Toronto Blue Jays Cut Player Who Defended Anti-Queer Post
The Toronto Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass, 35, on Friday, after he drew backlash and boos from fans for reposting a video on Instagram that called Target and Bud Light “evil” and “demonic” for being supportive of the L.G.B.T.Q.
community. The Blue Jays announced on Friday that they had designated Bass for assignment, effectively cutting him from the team, just hours before he was set to catch a ceremonial first pitch to kick off the team’s Pride Weekend for a series against the Minnesota Twins.
Last month, Bass reposted a video on Instagram that called for boycotting both Target and Bud Light, which have recently drawn the ire of conservatives, Bud Light for featuring a transgender influencer in a social media promotion, and Target for promoting its Pride collection, which included clothes and books for children.
The video, which came from a Bible-themed Instagram page, was briefly posted by Bass to his Instagram Story in late May. After the post caused blowback, Bass told reporters that he apologized for sharing the post because it was “hurtful to the Pride community.” Bass said that he was going to work with the team to “make better decisions moving forward.” “The ballpark is for everybody,” Bass said. “We include all fans at the ballpark, and we want to welcome everybody.” The backlash toward Bass was the latest instance of a Major League Baseball team running into issues with the L.B.G.T.Q.
