Major League Baseball to ban anti-gay bias
Major League Baseball took a major step Tuesday to help any closeted gay player if he chooses to come out while still active on the field.
MLB announced that its new Collective Bargaining Agreement will prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, as reported by the New York Daily News.
The National Football League made the same change in September.
“I think this is an important step forward for MLB,” said Brian Redar, a gay baseball fan from Chicago. “Not only does it add needed protections for gay and lesbian employees, it sends a message to fans that discrimination in the sport will not be tolerated. It is inevitable that an active Major League Baseball player will come out soon and I think this will help make that process easier.”
Several MLB teams this year released an “It Gets Better” video after the San Francisco Giants were the first. The Cubs were among the teams that produced an “It Gets Better” video and the Cubs also were a major sponsor of the Gay Softball World Series, held in Chicago this summer.
The White Sox have not released an “It Gets Better” video, nor did the team sponsor the Gay Softball World Series, even though local organizers repeatedly requested the team’s involvement and one of the Sox players (Gordon Beckham) jokingly wrote an anti-gay message (GETZ IS GAY) in the infield dirt during a game this year to friend and former teammate Chris Getz.
Getz is straight, and no active MLB player or coach is out.
Laura Ricketts is a co-owner of the Cubs, and she is believed to be the first openly gay owner of a major-league sports franchise.