NEW YORK _ Outfielder David Denson was on the baseball field in Geneva, Ill., with the Brewers' Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers three weeks ago when he learned that a gunman had opened fire at a nightclub frequented by members of the LGBT community in Orlando, Fla. The death toll of 49 was the highest because of violence in the nation since the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
Denson, the first openly gay player on a Major League Baseball-affiliated team, became distraught. "It was very heartbreaking, it was hard for me to take it in," Denson, 21, said by phone Wednesday. "I was sad, hurt, a lot of emotions at once. It doesn't make sense that it takes something like that for people to open their eyes and say we are families, we have to stick together. Where was that before any of this happened? Two months from now are we still going to be talking about this or are we going to throw it under the rug and go about your day."
That will not happen under the watch of Centereach's David Kilmnick, CEO of the LGBT Network. He has been instrumental in planning Pride Night at Citi Field on Aug. 13, when the Mets host the Padres.
The idea for Pride Night at Citi Field began at Molloy College in Rockville Centre last year when Kilmnick met with Billy Bean, MLB's Ambassador of Inclusion. Bean, not to be confused with the Oakland A's general manager, came out in 1999, four years after the conclusion of his career with the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres.
The Mets were immediately receptive. Lou DePaoli, executive vice president and chief revenue officer of the club, said, "Living in such a diverse area like New York how can you not offer something that is going to be this inclusive? We welcome all fans throughout the year, every year. So we're not taking any political stand or anything like that. It's the right thing to do." More than 40,000 fans are expected to attend the game, DePaoli said.
A portion of the proceeds from tickets purchased on mets.com/pride will go to anti-bullying programs. Several teams in major league baseball have held pride nights or similar events dedicated to the LGBT community. The WNBA Liberty has sponsored similar events. Other area teams have not yet announced any plans for the 2016-17 season.
