Former Player's Homophobic Slurs Deepen Giants Pride Night Woes

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — This San Francisco Giants season is shaping up to be a rough one in more ways than one, as the embattled team continues to face backlash from its pitchers' Pride Night game stance earlier this month.

Former Giant Aubrey Huff poured fuel on the fire Wednesday when he took to X to air his grievances over the incident, claiming gay people don't watch baseball and cursed at everyone who was a part of the LGBTQIA+ community or those who support it.

The San Francisco ball club has been under the spotlight since Friday, June 12, when it hosted its Pride Night game. To go with the special event, the Giants had Pride Night caps made for the players. The majority of the players wore it, except reliever Sam Hentge, who donned the team's standard black cap. Relievers JT Brubaker, Ryan Walker and Landen Roupp wrote bible verses over their caps.

Roupp later told reporters his goal was to point people towards God. The Giants acknowledged the incident and said they understood that the player's actions may have caused "pain and anger" among the LGBTQIA+ community, but they have remained silent in the ensuing weeks.

The incident disappointed supporters of the LGBTQIA+ community. It also sparked legal controversy, with Missouri Senator Josh Hawley condemning Major League Baseball, claiming they were penalizing players for their Christian faith.

Following the players' appearances on the mound during Pride Night, Major League Baseball issued a warning to the Giants, saying writing on the cap violated league rules. They added that the warning was routine and that it had nothing to do with the content of the messages.

U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon soon after vowed to investigate whether the MLB was guilty of religious discrimination.

"Swing and a miss!" Dhillon said in a post on X. "Major League Baseball encouraged players to wear 'Black Lives Matter' on their uniforms, but reportedly threatened Christians who write Bible verses on their hats."

The Giants, meanwhile, have continued to feel the heat. The latest pushback came on Tuesday when reporters asked Giants legend and President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey about the incident.

Posey, to the disappointment of many, steered away from answering questions related to Pride Night, deciding instead to focus solely on baseball.

"Posey certainly didn’t share any such messages of inclusiveness or welcome to all Giants fans when he spoke publicly," San Francisco Chronicle sports writer Ann Killion said. "He shut down the whole topic, as though he wanted it to go away."

That is what prompted Huff to take to X on Wednesday, saying that he knew exactly what Posey wanted to say to the reporters but couldn't.

Huff then went on a homophobic tirade, repeating profanities and slurs against the gay community.

"I know it's San Francisco, and most of the population is definitely into the gay lifestyle," he wrote. "However, that doesn't mean they go to Giants games."

Larry Baer, Giants president and CEO, later appeared on the team's flagship radio and tried to reassure fans that the team has long supported the LGBTQIA+ community.

"I know we’ve heard from many fans, and I know there are deep feelings about the events of Pride Night this year. We know it. We’ve heard. We’re listening. Just some context here — over those 30-plus years it’s a North Star here to create an experience at our ballpark for all fans, starting at Candlestick and Oracle Park," Baer said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "The experience is welcoming to all fans. That has not changed. … That will not change. Our park should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued. I just want to make that really clear. We take pride in being industry leaders in that effort with the LGBTQ community."

This isn't the first time an MLB has faced backlash over a Pride Night event. The Los Angeles Dodgers planned a "Christian Faith and Family Day" during its 2023 season after facing backlash for inviting a self-described "queer and trans nuns" to its Pride Night.

The MLB has quietly backed away from allowing most teams to use specialty uniforms with rainbow insignias in recent years, according to the New York Times. The league also does not enforce pride night.

Currently, 29 of the 30 teams host an official pride night. The Texas Rangers are the only team without a pride event on its calendar this year.