Tampa Bay Rays Pride signage. Photo courtesy the Tampa Bay Rays.
ST. PETERSBURG | The Tampa Bay Rays will hold their 17th annual Pride Night June 10 at 4:10 p.m., welcoming fans to Tropicana Field as they face off against the only Major League Baseball team without one: the Texas Rangers.
The Rays have a long history of showcasing their support for the LGBTQ+ community, both in and outside of Tampa Bay. The team’s website says that’s because they “strive to create and nurture a diverse and inclusive environment.”
Those efforts have long extended beyond themed games. The Rays began offering employee benefits to same-sex couples in 2009 and in 2015, became one of only three professional sports teams to sign onto an amicus brief supporting marriage equality.
They signed another in 2019 in support of workplace protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Three years later, they converted all single stall restrooms at Tropicana Field to All Gender restrooms.
That and more has helped make Pride Night a regional staple. Each year the celebration is utilized to benefit local nonprofits — with a portion of ticket sales benefiting organizations like Come OUT St. Pete, Metro Inclusive Health, St Pete Pride, the Tampa Bay LGBT Chamber and more — and after Pulse in 2016, the Rays utilized the event to raise more than $300,000 for Equality Florida’s Pulse Victims Fund.
Tampa Bay Rays Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stephen Thomas has watched Pride Night grow since the beginning. His work with the organization began in 2006 as an intern and before stepping into his current position, he served as the executive director of the Rays Baseball Foundation, the team’s charitable arm.
“It’s been wonderful to see the transformation, the growth and the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community at our Pride Night celebrations,” he says. “It’s something that we feel proud of as an organization to host, to celebrate and really bring a sense of community here at Tropicana Field for the LGBTQ+ community.”
It’s a part of what made last year’s game controversial. Pride Night 2022 marked the first time the team recognized Pride on their uniforms, wearing rainbow-themed patches and hats on the field, but five players abstained due to religious beliefs.
“We’ve always believed that visibility is an important component of showing our support and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community,” Thomas says, noting the Pride-themed gear was an extension of that. “Our clubhouse is a microcosm of our society and we learned a lot from last year.
“We were able to have a lot of great conversations,” he continues, “and I think because of having those conversations, being able to understand and gain different perspectives that we might have, we have become more united and stronger together because of it.”
When the Rays take to the field this year, however, it will be without the Pride patch or hat. Thomas says officials were notified by MLB that teams “should not extend the visibility of their Friday night celebrations to the players’ uniforms” in 2023, a decision they later reversed.
It led the Rays to find other ways to highlight Pride, including “Baseball is for Everyone” signage on display at Tropicana Field throughout Pride month. It complements a permanent Pride sunburst logo added there last year.
Thomas says that while the MLB ultimately allowed Pride gear, the decision not to wear it had already been relayed to players. Officials “thought it was very important that we were consistent in our message to the players and looked at additional ways to show our visible support.
“We want everyone to feel safe, to feel welcome, to feel like they belong, regardless of their race, their gender, their sexual orientation, their religious beliefs or any other identities — because we believe baseball is for everyone,” he adds.
When it comes to Pride gear for 2024, the Rays will await official MLB guidance. Until then, they’re ready for this year’s celebration — which will welcome retired MLB umpire Dale Scott, who became the first openly gay, active umpire in league history in 2014 — to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Scott will also be available to meet fans and sign copies of “The Umpire Is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self.” He released the book last year.
“It’s always fun to celebrate Pride with Major League Baseball since I was a part of the MLB for 32 years,” Scott says. He was able to do so for eight different Pride Nights in 2022 and says he’s excited to come to Tampa Bay this year.
He also notes that he understands the Rays’ decision not to wear Pride gear, hoping that LGBTQ+ fans focus on all the good the team does.
“The MLB kind of went back and forth on that one,” he says. “It’s unfortunate but it doesn’t diminish that we have a Pride Night here with the Rays. Hopefully we’ll have a great turnout and instead of dwelling on something that didn’t go as planned last year, let’s move forward. I hate to dwell on the negative when there’s so much positive.”
That positive will include a $10,000 check presentation to St Pete Pride ahead of this year’s 21st celebration, awarded in partnership with Bayfront Health. Attendees will also receive collectible Pride memorabilia and more.
“We want everyone to feel safe, to feel welcome and to feel like they belong,” Thomas reiterates. “We’ll continue to make Tropicana Field accepting and welcoming to everybody.”
The Tampa Bay Rays’ 17th annual Pride Night will be held June 10 at Tropicana Field. Learn more at MLB.com/Rays.
