Slater's comments, which were reported by Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle last year.
“I think it’s a step in the right direction, acceptance of all people,” Slater said. “It’s a reflection of where our society is going, and it’s a great thing. It’s good to see that MLB is stepping in and making this a day — minor-league baseball has been doing this and having a lot of success with it, and I think moving the needle. That’s what it’s really about, moving the needle forward."
Major League Baseball has a long history of homophobia that has paralleled much of the United States culture. However, in recent years, several MLB players have openly refused to participate in LGBTQIA+ themed events.
This season, Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw began a stir by openly objecting to the Dodgers inviting a group of drag performers with a long history of philanthropy to the ballpark. This past week, former Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass shared a post on Instagram which called for a boycott of companies with any LGBTQIA+ merchandise. It also called LGBTQIA+ symbols "evil" and "demonic." While Bass took down the post and apologized, he refused to say he disagreed with the post. He was designated for assignment on Friday.
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