Every day, Chandelle Loop drives to and from work on State Route 22, right past Angel Stadium. In recent weeks, she’s seen an unmistakable advertisement for a “Christmas in June” giveaway later this month.

Loop is the director of community engagement at the LGBT Center of Orange County, one of the largest LGBTQ groups in the area. She’s worked directly with the Angels in the hopes of establishing a meaningful and consistently robust Pride event. In recent years, she said, that hasn’t happened.

Advertisement

The Angels advertise Christmas in June. They had a “Country Weekend” in mid-May, which came with a giveaway one night and a postgame concert the next. They had a “Beach Weekend” a week later.

But as Pride Month begins amid a turbulent time in baseball for LGBTQ+ acceptance, she said the Angels’ June 7 event appears to be bare bones.

The Angels will offer a Pride Night ticket package that comes with a rainbow hat, with a portion of the ticket proceeds going to OC Pride, a non-profit located in Santa Ana. The Angels said they will have several local LGBTQ+ organizations setting up booths for fans to visit outside Gate 5 on Wednesday. The team said the groups “will be on hand to provide resources and help raise awareness and promote acceptance in the LGBTQ+ community.”

Head to the Big A on Wednesday, June 7th for Pride Night!

Purchase your tickets at to receive an exclusive Pride Night hat. Proceeds from each ticket purchase will benefit OC Pride!

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 10, 2023

The Angels declined to say which groups will be in attendance, noting the list isn’t finalized.

They will not have any on-field recognition of the event that will be visible to the entire crowd. Country Weekend, for example, had a pre-game performance. Beach Weekend had topical scoreboard graphics. Pride Nights across the league typically have in-game gestures for the whole crowd to see. Last season, the Angels did little to recognize the event with in-game signage.

Loop said an Angels representative contacted her about helping to sell tickets, but not to connect about the actual event.

“Ideally they would have equal marketing for a night that is celebrating Christmas in June as it would be for Pride Night,” Loop said. “Ideally (they) would be working with local LGBTQ organizations on what a Pride Night should look like and how to get the community connected and involved instead of just selling them tickets. Ideally, there would be some recognition that it’s Pride Night on the actual field itself.”

Advertisement

The Angels held their first Pride Night in 2019, making them one of the last MLB teams to host one. The Texas Rangers infamously still don’t have a Pride event of any kind.

MLB has been embroiled in a controversy over the Dodgers inviting, then disinviting, then re-inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be a part of their Pride Night ceremony on June 16. The Dodgers, however, have typically had robust Pride events that included wearing jerseys in-game with rainbow lettering. And while there has been messiness surrounding their event in recent weeks, they’ve typically partnered with numerous local LGBTQ+ organizations that have been recognized at the ballpark during the event. Their night consists of honoring activists and organizations in various ways throughout the game — a stark contrast to the Angels’ event.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be in attendance at Angels Stadium for Pride Night on June 7. But it was at the invitation of Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken. The Angels played no part in, and had no comment on, the group’s attendance at Angel Stadium.

🏳️‍🌈 I’m inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join me for @Angels Pride Night at Anaheim Stadium on June 7. Pride should be inclusive and like many, I was disappointed in the Dodgers decision. #CityofKindness #Anaheim

— Mayor Ashleigh Aitken (@AshleighAitken) May 20, 2023

The team told The Athletic that all fans are welcome at the stadium when asked about the mayor’s invitation, but did not acknowledge the group itself.

Aitken, meanwhile, rolled out the welcome mat.

“I think it’s important for me as the mayor of a large city, and a city that has a very diverse population that includes members of the LGBTQ community, that we lead with a message of inclusivity,” Aitken told The Athletic in a phone interview. “And when there is a tough decision or a tough call to be made, we always air on the side of making sure that we’re being inclusive.”

Advertisement

OC Pride is set to collect a portion of the proceeds from the event. The group did not respond to an interview request, and it is unclear what portion of the proceeds will go to the group. It’s also unclear if other LGBTQ+ groups will be included.

Michael Autcher, the president of the Orange County Gay Men’s Chorus, said the group has sung the anthem for the Anaheim Ducks and will on Saturday for Orange County SC. The chorus was in discussions to perform at Angel Stadium, he said, but were told they had to pay for tickets in order to sing.  This is a typical practice for groups of anthem performers at Angel Stadium.

Autcher said at other events, no charge was required when they were invited to perform.

“The point of Pride Night shouldn’t be a ploy to sell more tickets,” Autcher said.

“It is about promoting the community. And it’s a two-way street. Exposing the community to events they may not normally feel welcomed to go to. But also those patrons that are there to begin with should understand that we’re all one community, and maybe learn a couple things.”

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a group that, according to their website, “have devoted ourselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment.”

The group has been criticized for using imagery of the Catholic religion to make a point about the hypocrisy they say exists within the religion. The group says it uses “humor and irreverent” wit to make its point in a satirical way.

Mayor Aitken is a Catholic. She was raised that way and attended various Catholic institutions, including Boston College, for her education. She views the purpose of inviting the Sisters as a way to welcome all people of all backgrounds and orientations, which serves as a main purpose for having a Pride Night.

Advertisement

“My faith calls me to stick up for a group that was being singled out by people that have a larger national bully pulpit,” Aitken said. “They weren’t being singled out for their 40-plus years of ministering to the sick and the dying. I felt like I was doing the right thing.

“I understand why people disagree with the method of their message’s delivery and are uncomfortable with satire or don’t understand the satire. Obviously it’s not my intent to upset anyone. I’m just trying to draw attention to the positive work that they do.”

The Angels do not plan to recognize the group.

Baseball has never had an active major leaguer come out publicly. Even those who did so post-retirement can be counted on one hand. Billy Bean, Glenn Burke and TJ House all came out after they retired.

And the current political environment toward the LGBTQ+ community environment hasn’t aided in fostering a more inclusive environment. Last season, five Rays players declined to wear Pride-themed patches. This year, Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass called for boycotts of companies supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives, for which he later apologized. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw spoke out against his organization inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their Pride game, saying he had issues with the group’s use of Catholic imagery.

There is a spectrum of how teams actually conduct Pride Nights across the league. For example, the Giants will give away rainbow jerseys to 20,000 fans who purchase any ticket, not just as part of a ticket package. They’ll also recognize the San Francisco Gay Softball League’s 50th anniversary.

The Mets had Pride-themed signage across the ballpark last year and sold Pride merchandise throughout their team stores. They also had queer musicians perform and gay former MLB umpire Dale Scott do a book signing.

Advertisement

The Mariners have a postgame Pride-themed fireworks show, and said they “are committed to using our platform to amplify the voices of the marginalized and to advocate for systemic change, leading to positive outcomes and an increased allocation of resources for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.”

“Visibility is important. If you’re going to keep it not visible, then there’s almost no point in doing a Pride Night,” Loop said. “Because the visibility is what the community needs.

“The community needs to know that the Angels aren’t just selling tickets and wanting to have their dollars. But that the Angels actually stand up for the community and support them. Let them know that if they are queer, they can still play baseball.”

(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)