As I sit down to write this, it's 4:30 am.
I can't sleep. My mind refuses to shut down. I'm just overwhelmed.
On a muggy but thankfully rain-free evening over 750 members of the
LGBT community and its supporters-including an Outsports
contingent-gathered in the 500 level at Veterans Stadium to watch the
Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers in action. The first
Gay Community Day with the Phillies was, simply put, a
magnificent success.
Alas, the game itself was less than stellar. Brandon Duckworth's
first-inning struggles led to four Milwaukee runs and the Brewers
went on to a 6-3 win, but the evening still included a number of
highlights.
My evening started on an interesting note. As I headed along the
walkway on the 500 level towards right field and the sections set
aside for us, I passed a Phillies usher talking to a couple of people
and heard him say, "I just wanna know where the gays are so I can stay
away from them."
So naturally I had to cause him some discomfort. I stopped, turned and
asked, "Why would you need to stay away from us?" He immediately began
verbally backpedaling, saying things like "I don't have a problem with
it, I don't condone it but I don't have a problem with it, that's
all." When I asked him why, if he had no problem, he would need to
stay away from us, he talked about how he didn't want anyone to come
on to him. (As if anyone would be interested in this scrawny,
not-overly-handsome, not-intelligent-sounding guy.) I said that if
anyone did come on to him, he should respectfully say "no thanks" and
they'd walk away. He replied, "I know--they're the nicest people in
the world!" He then went on to say it's just that he didn't want any
trouble and he was worried that someone would use "that bad word, the
'f' word" and then he'd have to get involved. I told him he had
nothing to worry about.
A short while later, there it was on the smaller auxiliary message
boards that are along the first- and third-base sides: Gay Community
Night. Those three magic words then appeared on the main board in the
upper deck in right-center field. It was an awesome sight.
As game time neared, the Phillie Phanatic took to the field and I knew
it was time to head downstairs with my digital camera. It was the
Phanatic who had the distinct honor of catching the ceremonial first
pitch from Outsports ' own Larry "Scottie" Felzer, chair of the Gay
and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia and one of the main organizers of
the event. Except for one slight problem: the ball somehow went over
the Phanatic's head. It was unofficially scored-by me-as a passed ball
on the Phanatic. He clearly should have made the play!
By the time I made it back upstairs to our sections, the crowd had
pretty much filled in and there was a cheer as "Gay Community Night"
was once again displayed on the message board. This was followed by a
visit from the Phanatic. Despite being harassed by someone who
apparently wanted to drape him with a rainbow flag, he did his usual
fantastic job of keeping everyone entertained.
Later, the list of individual groups (both as part of Gay Community
Night and otherwise) were displayed on the board, including
Outsports.com. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture of
Outsports on the board as my camera was not cooperative-though it
might not have been legible at any ratebecause the lights were so
bright.
All in all, it was a night to remember. It was an easy night for
security, as everyone in the crowd was well-behaved. The Phillies
deserve a tremendous amount of credit for being supportive of the idea
and making it plain that when it comes to their fans, they don't
discriminate. But the real thanks have to go to the National Lesbian
and Gay Journalists Association (Philadelphia chapter), Gay and
Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia and the Gay and Lesbian Medical
Association, co-sponsors of the event.
Above all, for his tireless efforts in organizing and promoting this
wonderful night, very special thanks go to Larry Felzer. In fact, I've
decided upon a very special tribute: on Friday, Larry and I are going
to the Phillies-Cardinals game at the Vet, featuring the second return
of Scott Rolen since his controversial stay in Philadelphia ended. To
honor his
number one fan, I will wear my old Scott Rolen T-shirt on Friday night
and I will NOT boo him. |
Photo
Gallery
(Click image for larger view)
In the top 2 photos, the
Phillie Phanatic
greets Larry Felzer
 |
