Posted on 08/13/2003 7:05:30 AM PDT by Keen-Minded
PHILADELPHIA - OK, so when the Phillie Phanatic bumbled into section 508, a woman threw a rainbow flag onto the fuzzy, green mascot. At that moment, a guy wondered aloud: "Maybe the Phanatic's gay."
Hmmm. Eyebrows arched.
It seemed like a typical night at Veterans Stadium. But something was oh so different. Some called last night's Phillies game historic. Some ignored it. Some embraced it. Some scoffed.
The Phillies hosted a franchise first - Gay Community Night. Nearly 800 spectators crowded into eight upper-deck sections designated for gay and lesbian groups along the first-base line. The rainbow colors - a gay symbol - were prolific up there. An openly gay man even threw out the first pitch.
What to make of this?
A couple Phillies players offered no comment. Jay Leno wisecracked about the Phillies on the Tonight Show two nights ago. And Phillies manager Larry Bowa knew what a reporter implied when asked: "What do you think about tonight?"
Bowa responded: "It's none of my business. It came out of promotions. I have enough to handle down here."
Fair enough. But if you trekked into sections 508-511 or 607-610 - the gay community sections - a triumphant vibe bubbled.
"It's historic," said Scott Grether, who wore Phillies pins all over his Phillies shirt, along with donning a Pat Burrell charm around a necklace. "It's about time."
Grether, who drove down from Allentown with two friends, said Burrell is his favorite Phillie.
Because of Burrell's looks?
"Mostly," Grether said, laughing. "Then Jim Thome is second and Mike Lieberthal is third."
Grether howled when the giant scoreboard in right-centerfield flashed a message just before the game: "Gay Community Night." And as the game started, a man danced with a rainbow flag. "We're here, we're queer, give us cold beer," yelled showboating Ted Feral of West Philadelphia.
Like the Phillies, Ted?
"Don't ask him. Ask a lesbian," blurted Elise Betz of Philadelphia.
"I've been coming to Phillies games since I was 2 years old," Betz said. "Too many years passed without a gay day."
Not all would concur. "I feel uncomfortable," said Anthony Raffa of South Philly. Raffa and several buddies sat in section 507, near many gays and lesbians. "But not uncomfortable if it's two girls, only when it's two guys."
His friend Michael Lerro agreed. "I don't like seeing the flag," he said. "The Vet is for family, not for that."
The Phillies hosted Gay Community Night after several gay and lesbian organizations proposed the idea in the offseason. There are similar promotions in other big league ballparks in Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco and Florida.
"There are some people who are upset," said Phillies marketing publicist John Brazer. "Nobody is throwing their lifestyle in anybody's face. They are coming out to enjoy a game just as any group would."
Three groups - the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and the Philadelphia chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association - sponsored the event. "There is no political agenda," Brazer said. "We were very comfortable doing this."
Still, backlash surfaced. The Phillies received dozens of e-mails protesting the promotion. Critics called up radio shows condemning the event.
And down in the Vet's lower level, Michael Unger of New York asked: "What makes a baseball stadium a place to have Gay Community Night?"
Meanwhile, this has been a year of gay victories, from the Episcopal Church electing a gay bishop to popular gay-themed TV shows to the Massachusetts Supreme Court readying a ruling on whether to allow gay marriages. Add to this: welcoming gays at a Phillies game.
"I wouldn't have a problem taking my grandchildren here if they're here," said Joe Spina of Deptford, N.J., as he nestled into his 300-level seat. "It's not a negative thing."
Anthony Stitt can be reached at 215-949-4209 or astitt@phillyBurbs.com.
August 13, 2003 7:23 AM
Was it, "May I push your stool in for you?" ???
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