San Diego Padres and LGBT Groups Join Forces in Show of Solidarity
Join San Diego Pride as we team up with the Padres for the best OUT at the Park yet, as the Padres take on the Miami Marlins at 7:10 pm on Friday, April 21st at Petco Park.San Diego Pride’s event at Petco Park has been a community favorite for LGBT families and Padres fans for many years. Unfortunately, at last year’s event, a technical error resulted in a recorded female soloist singing the National Anthem instead of the 100 San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus members who had gathered to sing in center field. Emerging out of this incident has come a deeper dialogue between the San Diego Padres and the LGBT community, which has primed San Diego for what promises to be the best OUT at the Park to date.
“The San Diego Padres have been amazing! They partnered with our LGBT community this past year to make incredible things happen. The Padres have now set the gold standard for LGBT inclusion among all professional sports. We are so proud to return to Petco Park to sing the National Anthem together with them and our entire community,” said Bob Lehman, Executive Director, San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus.
“The Padres are grateful to San Diego Pride and the San Diego Gay Men’s chorus for their guidance and collaboration in strengthening our relationship with the LGBT community over the past 10 months,” said Padres Vice President of Community Relations Sue Botos. “We are proud of the partnership that has grown from a series of very honest and genuine conversations, and we look forward to standing together at Petco Park in April.”
This year’s event promises greater visibility and support for San Diego’s LGBT community. Each $25 OUT at the Park ticket purchase includes a seat in our OUT at the Park section*, a commemorative Padres hat**, $5 donation to San Diego Pride or the America’s Finest City Softball League and access to the pre-game VIP space in Park at the Park (food and drinks not included).
Guests are invited to arrive early to enjoy our pre-game, family-friendly “Tailgate Party” happy hour event in our VIP space from 5-7 pm in Park at the Park. The event is in conjunction with CocktailFest, featuring openly gay DJ Will Z. Participants will then be seated with our group to watch history in the making as San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, the San Diego Women’s Chorus, San Diego Pride, and Padres staff perform the National Anthem together on the field. The Padres have committed to increased LGBT visibility by flying the rainbow flag over Petco Park, decorating the “Tailgate Party” and group seating areas with rainbows, and highlighting our community through the HD video board and guest participation with the use of #OATP.
“This nation needs to see that beyond our biggest challenges we can make great strides if we are willing to cross sometimes uncomfortable barriers and build bridges of understanding. San Diego Pride remains committed to bringing people together and educating the broader community about the struggles LGBT people face every day. Together, we can accomplish that at a parade, a festival, a rally, a classroom, and even a ball game as we all pursue justice with joy,” said Fernando Lopez, San Diego Pride Director of Operations.
Get your tickets now at Padres.com/pride
After the game join us for the official OATP after party at Rich’s! Bring your eticket, ticket stub, or wear your rainbow Padres hat to get in FREE before midnight!
*subject to availability
**The first 1,500 fans to purchase Padres OUT at the Park tickets will receive a commemorative hat