The Defiant Dodger: Blake Treinen

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.

On the same night, the Dodgers revealed a permanent exhibit dedicated to the late MLB players. Both Burke and Bean became the first openly gay players in the league, though they didn't come out after their careers concluded. In my previous story about Billy Bean, the Dodgers honoring the late player was two years overdue. I'll have a link to that story down below. This tribute was not only touching, but important. LGBTQ+ athletes should be celebrated, not condemned based on their sexual orientation or identity. One day, we can hope for an out MLB player to not only show off his skills but be his true self around everyone without having to hide it from people who might feel uncomfortable around him.

The player at the center of the aforementioned controversy was Blake Treinen. As he approached the mound, people noticed that he wasn't wearing his rainbow-themed Dodgers cap. Many of the comments I've read on Threads condemned him and said some very unflattering remarks regarding his decision.

Many sports leagues and teams have hosted Pride Night for decades, upsetting a certain group of people. That group of people I'm referring to are conservatives. Every year, they throw a huge hissy fit over rainbows and Pride Month itself. They constantly ask why there isn't a Straight Pride Month. That is because it's celebrated every day. Straight people aren't discriminated against for displaying the American Flag. Straight people aren't arrested for supporting a politician. So, their claim is absolutely laughable and ridiculous. The reason why there's a Pride Month, because it's a month where people celebrate their true selves and share their personal stories. Not only that, but to educate people on the history of Pride. Pride and Pride events are safe spaces for many people and we're going to continue to raise our voices against bigotry and discriminatory policies against us. There's also an LGBTQ+ History Month, so I don't understand conservative's outrage over a group of people existing and being themselves. If something or someone doesn't affect you, why do you care? 29 out of the 30 Major League Baseball teams has held Pride Night annually, except the Texas Rangers, whom I'll discuss in a future story.

This latest incident involving Blake Treinen was one of several controversies the Dodgers have faced, mostly coming under heavy criticism for their outlandish spending of players. In several stories I've written on here, I've called out Clayton Kershaw for his anti-gay rhetoric. I've also called out some MLB players who think that having a religious belief equals hating on a group of people that they've never met. A real Christian doesn't judge others. They love others as they are and compassionate. So many of these players are hypocrites and don't practice what they preach. I have nothing against Christians, as I'm a gay Christian, but I heavily despise those who constantly use the Bible as a reason to dislike the LGBTQ+ community, as if they're so much better than everyone. Do I believe that all Christians hate us? No, because there are some who love us and are allies. If you're a baseball fan who thinks that disliking LGBTQ+ people and making jokes about them is acceptable, then you're not a real baseball fan in my eyes. I've seen this kind of hate firsthand on social media and had to recently block a page on Facebook because of that reason. You can't be a baseball and a bigot. Gay baseball fans like myself do exist and I shouldn't have to state that fact. We're not going to tone down our true selves to make you feel comfortable. Either support us fully or not at all. Also, the stereotyping of us has to stop. I'm going to nip those in the bud in this story right now. Kindness never goes out of style and it's also free. Baseball is everyone's sport and Blake Treinen is already the most hated player in baseball at the moment.

https://vocal.media/pride/billy-bean-will-finally-be-honored