Chicago Cubs welcome gay and lesbian fans to Friendly Confines
Sun. August 4, 2013 2:56 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
Chicago, IL -
Nearly 350 gay and lesbian fans watched the Chicago Cubs take on the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday as part of Out at Wrigley, the largest LGBT-attended major league sports event.
For this year's occasion, the Chicago Cubs raised two gay Pride flags above the upper deck.
"We're so proud to host this event for the 13th year in a row," Chicago Cubs co-owner, board member and Chicago Cubs Charities chair Laura Ricketts told ChicagoPride.com before the game. "We're immensely proud to be flying the Pride flag above Wrigley Field."
This is only the most recent in a long line of open support by the Cubs for the LGBT community. The organization's rich history has earned them a place in the National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class of 26 on Friday at the Center on Halsted.
"The Chicago Cubs are without a doubt the most LGBT friendly sports organization," said event organizer and Hall of Fame executive director Bill Gubrud.
Out at Wrigley began over a decade ago and has grown continuously ever since. The event began as a way of marketing and welcoming Chicago's LGBT community to Wrigley Field, which is located near to Chicago's Boystown neighborhood.
"The LGBT community happens to be a big part of the Cubs community. We have a lot of LGBT fans and, of course, it's important to me personally because I happen to be a part of the LGBT community," said Ricketts, who became the first openly gay Major League Baseball owner when her family took over ownership of the Cubs from the Tribune Company in 2009. "For me its an incredible source of pride and it's very humbling."
Out-singer Adam LeBlanc, of the local band 16 Candles, performed the National Anthem and Brandon Benefield threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Both LeBlanc and Benefield were selected during contests that were held at gay bars across the city over the last three months.
This year's sponsors included Anheuser Busch, ChicagoPride.com, Gay Chicago TV, Grab Magazine, Windy City Media Group, The L Stop, Crew, DS Tequila, Music Plant Group and Best Gay Chicago, with the Center on Halsted and the Sports Hall of Fame being named as the beneficiaries of Out at Wrigley 2013.
The host committee included Gubrud, Jackie Weinberg, Steve Milford, Brian Wells, John Dalton, Phil DaBeatz and Lizzy Bristow.
The Cubs lost to the Dodges on Saturday, 3 - 0.
Related: LGBT athletes inducted into National Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame
For this year's occasion, the Chicago Cubs raised two gay Pride flags above the upper deck.
"We're so proud to host this event for the 13th year in a row," Chicago Cubs co-owner, board member and Chicago Cubs Charities chair Laura Ricketts told ChicagoPride.com before the game. "We're immensely proud to be flying the Pride flag above Wrigley Field."
This is only the most recent in a long line of open support by the Cubs for the LGBT community. The organization's rich history has earned them a place in the National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class of 26 on Friday at the Center on Halsted.
"The Chicago Cubs are without a doubt the most LGBT friendly sports organization," said event organizer and Hall of Fame executive director Bill Gubrud.
Out at Wrigley began over a decade ago and has grown continuously ever since. The event began as a way of marketing and welcoming Chicago's LGBT community to Wrigley Field, which is located near to Chicago's Boystown neighborhood.
"The LGBT community happens to be a big part of the Cubs community. We have a lot of LGBT fans and, of course, it's important to me personally because I happen to be a part of the LGBT community," said Ricketts, who became the first openly gay Major League Baseball owner when her family took over ownership of the Cubs from the Tribune Company in 2009. "For me its an incredible source of pride and it's very humbling."
Out-singer Adam LeBlanc, of the local band 16 Candles, performed the National Anthem and Brandon Benefield threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Both LeBlanc and Benefield were selected during contests that were held at gay bars across the city over the last three months.
This year's sponsors included Anheuser Busch, ChicagoPride.com, Gay Chicago TV, Grab Magazine, Windy City Media Group, The L Stop, Crew, DS Tequila, Music Plant Group and Best Gay Chicago, with the Center on Halsted and the Sports Hall of Fame being named as the beneficiaries of Out at Wrigley 2013.
The host committee included Gubrud, Jackie Weinberg, Steve Milford, Brian Wells, John Dalton, Phil DaBeatz and Lizzy Bristow.
The Cubs lost to the Dodges on Saturday, 3 - 0.
Related: LGBT athletes inducted into National Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame