Philadelphia Phillies “kiss cam” mocks gay couples
Lisa on Jun 22nd 2007
Last week, I got to touch a little bit on straight privilege. This past weekend, I had an experience that reminded me, yet again, why it is so important that we ALL take action when we see injustice, no matter how big or small it may be.
A friend of mine is a huge Detroit Tigers fan, and on Sunday, we drove to Philadelphia to catch the Tigers play the Phillies. One of the most amusing parts of baseball games is the various “cams” they have on the Jumbotron… you know, the dance cam, the wave-your-hats cam, and the kiss cam. Fun, right? Except this time, when the Phillies “kiss cam,” after showing various (straight) couples smooching, zoomed in on two men and the crowd erupted into laughter. I was not amused, and told the Phillies public relations office myself in a letter:
I’m writing to express my disappointment about an incident that occurred on Sunday, June 17, at the game against the Tigers. The “kiss cam” that’s used to entertain fans is supposed to be a lighthearted, fun moment for the crowd to enjoy. On Sunday, your kiss cam (after a few minutes of showing lovely couples pecking) zoomed in on two men standing next to each other, and the crowd erupted in laughter. “Why is that funny?” I wondered to myself. What if they DID kiss? Would it still be funny? Would their love still be a joke, not recognized as the same commitment as any of the other couples your kiss cam featured? Or would the crowd be so stunned that *gasp* some men kiss men that the stadium would’ve been silent? But instead, your kiss cam operator thought it would be amusing to mock gay people (a group that has it hard enough without being ridiculed during a national pastime). I am very disappointed that your stadium would condone such behavior from its employees.
I would’ve reveled in delight, had the cameraperson actually tried to be inclusive of gays and lesbians, and those two men had kissed. Instead, families like mine are a laughingstock at your stadium. I don’t think it’s funny, and I won’t be attending any more Phillies games (and I’m glad the Tigers won).
Regards,
Lisa Bahr
Now, I realize that the Phillies “kiss cam” is not the biggest threat to equality. But it’s little pieces like this that add up to the big puzzle. That email took me three minutes to write, and now someone at the Phillies is going to think twice about how to be inclusive of our families. It is absolutely vital that every single one of us takes action when we feel unsafe or threatened; the only thing that’s going to change this country is changing hearts and minds of the people in it.
Filed in general |
David –
I’m not sure I agree with you that any blame should be assigned to the Phillies or the camera operator. In fact, I applaud them for showing two men kissing. Why shouldn’t they, and what about doing that is a joke? To my mind, they are being inclusive.
The fact that the audience laughed isn’t their fault.
At least the audience didn’t boo and start a riot. Maybe laughter isn’t the reaction we would hope for, but, neither we nor the Phillies can make an audience react one way or another.
I think jumbotron’s SHOULD show gays kissing just like they show anyone else. Over time, maybe the laughter will change to cheers.
My two cents.
But the guys weren’t kissing. They were just two “straight seeming” macho guys that didn’t even know each other but were sitting together.
Oops. David — I totally missed the that the guys were just *standing* there.
Sorry about that. I think I should refrain from leaving comments in the morning until after my secong cup of coffee.
I totally agree with you.