Banned Lesbian Kisses at Professional Sporting Events in the News (Again)

This time the offending lesbians are Minnesota Twins fans who dared to indulge in a peck on the lips that was witnessed by a Twins security guard. He promptly warned them that their behavior was unacceptable and that the 10 commandments applied during Twins ballgames. Not kidding. Read about it here and here.

This is not the first time that lesbian spectators kissing at sporting events has created a stir among ball park personnel. In 2001, two lesbian fans were actually kicked out of an LA Dodger game by a security guard for kissing.

Then there was the controversy at Washington Mystics games over the prohibition on featuring lesbian or gay couples in the ever-popular (and stupid) Kiss Cam. Read my blog about that one here.

At a time when pro teams are making It Gets Better videos and sponsoring Gay Nights at the baseball park, maybe professional sports teams need to do some training with their security personnel about the inappropriateness of imposing their personal prejudices on fans at a public event. It would be one thing if a sports franchise instituted a no PDA policy in the ballpark for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation (pretty dumb idea, but fair), it’s entirely another when only same-sex couples are targeted for expressions of affection that are completely unremarkable when engaged in by heterosexual couples.

Nonetheless, this latest incident gives me the opportunity to repost one of my personal favorite blog posts on the topic when the same thing happened to a lesbian couple at a Seattle Mariners game in 2008. Enjoy it here.