A year after a mindless blunder drove a rift between the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus and the San Diego Padres, the chorus returned to Petco Park last week to build bridges and finally sing the Star-Spangled Banner for Out at the Park.
The Chorus took the field with Padres staff, the San Diego Women’s Chorus and members of San Diego Pride in a show of unity that put the past squarely in the past.
Last year a mistake in the DJ booth left the chorus on the field during the National Anthem as audio of a girl singing the anthem played. The whole debacle was badly handled by the Padres and left a sour taste in the mouth of the chorus. At the time the Chorus and others blamed the Padres for a possible homophobic conspiracy.
Thankfully all sides came together, listened and learned. Now it seems their relationship has moved past the errors and are working together. A success story indeed!
"They forgave what happened last year and are looking forward, and that's what we're doing, too," Padres senior vice president of community affairs Tom Seidler told MLB.com. "It's been a fun year, a learning year, and I think it's going to continue to grow. … It's been an opportunity for us to step back and build a better relationship with San Diego Pride and other friends in the LGBTQ community."
