All the talk in the world about LGBTQ inclusion doesnât seem to be making gay professional athletes come out any faster, but those âPride Nightsâ that teams regularly host arenât just for the players.
For straight sports fans attending a game on Pride Night, or even watching at home, itâs a readily relatable opportunity to âde-otherizeâ gay people.
A simple interaction between a once-homophobic father and his teenage daughter shows how much they can help, giving folks whose views are evolving a point of connection with LGBTQ people, a momentary shared language.
Related:Â Which shirtless Mormon superstar just waved a Pride flag for a massive crowd?
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Alexys Mergy is a 19-year-old lesbian living in San Deigo who once ended a relationship with a girl because her step-father forbade it.
He did not approve of her being gay.
He has since come around; itâs a journey and good on him for putting in the work. He recently attended a Padres game on Pride Night, reports Outsports.
Related:Â Super cute professional baseball player comes out on live TV
Step-dad snapped a photo and sent it to Alexys with a message of support, complete with rainbow flag and baseball emojis, side by side.
Itâs such a small act that can reverberate so loudly:
Alexys took to Twitter to share how the message makes her feel:
Stepdad just sent me a picture of a pride flag at the padres baseball game. Feels good to know my parents finally accept that I'm gay. ???
â ? (@fabulous_uicorn) April 28, 2018
Alexysâs current girlfriend, Annais, who Dad refers to when he writes âyou girls,â is considered part of the family now.
âAnnais and I felt that [my stepdadâs text] makes us feel truly apart of the family and that weâre loved for who we are and it feels good to know that,â Alexys said.
Related:Â Straight NYC copâs Pride message goes viral for all the right reasons
Bryguyf69
C’mon, admit it — y’all thought that the “gay teen” was a hot male jock, and that’s why you read the article. And I’m betting that the author purposely titled the article to be ambiguous. Hah!
masterwill7
Yup, true!!! Lol But still a lovely story. đ