It was Pride Night for the Missoula Paddleheads, and Jayson Newman was wearing his special cleats. The slugging infielder took the field with his feet decked out in rainbows, complete with painted flowers and messages celebrating love.
His wife and daughter dreamed up the festive design, and he was proud to show off their work.
“Right now in the world, it’s really divided in my opinion. I’m not gonna get too political or anything, because that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to celebrate love, try and do what I can to help,” he told Queerty. “I have family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, so just trying to show my support and love for them.”
Mission accomplished. The Paddleheads, who play in the independent Pioneer League, have been hosting their Pride Night for five seasons. The now-annual party was held last Thursday.
The event becomes more popular each year, says Kim Klages-Johns, the team’s director of sales and retail and architect of the festivities.
“The fans embrace the [LGBTQ+] community,” she said.
This month, we’ve been barraged with negative headlines about Pride Nights in pro sports, which are attracting more backlash than ever. Right-wingers, and some players, were outraged about the Los Angeles Dodgers honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at their annual event. Multiple players, including ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass and former Red Sox hurler Matt Dermody, came under fire for sharing anti-gay messages on social media.
Amidst all of this controversy, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said last week he’s discouraged teams from wearing rainbow paraphernalia. Apparently, the homophobes must be protected.
In that sad spirit, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the league is banning Pride jerseys from being worn, even during warmups. Last season, NHL players across the league refused to wear rainbow uniforms, and were often shielded from accountability.
With those depressing stories in mind, it’s worth highlighting a team that’s doing Pride right. While pro clubs in liberal metropolises are running from the rainbow, the Paddleheads are embracing it.
Missoula is a funky town. Situated in western Montana, the vibrant and growing city has a progressive streak. The area’s state representative, Zooey Zephyr, made history last year as the first out transgender woman elected to the Montana legislature (Zephyr rose to national prominence when Republicans banned her from the House floor after she made an impassioned plea for trans rights).
For the last two years, the Paddleheads’ Pride Night has served as the unofficial kick-off to Missoula Pride, a three-day celebration that includes a parade, roller disco and dancing queens. When owners Peter Davis and Susan Crampton Davis purchased the team in 2017, they immediately looked to embrace the city’s diverse population. (In addition to the LGBTQ+ community, the Paddleheads work closely with the Indigenous community, auctioning off jerseys and merchandise to support Murdering and Missing Indigenous People.)
“Our core values are: create success, focus strength, engage meaningfully, take risks and do right. All the decisions we make are focused on that,” said Klages-Johns. “Engaging with this community, and engaging with the underserved and underprivileged, is what we do. We just feel like it’s our commitment.”
The team’s fans are on board with that commitment; and those who aren’t are out of luck. Klages-Johns recalls an incident earlier this season, when an enraged older man went up to the owner’s box and verbally accosted Davis for hosting Pride Night.
In response, Davis told the man he didn’t have to attend games anymore.
“Peter said, ‘We throw Pride Night because we love everybody,'” said Klages-Johns.
For the Paddleheads, Pride Night is one big party. The ballpark’s plaza is open with live music and an art walk; and last year, hundreds of fans embraced to the tune of “Just Dance.”
This year, every player on the team wore special Pride jerseys, which were auctioned off to support the Western Montana Community Center, the region’s largest LGBTQ+ charitable organization.
“There are very few things that make us as happy as having a ballpark full of people who are loving each other and feeling included. It’s our jam,” said Klages-Johns.
It’s a pretty special jam indeed, and the players’ embrace of Pride makes the Paddleheads’ message of inclusion especially resonate.
Instead of catching flak for his colorful cleats, Newman says his teammates were fully supportive.
“Everybody really loved them,” he said. “It was great to see how my teammates supported that, and how they were shared.”
Love, after all, is a group effort. The Paddleheads show that to their community each and every day.
Brian
Yeah, but it’s Missoula. The article here says it’s a “funky” town, but that leaves out a lot of history and data. This could be expected of this liberal college town surrounded by hundreds of miles of Republicans in all directions. This isn’t so remarkable. It’s great, of course, but just not a measure of improvement.
LegionKeign
There’s ALWAYS that one person who has to piss on our parade.
I’ll take their Pride Night with much appreciation. ANY Pride Night is a win in my book.
James
If it is happening in Montana, it is an improvement. I can remember when it wasn’t happening anywhere.
Pietro D
Ligten up! Be grateful for even little wins!
slcjakeman8
Unfortunately, there often are “Negative Nicks” around. People who only see the glass half-empty. And probably always will. For the others who have replied to this post, ignore it and keep smiling 🙂
James
Beautiful. Nice to know not everybody is a hate filled republican loser.
Thanks so much sincerely.
Major
Take me OUT to the ballgame
Take me OUT with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack.
I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team.
If they don’t win it’s a shame.
For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re OUT.
At the old ball game!
Diplomat
Clarification:
It’s Trans@phobia not homophobia that is causing corporate withdraws and negs throughout society. There’s just no backup for aroused bio (but I’m a woman dammit) men trolling girls bathrooms locker rooms, showers, sports teams prisons sororities etc.
It’s not the public pissing on the lgb parade, it’s the activist tran@nies who have zero concern for our lgb rights or safety while rolling us back 50 years. They lead with their middle fingers arms stretched straight up in the air. Let’s not forget the man/girl flashing his fake tits on the white house lawn at a Bidden event, now banned for life. Who do you think took the hit for that? LGBs did. Ts don’t give a F.
Ts are a parasitic attachment to the LGB logo dragging us through mud and murder.
Thank God laws are coming down on these trans troll hooligans. You go Riley Gaines. We dems need you and yours continually shouting loud and clear to shut these sexually predatory monsters down.
And the gay community needs to get on the band wagon and protect our progress and knock the T off our logo. We have zero in common with people lost in the wrong body who pee all over us at every turn. Our progress is sliding down the toilet as you gulp their cyanide kool-aid.
I just heard a gunshot. Was it for one of us LGBs taking a bullet for a tra@nny? Wake up. It’s happening.
dmarcus
No ma’m! I’ve been around long enough and been to many Pride parades where conservatives, republicans, churches, and incels protested our events & threatened us because we are lesbians and gays. Those bigots didn’t know what bisexuals are or knew that trans people existed, thinking they are a new trend smh.
You believing trans people are monsters makes you no better than conservatives and far right extremists who want all of the LGBTQ ppl to not exists. Like it or not trans people have been fighting for queer liberation with us since the 1960s even when they had no respect from anyone. And thanks to the trans community, especially POC trans ppl, gave us modern slang that everyone uses: yaas/ yess, shade, flop, sis, gurrl, betch, chop, kiki, Kai Kai, “not this,” “not me…,” and read. They also influenced a lot of queer icons like Madonna, Freddie Mercury, Beyoncé, and David Bowie through fashion, dance, and gender non conforming acts.
Don’t fall for Right Wing propaganda. They want the gay community to be divided by putting trans people as the root of the problem. If they are anti trans only then why are Republican lawmakers wanting to get rid of marriage equality? Allowing doctors to refuse gay and lesbian patients? Forcing schools to ban anything LGB? Sports events and most of their players not wanting to support anything gay? Trans people are not ruining the LGBTQ community. It’s bigots who want ALL of us gone. They don’t care about your gay rights then or now. They see gay ppl as a threat on traditional straight family values. Putting all trans people as dangerous to cis women is like saying gay men shouldn’t be around children because they are going to molest and convert them. All false and untrue. Check yourself for being a damper on our community. We don’t need that.
Dyana B
Thank you, dmarcus, well said, I really appreciate it. We have been around for centuries without any issues, yet now they want to eradicate us like we’re nothing, and that is not going to happen, we are going to continue to fight for our seat at the table, we’ve earned it and we are not going anywhere…