Red Sox show their Pride with Jason Collins
Sam Galanis
Contributing Writer
People in Massachusetts have a lot of pride. LGBT pride, that is. The rainbow flag has been up all week at the Massachusetts State House, symbolizing Boston Pride Week, which ends on Sunday. Last night, as part of Pride Week events, Fenway Park hosted its first ever Pride Night. And the Red Sox made good on a deal they made over a month ago:
Having Jason Collins throw out the first pitch at Pride Night at Fenway Park is the exact thing that major American sports need, particularly male sports. It’s a symbol of solidarity showing that men can be who they want to be in a setting that is usually viewed as hypermasculine. Collins threw the first pitch to John Farrell, who has offered nothing less than total support.
"We respect his courage, we respect his choices," Farrell said according to MLB.com. "This is an opportunity to showcase that at the time when this was a possibility of coming out, we had said we were an organization that embraces all. I think this is a very small way of showing that."
Mike Carp also had kind words for Collins.
"It's not something that's been open in professional sports," Carp said. "Obviously he's the first person to do it, so kudos to him. That's a lot of pressure to come out and say that publicly."
Massachusetts, and Boston in particular, has served as sort of the frontier for LGBT support. From being the first state to legalize same-sex marriage 10 years ago, to everyone’s favorite letter from Mayor Tom Menino to Chick-Fil-A, people have gone out of their way to show that the LGBT community is welcome. The Red Sox did just that last night. So stay classy Red Sox, and enjoy the rest of Pride Week.
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
Contributing Writer
People in Massachusetts have a lot of pride. LGBT pride, that is. The rainbow flag has been up all week at the Massachusetts State House, symbolizing Boston Pride Week, which ends on Sunday. Last night, as part of Pride Week events, Fenway Park hosted its first ever Pride Night. And the Red Sox made good on a deal they made over a month ago:
We salute you, @jasoncollins34 for your courage and leadership. Any time you want to throw out a first pitch at Fenway Park, let us know.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 29, 2013
Having Jason Collins throw out the first pitch at Pride Night at Fenway Park is the exact thing that major American sports need, particularly male sports. It’s a symbol of solidarity showing that men can be who they want to be in a setting that is usually viewed as hypermasculine. Collins threw the first pitch to John Farrell, who has offered nothing less than total support.
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Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports |
Mike Carp also had kind words for Collins.
"It's not something that's been open in professional sports," Carp said. "Obviously he's the first person to do it, so kudos to him. That's a lot of pressure to come out and say that publicly."
Massachusetts, and Boston in particular, has served as sort of the frontier for LGBT support. From being the first state to legalize same-sex marriage 10 years ago, to everyone’s favorite letter from Mayor Tom Menino to Chick-Fil-A, people have gone out of their way to show that the LGBT community is welcome. The Red Sox did just that last night. So stay classy Red Sox, and enjoy the rest of Pride Week.
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
