At Liberty University, homosexual relations are forbidden, along with “statements and behaviors that are associated with LGBT states of mind.”

In other words, Liberty is the perfect opponent to play on Pride Day. At least two college teams have hosted, or will host, the evangelical university on the same day they happen to be celebrating their LGBTQ fans.

What a coincidence!

UMass Football announced this week it will host Liberty on its Pride Day Oct. 8. The team’s Twitter account shared its “special announcement” with an accompanying video featuring a uniformed player in a room lit by rainbow colors.

Appropriately, techno music was blaring in the background. Everybody knows that Pride celebrations are one big party.

Liberty’s leaders will find that out next month.

It’s important to distinguish Liberty’s administrators and professors from its student body. The school’s homophobic conduct code isn’t a reflection on the students.

In fact, multiple Black athletes, including two football players, have left Liberty in recent years, citing racial discrimination.

But the opportunity to throw LGBTQ Pride in the face of Jerry Falwell Jr., and the school’s cadre of anti-gay officials, is too good to pass up. The fact that the football team is hosting makes the gesture even cooler.

Football players are still lazily dogged with the perception they’re not supportive of LGBTQ people. The Minutemen are showing that’s not the case.

We would expect nothing less from Derrick Gordon’s alma mater.

We’ve seen more college football teams show public support for the LGBTQ community in recent years. Last fall, for example, Michigan’s marching band performed an LGBTQ-themed halftime show at the Big House — complete with Whitney and Gaga.

It doesn’t get gayer than that.

Earlier this month, Northwestern field hockey hosted Liberty for its Pride Game, too. It was their first meeting since the Wildcats beat Liberty to win the 2021 NCAA field hockey championship.

That’s the Pride equivalent of the Red Sox making the Yankees watch them receive their World Series rings.

To our knowledge, Liberty’s field hockey team escaped Northwestern unscathed, despite their exposure to … gay people!

Now it’s time for UMass to try the same test on Liberty’s football team. We hope to see this trend continue.

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