While Rangers fans can celebrate a TV show that hasn’t aired a new episode in more than two years, there will be no such celebration for the team’s LGBTQ fan base.
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With June being Pride Month, most Major League Baseball teams are celebrating with different versions of Pride Day. The Rangers are the only Major League Baseball team that has not had some sort of Pride Day since 2003.
The Astros can’t beat their chest about being too progressive since the Rangers and Astros were the only franchises to not have a Pride Day in 2019. The Astros tried to change that by celebrating their LGBTQ fan base with a game last June, but COVID-19 wiped out that game and any chance for fans to go to the ballpark. The Astros are making up for it with a Pride Night on June 16 when the Rangers visit Minute Maid Park.
“We recognize this is one of the most diverse cities in the country and we recognize the city has one of the strongest, if not the strongest, LGBTQ communities in the state,” Astros‘ senior vice president for marketing and communications Anita Sehgal said before the 2020 season.
Getting a statement from the Rangers hasn’t been as easy.
When the Dallas Morning News had a story about the Rangers not celebrating with a Pride Day, the team declined to speak with the paper about their stance on such a day or their possible work with the LGBTQ community.
“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball,” Executive VP for Communications John Blake said in a written statement to the Morning News. “That means 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.”
The Chicago Cubs began the tradition in 2001 with what they called “Gay Days,” and now is called “Out at Wrigley.” Since then, most teams have followed suit. The Yankees and Angels had never had a Pride Night before they decided to make it a promotion in 2019. The Astros had a Pride Night in 2010, but hadn’t celebrated it since.
According to The Advocate, an LGBT magazine, the Rangers had a promotion in 2003 where it invited various LGBT groups to the game, but it wasn’t an official Pride Day promotion. The game still drew anti-gay protesters, though.
The Astros will play in Boston during the Red Sox Pride Night celebration on Thursday.
