LGBTQ Breaking News Service

One year after the Houston Astros first announced plans to inaugurate their annual Pride celebrations, that promise is becoming a reality.

When the Astros face off against the Texas Rangers on June 16 at Minute Maid Park,  it will be happening on their first annual Pride Night. The celebration will be a historic event for Houston’s LGBTQ community because both Major League Baseball (MLB) teams lagged behind the rest of the league in adopting the tradition, according to the LGBTQ sports publication Outsports. The Texas Rangers are now the lone holdout among the 30 MLB teams.

Greater Houston LGBT Chamber of Commerce President Tammi Wallace says the staging of a Pride celebration by the Astros is important—both to the LGBTQ community and to the city’s economic development. Events like these can show the nation that Houston lives up to its promise of being an open, inclusive, and welcoming city.

“I’ve been to tons of Astro games over 36 years, but it’s a whole different experience when we walk through the doors of the stadium to celebrate Pride,” Wallace says. “It speaks volumes about the team, and about our city.”

The Astros’ Pride celebration is just one of the Pride Nights that the LGBT Chamber has been encouraging Houston’s sports teams to host, including the Houston Dash, the Houston Dynamo, the Houston Rockets, and the Houston SaberCats. Those teams have each had (or will have) LGBTQ-themed events this year.

The Astros had announced a Pride celebration at a June 2020 game, but pandemic restrictions canceled those plans. “We were incredibly disappointed that we couldn’t hold a Pride Night. We had been working on big plans with them.”

The Chicago Cubs started the Pride Night tradition among MLB clubs in 2001, and their event is now called Out at Wrigley Field.

After reading the discouraging story published by Outsports, Wallace decided to reach out to Astros management. She drafted a letter to owner Jim Crane that pointed out how diverse Houston is, and the negative optics of his team being viewed nationally as behind the times. “It was a huge miss not to have a Pride Night. To their credit, they were very supportive.”

Only two MLB players are known to have been openly gay. Glenn Lawrence Burke, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, came out as gay to his teams’ owners and teammates. Burke is credited with inventing the “high-five” tradition after he ran on the field to congratulate a player for hitting a home run. He finally came out publicly by saying, “They can’t ever say now that a gay man can’t play in the majors, because I’m a gay man and I made it.” Sadly, Burke died of AIDS-related causes in 1995.

In 1999, MLB player Bill Bean revealed his sexual orientation, but not until four years after his retirement.

The Houston Rockets had also planned a Pride celebration for 2020 that had to be canceled, and it finally happened this year at a game on April 14. The Rockets are now one of the few National Basketball Association (NBA) teams observing Pride with an LGBTQ-themed event. The Golden State Warriors hosted the first NBA Pride celebration in 2018. Rick Welts, the team’s former president, is openly gay.

The Rockets reached out to Wallace and the LGBT Chamber of Commerce for help in staging their April event. “The Rockets have just been so supportive, from the front office all the way down,” she says.

There are currently no NBA athletes who are out. Jason Paul Collins, formerly of the Washington Wizards, became the first active player to come out in 2013. He retired a year later.

The Houston Dynamo and the Houston Dash soccer clubs have been celebrating Pride since at least 2015—longer than any other Houston sports teams. In 2018, Dash
goalkeeper Bianca Henniger came out as gay, saying she wanted to encourage other LGBTQ people as they struggled with coming out. The Houston Dynamo will celebrate Pride on June 23 during a game against the Portland Timbers; the Houston Dash Pride Night game will be June 26 against the Orlando Pride. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. at BBVA Stadium.

The Pride Project analyzed social-media responses to MLB’s Pride Night events nationwide in 2020 after the Outsports story was published. (MLB’s Pride Nights range from large productions to simple discounts on game tickets.) The analysis showed that Pride events draw large numbers of LGBTQ fans to the games, including many who otherwise might not feel comfortable attending professional sporting events. The bottom line is that teams benefit financially from the additional ticket sales, and the positive optics of helping to normalize a marginalized group may also help active team members become more comfortable about coming out.

For Astros June 16 Pride Night information, visit astros.com/pride
For Dynamo June 23 Pride Night information, visit houstondynamo.com
For Dash June 26 Pride Night information, visit houstondashsoccer.com

This article appears in the June 2021 edition of OutSmart magazine.

Editor’s note: The Washington Blade on Thursday published a Spanish version of this story.

SANTIAGO, Chile — Chilean President Sebastián Piñera on Tuesday announced he supports a marriage equality bill, marking a historic change of heart since he had previously opposed two people of the same sex being able to marry.

“I think the time has come for marriage equality in our country,” said Piñera in a surprising declaration that left no doubts.

“We must deepen the value of freedom, including the freedom to love and to form a family with a loved one, and (we must) also expand upon the value of the dignity of all relationships of love and affection between two people,” stressed the president during his last speech to Congress.

Justice Minister Hernán Larraín on Thursday confirmed “great urgency will be placed on it so that it can proceed with some speed and I believe it shouldn’t be very difficult because there are majorities in Congress to approve this measure. The president’s intention is not to introduce a new bill, but to move forward with the one that was already in the Senate.”

The bill that Larraín mentioned is the one that former President Michelle Bachelet sent to Congress in 2017 soon after the country entered into an agreement with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights after the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation (Movilh), the country’s oldest LGBTQ rights organization, filed a lawsuit.

This means each chamber of Congress should dispatch the bill within 15 days, which Movilh President Rolando Jiménez says is a “great and hopeful sign for same-sex couples and same-sex families who live in complete legal inequality.”

“After 30 years of struggle, we are closing one of the most important battles for LGBTIQ people,” he said. “All families will finally have the dignity they deserve.”

Jiménez, who has been fighting for LGBTQ rights in the country for many years, pointed out that “we value this change in attitude by Piñera.”

“We hope that the Congress between today and tomorrow will recognize the utmost urgency (to pass the marriage equality bill.),” said Jiménez. “We especially recognize and highlight that Piñera decided to promote the same bill that we drafted together with former President Michelle Bachelet within the framework of the agreement that the State and Movilh signed before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.”

Jiménez added that he and Movilh “declare ourselves especially excited because this announcement is taking place during Pride month and weeks before Movilh celebrates 30 years of struggle on June 28.”

Same-sex couples in Chile since 2015 has been able to enter into civil unions, but LGBTQ activists say this legal status is insufficient. Seven Latin American countries — Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, México, Uruguay, Ecuador and Costa Rica — are among the nations that have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples.  

Piñera’s announcement generated a genuine political earthquake. #MarriageEquality immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. Members of Piñera’s party in Congress accused him of “treason” for deciding to push forward with the bill.

The opposition, meanwhile, celebrated the decision, but resentments remain since its relationship with Piñera’s government has been broken for a long time because of its handling of the pandemic, human rights violations during social unrest and other differences.

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, through a statement declared itself in opposition to the measure. “What is established and wanted by God is that it (marriage) is only between a man and a woman,” it said.

“From the point of view of the rights of people who decide to live together, national legislation has established a regime that legally protects their decision and grants it recognition,” the church pointed out, referring to the civil union law that does not allow adoption and does not recognize paternity.

The church also affirmed that “those of us who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and savior and are guided by his teaching hold the truth that marriage established and willed by God is only between a man and a woman, a communion that creates life and establishes the family.”

Piñera’s announcement coincides with a dramatic increase in violence against queer people in Chile. The judiciary system and the government have not responded to the majority of cases in a timely manner.

Fundación Iguales, a Chilean group allied with the Human Rights Campaign, in partnership with AllOut recently launched a campaign to stop the violence and to urge Piñera’s government to reform the Anti-Discrimination Law passed in 2012 in the wake of the anti-gay attack against Daniel Zamudio, a case that sparked outrage in Chile and around the world.

The goal of the “No More Laws with Name” campaign is to raise awareness about the need to improve the current legislation to ensure that it actually prevents hate crimes.  

Fundación Iguales said it based the campaign on a survey to which 1,454 LGBTQ adults from across the country responded. Two-thirds of respondents said they had been verbally attacked over the last five years.

The results also show that a quarter of respondents said they have been physically assaulted at some point in their life because of their sexual orientation, identity or gender expression. Most of these attacks occurred in public.

“Fundación Iguales has a zero-tolerance policy for violence against LGBTI people,” said Fundación Iguales Executive Director Isabel Amor. “For this reason, we have, in addition to preparing our own survey, created an interactive platform that will allow everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, identity or gender expression, to know about their chances of suffering an attack or hate crime.”

“The numbers make clear the need for urgency to respond to the demands of sexual diversity (activists), to have full inclusion in terms of rights and benefits,” added Amor. “The first thing we have to do to achieve this is to establish that the demands for security and inclusion, as well as for marriage equality, are not niche things, but those for the majority of the population.”

DALLAS — The baseball calendar in June is populated annually by game promotions to celebrate pride month and welcome the LGBTQ portion of an MLB team’s fanbase.

They’ve been known by various titles over the years: “Gay Day,” “Out at the Ballpark,” or just simply “Pride Night.”

The Rangers are the only team that doesn’t have a pride game promotion of any kind. There’s no indication they’re planning to have one in the near future, either.

Experts and advocates say there’s value in hosting a pride night — specifically in celebrating that portion of the fanbase as a way to grow it and retain it — as well as highlighting other efforts.

The Rangers haven’t publicly spoken about their specific internal initiatives to promote LGBTQ inclusion, instead highlighting their overall work on broader issues such as diversity and inclusion.

The Rangers declined to speak about their stance on hosting a pride day and the franchise’s work supporting the LGBTQ community. The Rangers haven’t done an external, public facing event, akin to the 29 other MLB franchises.

The majority of other professional teams in North Texans have also celebrated pride in some fashion during a game.

“They’ve made some efforts, but it’s very much a start,” said Rafael McDonnell, who works as a liaison between pro sports teams and the Resource Center, the community center that serves LGBTQ North Texas. “Compared to their peer professional sports teams, they have some distance to go.”

Still waiting

The Chicago Cubs first debuted pride games in 2001. The inaugural “Out at Wrigley” game set the blueprint for nearly every other team to adopt similar events, although most did so many years later.

They’ve begun in full force over the last decade, with the Rangers as the lone holdout after the Astros scheduled one in 2020 that was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Astros are scheduled to host their first Pride Night on June 16 against the Rangers. The Yankees, who have no theme nights whatsoever, hosted a Legacy of Pride night in 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

The ongoing pandemic has interfered with teams’ abilities for many promotions, including pride games, though more than half of the 30 MLB teams already have them on the calendar this year.

Curious why the Rangers didn’t have one, McDonnell decided to reach out to the Rangers in 2019 why that was the case.

“I got a statement from the Rangers and it was pretty bland,” said McDonnell, the Resource Center’s advocacy and communications manager.

He then reached out to MLB ambassador for inclusion Billy Bean, who came out as gay after a six-year MLB playing career. The two sat down for a meeting in Dallas. That led to Bean helping to set up a meeting between the Resource Center and the Rangers in October 2019.

He showed two Texas staffers how other teams were doing pride promotions and merchandising. The meeting set up a line of communication with the Resource Center.

Two years later, McDonnell said he’d still like to see the Rangers have a pride night. The Rangers have indicated previously they have no plans to schedule one.

The team did not respond to follow-up questions from The Dallas Morning News regarding future plans.

In a written statement, the team pointed to its work internally on topics surrounding diversity and inclusion.

“Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball,” said Executive VP for Communications John Blake. “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 Rangers had a promotional game in 2003, where it invited LGBT community groups, according to the LGBT magazine, The Advocate. It wasn’t a formal pride game promotion, according to the article, but groups such as Dallas’ gay and lesbian volleyball league, gay rugby and softball leagues as well as the Texas Gay Rodeo Association were invited.

The event drew anti-gay protests, though.

No similar event has since been scheduled. The Rangers do schedule community-based theme nights, including multiple military appreciation nights, first-responder games and multiple heritage nights for fans from different ethnic backgrounds.

The last time anyone from the team publicly addressed a possible Rangers pride game was in August 2020, when Rangers COO Neil Leibman indicated one wasn’t in the Rangers’ plans.

“With respect to Pride Night, we reached out to the Resource Center and said what can we do internally,” Rangers COO Neil Leibman told the Dallas Morning News last summer. “We immediately adopted some changes they suggested to be more inclusive in hiring practices. I think that’s more meaningful than just saying ‘OK, we had a Pride Night.’”

But McDonnell said teams should still do both, similar to other teams around the sports world.

“If you say, ‘We’re doing one and not the other,’ is where you run into a problem,” McDonnell said. “… I don’t think it’s mutually exclusive. I think you can do both.”

Recognizing diversity

The Rangers highlighted other community initiatives they currently participate in, including the development of their Inclusion and Community Impact Council. The team’s foundation participated in MLB’s Shred Hate campaign, directed at anti-bullying and has volunteered with the Resource Center.

But none of the initiatives relate directly to LGBTQ language, and others around baseball say it’s important to back up strong internal work with external support, such as a pride game.

“Every market has gay, lesbian, transgender fans,” said Greg Bader, Senior Vice President of Administration and Experience for the Baltimore Orioles. “And for them to feel like they are wanted at the ballpark and valued as a fan is important.

“Part of what we did with our LGBTQ pride night — that sent a very clear message that members of that community are valued by the club, by the organization, and that we want them to be fans and we want them to come to games.”

Typically Pride nights across baseball involve clubs inviting LGBTQ groups to games. There’s LGBTQ signage and other ways for the team to show its support.

The Tampa Bay Rays hosted a pride night in 2016 just days after the Pulse shooting in Orlando, in which a gunman killed 49 people inside the gay nightclub venue.

Tickets to the Rays game that night at Tropicana Field were $5 and proceeds were donated to the Pulse Victims Fund. The game sold out.

When the Astros scheduled their first pride night for 2020, a team spokesperson told The Houston Chronicle: “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.”

Lagging behind

The Rangers scheduling a pride night is “inevitable,” Bean said, but the timing is ultimately up to the club. Bean works with MLB’s commissioner’s office, and regularly meets with players, coaches and front office personnel across all 30 teams to assist in inclusion initiatives.

His 2014 hire has coincided with more and more teams scheduling pride games, and he’s part of that driving force.

“I think their engagement with the LGBTQ-plus community is going to continue to grow,” Bean said. “But how that is, is up to them.”

To have a successful pride game, Bean believes relationships first need to be fostered within the community. A pride game, in his view, is more of the culmination of the work that the Rangers are doing.

“I try to engage in the LGBTQ communities to give the clubs resources that will allow them to feel confident to have a night like that so people will come to the ballpark,” Bean said. “I think if there’s no history or nothing behind the origin of the night, I think the community is probably going to wonder, ‘Why are they doing it?’”

Geography also plays into it, he said.

The political backdrop of Arlington isn’t the same as it might be in Chicago, which isn’t the same as it might be in any other MLB city. Is it relevant to why the Rangers haven’t hosted a pride game?

“Of course,” Bean said.

But the Mavericks, Stars, FC Dallas and the Wings — a franchise also located in Arlington — all have pride games. The Dallas Cowboys, like most NFL teams, do not have a pride game.

The Rangers have taken steps to improve inclusivity over the last two years. They’ve improved language to make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes in their hiring practices — McDonnell even said they were a “leader” in this area. They’ve started conversations and done training that wasn’t previously happening.

Behind the scenes, there’s some work being done. Publicly, though, the Rangers remain behind their counterparts across the sport.

“I think when all 30 clubs do a pride night, this question is never going to be asked again,” Bean said. “Because it only sounds interesting when someone is not doing something.”

The New South Wales government and police force have announced a $1 million reward for information on the unsolved 1980s “gay hate” murder of martial arts expert Raymond Keam.

Keam, 43, was killed in a suspected homophobic hate crime on 13 January, 1987.

The father-of-four’s body was discovered by a member of the public in the grass at the northern end of Alison Park, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Australia.

A post-mortem at the time found that he had died from severe head injuries in an area where gay men were being violently targeted at the time, and a later inquest ruled that he was murdered.

But in the 34 years since his death, no one has ever been charged with his murder.

New South Wales police want to provide the family of Raymond Keam with
‘answers’

Announcing the $1 million reward, the New South Wales government admitted that authorities at the time may have been “dismissive” of the case because of Keam’s suspected sexuality.

New South Wales minister for police and emergency services David Elliott said in a statement: “Raymond Keam was a young father of four children when his life was viciously taken more than three decades ago in Sydney’s east.

“We acknowledge that there was a dark and violent period in our state’s history when people were dismissive of suspected hate crimes and NSW Police have been working tirelessly to ensure every possible resource available is utilised when reviewing and reinvestigating these cases.

“It is my hope that the NSW Government $1 million reward will encourage any member of the public that may have information about Raymond’s murder – not matter how big or small – will come forward.”

Homicide squad commander detective superintendent Danny Doherty added: “A reinvestigation into the murder of Raymond Keam has commenced, with officers now re-examining all available physical and forensic evidence and re-interviewing key witnesses.

“Detectives are particularly interested in speaking with anyone who may have been a victim of an assault or who may have witnessed assaults at Alison Park, Randwick, in the years prior to and after Raymond’s death.

“After more three decades, investigators hope to be able to provide Raymond’s family – including his four children – with some answers.”

Pottery Barn’s collection with The Trevor Project is here, and it’s a Pride-themed dream! The home brand teamed up with the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people to create the bright and beautiful home pieces, and they do not disappoint. And the best part about this line is that 25 percent of proceeds from the products are donated to The Trevor Project, meaning your money is going to a good cause. There’s also a direct donation page to The Trevor Project on Pottery Barn’s website that shoppers can access.

The new collection features vibrant tea lights, pretty napkins, gorgeous bedding, and more Pride-inspired pieces that’ll add a pop of color to any room. Whether you’re looking to decorate your living room with rainbow-colored decor or you want to make your bedroom a sweet escape, these Pottery Barn items will let you do all that and more while supporting a great cause. Learn more about The Trevor Project here and shop the collection ahead. Cheers to Pride!