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Thursday’s home game against the New York Giants will mark the Washington soccer team’s first divisional game of the season.
It will also be a benchmark for the franchise.
Washington will welcome the LGBTQ community with an official Pride Night, an NFL rarity and a first for the team. The Detroit Lions hosted a similar event in 2019. The news comes months after Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib announced himself as the league’s first openly gay active player, a milestone for the NFL and American sports.
What does it mean?
The Washington football team has reserved blocks of tickets at different prices throughout FedEx Field for Pride Party attendees to watch the game together. The team will also be hosting a pre-game party with beer, wine and food for Pride Night guests.
According to the Washington Metro Weekly, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and LGBTQ DC’s Different Drummers marching band will perform at the game. According to the Washington Blade, the Washington football team will join the Capitals, Wizards, Mystics, Kastles, Spirit, Prodigy, DC United, Old Glory DC and Citi Open to host Pride Night events in conjunction with organizer Team DC. The Nationals have also organized similar events.
Why is this important?
Pride Night events like the one in Washington provide football fans in the LGBTQ community with a sense of welcome and inclusion that is not always present in sports arenas.
“Building those relationships is important and who knows where it leads when you’re greeted in a positive way,” DC team organizer Brent Minor told The Blade. “When you can break down a barrier between the LGBTQ community and the NFL, it’s rarefied air.”
Minor said his organization had considered hosting events with the franchise, but had waited for the team to change its name to host Thursday’s event.
“We don’t want these community nights to be just a monetary transaction, we want to build bridges and encourage inclusion. “
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