Five Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball players are being criticized for refusing to wear LGBTQ logos on their official uniforms as the team celebrates LGBTQ Pride Month.
“I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage,” said Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jason Adam, as TMZ reported.
“It’s no different,” he claimed, insisting it’s “faith-based,” and “a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here.”
Telling a group of people that what they are is a “lifestyle” and a “behavior” led to anger against the team for allowing them to opt out but especially against all five players: Jason Adams, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson.
The New York Times adds that “by allowing the players to opt out of the promotion — and to use the platform to endorse an opposite viewpoint — the Rays undercut the message of inclusion they were trying to send. Words like ‘lifestyle’ and ‘behavior’ are widely known tropes often interpreted as a polite cover for condemning gay culture.”
The Rays lost to the Chicago White Sox 3-2 Saturday.
Many have expressed anger at the five players and the team’s management.