The San Francisco Giants’ Pride Night debacle just keeps getting worse thanks to team President and CEO Larry Baer. Not only did he join local sports radio station KNBR on Thursday to grovel at the feet of the LGBTQ community without allowing the hosts to ask him questions, he doubled down Friday in a letter to fans who contacted the team about the aftermath of three Giants pitchers protesting Pride Night by displaying Genesis 9:12-16 on their Pride hats, while another opted to wear the standard orange SF cap.
Baer addresses the letter “To our fans” and has the audacity to open his lackluster response to the controversy by stating, “On a night when we gathered to celebrate inclusiveness and belonging, we understand that for many, it did not feel that way.” On the surface, that’s true, but he is clearly not referring to Christian and conservative Giants fans or even the players who protested in the first place.
This is where Baer makes it clear the letter is one-sided. Rather than addressing the concerns raised by those who objected to the team’s handling of Pride Night, he spends multiple paragraphs attempting to appease what critics view as one of the nation’s most intolerant and militant activist movements. Baer writes, “I have been involved with the Giants’ support of the LGBTQ+ community from the very first days of our ownership group. For 34 years, we have strived to create an experience at both Candlestick and Oracle Park where everyone feels welcome.”
Oh, the irony of talking about fans “feeling welcome.” Are you even listening to yourself, Larry?
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS PITCHER WRITES BIBLE VERSE ON HAT IN DEFIANCE OF PRIDE NIGHT
He then adds how much the team has catered to the LGBTQ community for over a decade stating, “We have been pioneers and industry leaders in this space — the first professional sports team to hold an HIV/AIDS awareness day and one of only two Major League Baseball clubs to wear the Pride cap as part of our on field celebrations.” If you’re not aware, the Giants and Dodgers are the only two teams allowed to wear a rainbow-colored Pride hat during a game.
Here’s where Baer really fails to meet the moment. “Over the past two weeks, we have learned a great deal and recognize there were things that we could have handled better,” Baer said. “We have already begun conversations with members of the LGBTQ+ community, and are committed to learning from this moment.”
What about conversations with the Christian and conservative community? As one Giants fan, who has been attending games since the 1960s, told me, “Larry, have you additionally committed to reaching out to those in the Christian community, or is it just the LGBTQ+ group? It appears you are solely focused on the very loud and much smaller of the two communities.” That is exactly right.
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It’s pretty clear that the Giants organization has no problem poking fun at Christians. Proof is inviting, promoting and partnering with a drag queen named Peaches Christ. The surname is specifically an act of rebellion and defiance to Christianity. This individual was paraded on the field to help renew vows for gay couples pregame. There was even a “special PEACHES section” that they described on their website as a place for fans “who want to watch men play with their balls.”
What about your Christian players, who were publicly criticized by your play-by-play broadcaster, Mike Krukow? He suggested the backlash they faced was to be expected, saying, “They were in for a rude awakening with the response & it wasn’t just from the gay community. It was from the Northern California community that supports the gay community.” He went even further on your flagship radio station, saying, “When you’re a player in this environment, it’s your responsibility to know just how sensitive this city is in regards to that culture of freedom in the way you live your life.”
No, Christian players do not need to compromise or denounce their faith to support a lifestyle or movement they believe is incompatible with their religious convictions.
Baer needs to realize that inclusion goes both ways. Your Christian and conservative fans deserve better. You’re quite literally pandering to one group at the expense of another. That’s exclusion.
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