Padres under fire for mishandling gay chorus' anthem
May 23, 2016 - 2:11 AM SAN DIEGO (AP) The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus is criticizing the San Diego Padres for mishandling the group's scheduled performance of the national anthem.The chorus said on its Facebook page that 100 of its members gathered to perform the song before the game Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers when the Padres instead played the recorded voice of a woman singing the anthem. Their statement said no attempt was made to stop the recording and that the group received ''homophobic taunts'' while being escorted off the field.
Chorus members called for the Padres and Major League Baseball to investigate whether anyone intentionally played a woman's voice ''with the purpose of denigrating and/or ridiculing gay men.''
The Padres issued a statement Saturday night saying a mistake was made that prevented the chorus from performing and that ''we apologize to anyone in the ballpark who this may have offended.'' The Padres said they'd reached out to the chorus ''to express our deep regret for the error.''
Billy Bean, an MLB vice president for social responsibility and inclusion, tweeted Sunday that ''it was very unfortunate that there was a technical error'' that prevented the chorus from performing but added that the Padres ''have supported our inclusion message at MLB without hesitation.'' Bean, a former Padres player, revealed he was gay in 1999, four years after his final major league season.
No one has shouted yet.
Be the first!
Be the first!
Related News
- Update: Padres officially sign reliever Yuki Matsui to five-year deal Dec 23
- Padres notes: Luis Patino brought back, Victor Rodriguez next hitting coach Dec 22
- Good Morning San Diego: Could Padres trade Ha-Seong Kim, Jake Cronenworth? Dec 22
- Good Morning San Diego: Who is new Padres reliever Yuki Matsui? Dec 21
- Good Morning San Diego: Braves release Matt Carpenter after Padres trade Dec 19
- The Padres have spent $0 in free agency and that’s okay Dec 18
- Good Morning San Diego: Padres trade Matt Carpenter to Braves Dec 18
- Padres trade Matt Carpenter, Ray Kerr and cash to Braves Dec 15
- Former Padre Michael Wacha signing with the Royals Dec 15
- Padres can’t think with their heart about Ha-Seong Kim Dec 15
- Good Morning San Diego: Padres still looking for next big free agency move Dec 14
- Good Morning San Diego: Juan Soto ‘more than excited’ to join Yankees after Padres trade Dec 13