Bryan Ruby, an openly gay professional baseball player, has reportedly been outraged due to the choices of some players for the Tampa Bay Rays for their personal decision to not wear the given rainbow-colored logos attached to their uniforms for Pride NIght, with at least one of the plays expressly claiming “faith-based” reasoning.
Currently a player in the minor leagues but reportedly taking June off, Ruby hurled criticism at players in an interview with USA TODAY Sports, stating that their choice will cause many other gay people will feel like “second-class citizens” and are trying to use Jesus to hide their homophobia.
“It always baffles me when guys use Jesus as their excuse to discriminate,” Ruby claimed to the news source. “Like, wasn’t Jesus the guy who preached ‘Love Thy Neighbor.'”
“This isn’t about religion,” he went on. “This is about being a good teammate. When guys go out of their way to make a point of opposing Pride Night, they’re sending a clear message that people like me just aren’t welcome in baseball. It’s a reminder that even on the one night we get to be proud of ourselves at the ballpark, we are still second-class citizens. It’s as simple as that.”
Jason Adam, a pitcher for the Rays, stated recently to the Tampa Bay Times that he did not want to wear the rainbow-clad logo in the wake of making a “faith-based decision.”
“It’s a hard decision,” stated the professional pitcher. “Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different.”
Ruby continued to be angry and obsessed with the other players’ choices.
“It sends a very clear message, and that message is: LGBTQ people are not welcome here,” he exclaimed. “A lot of guys just don’t get that they’ve always had, and will continue to have, gay teammates. Such antiquated language and behavior actively hurts the team. It’s hard enough to be gay in baseball.”
“I can’t help but notice that for the 146th consecutive year, there are zero openly gay players in Major League Baseball,” continued Ruby. “And when your own teammates could publicly gesture that you don’t belong there, it’s damn near impossible to succeed in the sport.”
Ruby then turned his ire on the management team for the Rays for stating that there was no divide building on the team.
“I wonder if Rays management would parrot their completely bogus message of supporting ‘diversity and inclusivity’ in the organization if Rays players flat out refused to wear number 42 on Jackie Robinson day,” stated Ruby. “Don’t get me wrong, Pride Nights are great for the fan base and surrounding community, but they do very little to address the situation in the locker room.”
“When your teammates go out of their way to indicate they don’t accept you, it can be absolutely crushing, and obviously pretty damn hard to suit up and play well,” he concluded. “What does it say to all the young minor leaguers dreaming of one day getting a shot in the big leagues? That once you get there, you can live your dream but only at the cost of hiding your authentic self from the world? It’s both sad and infuriating to know most other guys like me are relegated to walking on eggshells in the shadows of a culture still eerily reminiscent of the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ world we supposedly moved on from over a decade ago.”