Pride Month
A Decade of Pride Parade Fun
As Pride Month 2026 nears to a close, there are a few things I want to discuss. Conservatives make the mistake every year during Pride Month by telling on themselves. In other words, they expose who they really are by unapologetically spewing their own homophobic and transphobic views. This happens when it's not even Pride Month. They love to kick and scream about things that don't affect them. 29 of Major League Baseball's teams held Pride Night at their ballparks, with the Texas Rangers being the only team who has yet to hold said event at Globe Life Field. I've shared my thoughts about that topic in a couple of stories I've written. The Los Angeles Dodgers Pride Night was held on June 5, which on that same night, the organization revealed a permanent exhibit honoring Billy Bean and Glenn Burke. Both of the late MLB players became the first openly gay players in the league, although they came out after their careers concluded. However, this honor was overshadowed by controversy regarding one of their players. Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen made headlines for refusing to wear his rainbow-themed cap. It wasn't mandatory for players to wear these hats, but recently, Commissioner Rob Manfred warned players of writing anything on their hats, because it was prohibited as stated in the rulebook. Homophobia is still present in this league, and I've talked about this in one of my previous stories. Blake Treinen wasn't the first Dodgers player I called out for their anti-gay rhetoric. Nearly a year ago, I went in on the now retired Clayton Kershaw for his anti-gay views by writing a Bible verse on his rainbow-themed cap, which was deemed as hate towards the LGBTQ+ community. I've accused him of being a bigot in other previous stories. At first, I saw him as one of the best pitchers that had played the game. Now that I saw him for who he really was, I could no longer consider him as one of the best pitchers in MLB, nor I would ever acknowledge him as a World Series champion. He was very grumpy, whiney, and was deserving of the nicknames Kerchoke and Chokeshaw. Even if his number gets retired by the Dodgers one day and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, I still won't miss him at all. He and I are both from Texas, but Kershaw would've been a great addition to the Texas Rangers bullpen. Instead, he betrayed his home state and chose to play for the Dodgers for all 18 seasons. So, yes. I'm calling him a traitor, because as a Texan, we no longer claim him as one of our own. I'll say this up front about him and I'm going to piss off a lot of Dodgers fans: Clayton Kershaw is a bigoted, piece of shit. He'll always be a piece of shit. I'll never praise or give him any sort of credit. He'll always be a joke and an embarrassment to Major League Baseball. It may be harsh, but I make zero apologies for saying those things.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Pride
Where Are They Now? The Cast Of 'The L Word'
It's been over 20 years since The L Word premiered on Showtime as the go-to show for lesbian drama, scandals, and sexcapades. Telling the story of a small group of friends in West Hollywood, the show took viewers into the world every Sunday night for six seasons.
By Jenika Enoch4 months ago in Pride
A Token of Appreciation: Spencer Strider
I've been a writer on Vocal for nearly a decade and always encouraged everyone to take something meaningful away from the stories I write and publish on here. Major League Baseball teams who have been participating in yearly Pride Night festivities have LGBTQ+ fans continue to show up at games. One of those teams is the Atlanta Braves and the player who has been in the news is who I'll be discussing in this story. I published my first story of me praising baseball players, which I started doing last year featuring retired MLB player Anthony Rizzo. I'll have that story in the link down below.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 4 months ago in Pride
Explaining My Inspiration for LGBT Representation in a Number of My Fiction Stories
Happy Pride Month 2026, all! Pride Month is one of the many reasons why I do love the month of June. It's championship month in sports, the summer season kicks off, and of course, the Pride festivities. Pride Month and Pride Nights in anything should be honored, respected, and most of all, celebrated immensely. I've written a few pieces in the Pride category of Vocal; one that explains the overdue evolution of LGBT portrayal in TV and films, and one that is centered on Velma Dinkley's history as a LGBT icon.
By Clyde E. Dawkins4 months ago in Pride
‘Boy Toys’ Come Out to Play at Capitol Pride
Pride weekend in the nation’s capital is about to get a lot more playful. From June 18–21, KINETIC Presents and the Capital Pride Alliance will transform Washington, DC into an adults-only Toyland fantasy with KINETIC: Pride DC 2026, a four-night celebration featuring internationally acclaimed DJs, immersive production, larger-than-life performances, and a highly anticipated appearance by drag superstar Alaska Thunderfuck.
By Ben Nelson5 months ago in Pride
The Last Team Standing: Texas Rangers
In my previous story, I've discussed the situation involving Blake Treinen refusing to wear his rainbow-themed Dodgers cap during Pride Night. I'll have the link to that story down below, in case you missed it. First and foremost, I love the Texas Rangers. I've been a die-hard fan for nearly 25 years and heard that they'll host a Faith and Family Night, foregoing Pride Night, stings a little. I grew up in Texas and they're a "red state". For those who are familiar with that term is, it represents people who are conservative and have conservative values. If I were to have a conversation with all the Rangers players, I would ask them the following question: Do you have a deep hatred or dislike towards LGBTQ+ people? And if so, why? I have zero issues with what people decide to believe in. If someone is truly a Christian, aren't they supposed to love everyone as they are and not judge others? I feel like a lot of MLB players use Bible verses and the Bible itself as excuses to tear down someone or a group of people that they've never met a day in their lives. Since coming out as gay in 2012, I was shamed for simply being myself. I've heard these typical Christian talking points when it comes to gay people:
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 5 months ago in Pride
The Defiant Dodger: Blake Treinen. Top Story - June 2026.
Last Friday night, June 5, the Los Angeles Dodgers held their annual Pride Night, which they've been doing for more than a decade. Players Alex Call and another player, who is the subject of this story, has caused outrage on social media. Not because of performance, but for refusing to wear a rainbow-themed Dodgers cap. While it isn't mandatory for the 28 other teams to wear these hats, people online stated that him being a staunch Trump supporter and a supporter of the late Charlie Kirk showed the kind of person he really was. Before I talk more about the latter player, let's talk about the exhibit in honor of Glenn Burke and Billy Bean.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 5 months ago in Pride
Why Pattie Gonia Inspires a New Outdoor Generation
For many years, outdoor culture carried a very specific image. Hiking, camping, climbing, and environmental activism were often presented through the same narrow lens. Many people who loved nature never truly saw themselves reflected in those spaces. Then Pattie Gonia appeared online and changed the emotional conversation around the outdoors in a way few expected.
By Muqadas khan5 months ago in Pride
