Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

A few weeks ago, my friend Sarah and I went to see the Pirates beat the Twins while celebrating Pride.

Exactly 20 years ago, Sarah and I did the exact same thing when the Pirates hosted their first Pride Night.

Back then, we sat in the bleachers wearing official Pridefest shirts. I reminisced about that night in a 2016 blog post:

My friend was verbally gay bashed on their way over to the field. Of course they were. Then we watched Mr. Pittsburgh Leather throw out the first pitch. The first pitch, by the way, requires a group to sell a significant amount of tickets. We did that in our first year, in 2004.

I remember walking through the stands in our Pridefest tee shirts (I think we wore red that year?) and hearing our community announced by the speaker and seeing our community named on the LED boards. It was thrilling in a way that’s hard to explain. And I’m not even a huge baseball fan.

This year, Sarah and I were guests in the President’s box, right behind home plate. A slight upgrade from the bleachers, right? We took in all of the luxurious touches, mingled with lots of queer folx, and enjoyed the fireworks.

There were a few things that could have been better handled. Allowing the Duquesne Light DEI team to throw the first pitch because they sponsored the fireworks was definitely corporate shilling meh. That’s a far cry from Mr. Pittsburgh Leather Fetish in 2004.

I think the Pirates should have invited a group of trans kids and adults to go to the mound, emphatically stating that they can play.

My other thought is to invite the Steel City/Stonewall teams because they DO play a lot of sports. And a softball lesbian is going to get that pitch across the plate.

And as much as I enjoyed that box, I didn’t belong there. Neither did any other cisgender queer folx. The box should have been full of trans adults and youth. Or all LGBTQ youth.

I say this every year. If we are going to Protect Trans Youth, we need to create opportunities for trans joy.

I didn’t see any players wearing LGBTQ anything.

The players are working by contract, not employees of the Pirates corporation. So, the team ownership cannot compel them to wear buttons or patches. It’s up to MLB.

I do know a little about the behind the scenes training efforts. That’s more important than the uniform in the long run.

OutSports has a rundown of all the MLB Pride Nights.

What was nice. Local drag artist Joey Young singing the National Anthem. I was told he was the first drag artist to do so at PNC Park. He did a great job in a fabulous gown. I emailed him for a Q&A – stay tuned!

@itsjoeyyoung Thank you so much to @Pittsburgh Pirates / @MLB for having me sing the national anthem for Pride Night last weekend🖤🏟️🏳️‍🌈. The first stadium of my career 🥲🥰 #joeyyoung #pittsburgh #pittsburghdrag #drag #dragqueen #pittsburghpirates #pgh #pirates #mlb ♬ no music – Explorers of the Internet

The unfurling of the Progress Pride flag by various LGBTQ folx.

Pride flags hung around the park. The bridges lit up in Pride colors. The bucket hats were cute.

The perspective of 20 years adds a lot to the experience. I would not have been surprised to hear an anti-LGBTQ slur in the parking lot. We are very much a marginalized group still.

My work on the Pittsburgh LGBTQIA+ Commission introduced me to the significant behind the scenes resources the Pirates invest in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I do remember in 2004 that my parents came to the game. Both have since died, so that was a bit of a lump in my throat. I remember my Dad describing Mr. Pittsburgh Leather Fetish as “the guy in the motorcycle gear” which made me laugh for days. That wasn’t bad progress for my parents in 2004.

Mainly, I remember walking around the stadium with Sarah’s now wife, also named Sarah, in our shirts just soaking up the visibility and acknowledgement.

I remember walking through the stands in our Pridefest tee shirts (I think we wore red that year?) and hearing our community announced by the speaker and seeing our community named on the LED boards. It was thrilling in a way that’s hard to explain. And I’m not even a huge baseball fan.

The Pirates were the first major league Pittsburgh team to publicly celebrate the LGBTQ community. 20 years later, that winning streak continues.