Out of 30 MLB teams, only the Texas Rangers do not host a Pride Night in June. As expected, the legacy media meet this news with shock and disgust.
At KSAT out of San Antonio, a headline says, “The Texas Rangers are frustrating LGBTQ+ advocates as the only MLB team without a Pride Night.” Over at the Associated Press, the sports page wonders, “Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?” And the Daily Mail says, “LGBTQ+ groups left FURIOUS as Texas Rangers still refuse to join the rest of MLB in hosting Pride Night: ‘It’s an embarrassment.'”
The backlash carries with it a strong “bake the cake, bigot!” vibe. The Texas Rangers organization can’t just opt out of hosting a Pride Night. Instead, they must fully and openly celebrate as others do.
It would be one thing if the Texas Rangers organization had issued a statement condemning LGBT people and their allies. The team hasn’t, despite what the reactions might make you think.
Instead, the team stands behind the following: “Our longstanding commitment remains the same: To make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball — in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”
That is as inoffensive as it gets. There is no controversy in stating the intention to make everyone “welcome and included … in all we do.” This covers fans of all ages, races, backgrounds, faiths, sexual orientations, and lifestyles. But again, that’s not good enough during a month when teams must appease the LGBT community and in a league where the Rangers stand out.
Articles condemning the Rangers suggest the glaring reason for the team’s choice: Texas is a Republican state led by a Republican governor. An unknown number of Rangers fans and game attendees are Republicans. So, the Texas Rangers organization is bending to the whims of the GOP in supposedly oppressing the LGBT community in Texas.
Except the Rangers are not oppressing anyone. Whatever the reason behind the team not hosting a Pride Night, it’s clear that all are welcome at any game and at any time. On top of that, the Rangers organization does excellent work in the surrounding community. This should be good enough for everyone no matter their personal feelings about Pride Month.
Last June, the Associated Press was quick to praise the Los Angeles Dodgers for a Pride Night celebration featuring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that dresses in nun-style drag and makes a mockery of Catholicism. Initially, the Dodgers rescinded an invitation to the group but reinstated it after severe uproar from the LGBT community.
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Apparently, the ridicule of faith is welcome in service of what is culturally the “greater good”: appeasing the LGBT community. But the lack of a Pride Night while including everyone? That’s a bridge too far.
There is no getting away from these ubiquitous celebrations. Instead of “to each his own,” major league teams are nearly required to give in and perform in an effort to placate the loudest crowds. It’s not good enough to include everyone at all times. You must kowtow or else. This kind of bullying is unacceptable, and it’s worth pushing back against whether you’re a regular citizen or the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers.
Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.