Toronto Blue Jays Cut Player for Not Being “Pro-LGBTQ2S+ Enough”

The Toronto Blue Jays have cut relief pitcher Anthony Bass for not being “pro-LGBTQ2S+ enough,” making him the first player in major-league history to be DFA’ed for associating with traditional biblical morality. While Bass had a mediocre year, with a 4.95 ERA, he had a stellar 2022 season with a 1.54 ERA and had recently given up only two runs and struck out twelve in ten innings of work. Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins cited Bass’s performance as the primary factor in his release, but acknowledged that the “distraction” caused by his comments played a role. On May 29, Bass shared a video from a Bible-themed Instagram page supporting the boycotts of Bud Light and Target. In response to the uproar, he apologized and promised to do better, but that wasn’t enough. The final straw came when he tried to explain himself again, saying that he stands by his personal beliefs and that everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. The demand on Bass was not to say bland and nice things, but to repudiate part of his belief system as a Christian. The Toronto Star talked to a bi/pansexual Blue Jays fan who took exception to the notion of the controversy being a mere distraction, saying that it was something far more serious to the LGBTQ2S+ community. The Blue Jays embraced Pride Month with a rainbow-flag-jersey giveaway, a video feature on a bisexual college baseball player from Ontario, the presentation of an outsize Blue Jays Progress Pride flag on the field, and additional gender-neutral bathrooms. The team also planned “Pride-themed activities, photo opportunities, drag queen performances, and celebratory décor and atmosphere around the ballpark, including the exterior roof lit in rainbow colours.”