The former San Francisco Giant begun transitioning from his Vaccinations Are For Sissies campaign to getting Big Mad about his former team’s decision to incorporate pride colors on their on-field uniforms to honor the LGBTQ+ community and pride celebrations in the month of June. And in rural upstate New York, that feels like winning Game 7.Stop me if you’ve heard this before but Aubrey Huff is sitting behind a computer screen in an extra medium American Alpha t-shirt, gas station sunglasses, and his wife’s underwear embarking on his exhausting quest to exterminate beta males. The next time I go, I’m going to feel like my community belongs there too. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every visit I’ve made to Cooperstown and always get a serotonin blast from of seeing the artifacts that played a role in so many great moments from baseball’s past. The Hall of Fame acquiring and displaying the Giants Pride cap feels like a step in that direction, and I almost can’t put into words how elated I was to see that news. Even while I was putting it together, I knew that the Hall is usually a slow-moving institution and figured that it would take a significant push to actually get something done. Two years ago, I wrote a piece making the case for the Hall of Fame to add an exhibit on LGBTQ contributions to the sport. His Pride cap donation to the Hall will help the museum tell the story of the growing LGBTQ presence in baseball. Kapler was never bothered by his popularity in the gay sports fan community, and just this past week, participated in a virtual roundtable discussion on LGBTQ issues with Billy Bean, Christina Kahrl and Giants Vice President Roscoe Mapps. A fitness buff throughout his playing career from 1998 through 2010, he wasn’t shy about showing off the body he had sculpted.Īs co-founder Jim Buzinski reflected, he “became a figure of liberation for gay male sports fans at the time.” In an era where gay sports fans often repressed their sexuality on most mainstream websites, images of a ripped and shirtless Kapler were a staple at Outsports. Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty ImagesĪs for the manager who donated the cap, Kapler has an intriguing history with LGBTQ fans and Outsports. Evan Longoria’s wristbands might not be going to Cooperstown but they at least deserve to be in the Hall of Very Good. When I saw it on TV, my first thought was, “That’s perfect.” The colors absolutely pop inside the interlocking SF and the design makes it clear that it represents everyone in our community.Įven more perfect: this Pride cap is in the Hall of Fame and Curt Schilling isn’t. It also helps that the cap itself is spectacular. Important enough that seeing it in the timeline of baseball history would make me step back and emotionally take in the moment. The rainbow cap is just one artifact, but to any LGBTQ fan, it’s a significant one. And based on this latest acquisition, for the first time in the Halls’ existence, you’ll now be able to view exhibits that lead from Babe Ruth’s bat to Willie Mays’s glove to Henry Aaron’s uniform to. One of the simple pleasures of visiting the Hall is being uplifted by the magnitude of baseball history as you move from one historic timepiece to another throughout the museum. While the Giants taking the field wearing the colors of the Progress Pride and Transgender Pride flags was trailblazing and newsworthy, it wasn’t exactly surprising to see this gesture celebrated in San Francisco.īut to witness this historic moment of Pride commemorated for posterity at the game’s spiritual home at a small village in New York State feels like a whole new level of acceptance. Gabe Kapler’s cap from today is headed to the #SFGiants are proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community and will continue to celebrate the countless achievements and contributions of all those who identify as LGBTQ+ and are allies of the LGBTQ+ community.