Warriors Celebrate Diversity With LGBTQ Pride Night
Prior to hosting the Toronto Raptors at their home stadium on Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors celebrated the LGBTQ community with a Pride Night at the Oracle Arena.
The event was a salute to diversity and inclusion by the Warriors, as fans were given commemorative t-shirts and the Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus sang the national anthem.
Warriors President and COO Rick Welts was the first openly gay NBA executive in the league and has continually emphasised the importance of acceptance and progression in the sport of basketball.
The LGBTQ Pride Night marked the first time a defending NBA champion has hosted such an event.
During his pregame press conference, Golden State head coach Steve Kerr offered his thoughts on why he felt it was important for the Warriors to extend a welcoming hand to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities in the Bay Area.
Kerr said, “I want to say first of all that I’m proud to be part of an organization and to live in a region, an area, that really embraces diversity. I think there has never been a more important time in our country to respect the person next to you, regardless of race, creed, color, sexual preference, sexual identity.
I’m really encouraged by my kids’ experience here in California, growing up, just in terms of acceptance. It seems like the young generation is learning more and more about it. We all just are who we are. We’re all individuals, and what makes our country great is our diversity. The fact that we can respect each other, work together and embrace each other — I think it’s an important night for us, and we welcome everybody in the LGBTQ community.”
Kerr, a five-time NBA champion during his playing career and now a two-time champion as the head coach of the Warriors, has over the last year become one of the sport’s most prominent progressive voices on social and political matters. He ended his pregame comments by making a suggestion — a challenge, of sorts — to those who might be heading into the area:
“Maybe if you’re coming to the game tonight and your child says, ‘What does that mean?’ … you know, explain it to them. Explain to them the importance of loving the person next to you, respecting them no matter who they are and where they come from. They’re human beings. We’re all human beings. We’re all in this together.”