Three San Francisco Giants baseball pitchers have landed the team in hot water after protesting their rainbow hats on Pride Night.
During a recent game where all Giants players were supposed to wear rainbow hats for an annual promotion of gay pride in the city, three pitchers wrote Bible verses on their hats, while a fourth pitcher wore the team's regular orange-and-black hat. Local backlash was swift, with many fans demanding an apology from the team's leadership. So far, the team's management has refrained from issuing any kind of sweeping condemnation.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie chimed in on the events, claiming that they showed "why we need to continue to educate people." State Senator Scott Wiener claimed that right-wing forces had "hijacked this biblical passage" to target LGBTQ people.
Of course, the whole situation could have been avoided entirely if the Giants weren't asked to don rainbow hats in the first place. Everyone is aware of the gay and trans movement's history in San Francisco, and anyone who is intellectually honest knows that there is no way to reconcile it with Christian beliefs. The easiest way to prevent a conflict is to stop the repeated public affirmation rituals in every aspect of life.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred blamed Giants team leadership for poor communication, saying that players were unaware that they could simply opt to wear their regular uniform. The MLB issued a warning to the three pitchers who had modified their hats, stating it was against league policy.
The gay and trans movement used to adopt a live-and-let-live attitude prior to receiving mainstream acceptance. These recent events reflect what has characterized the movement for the last decade — a quest to quash any remaining pockets of dissent.
