MLB Stud Creates Queer Playlist for Game in Honor of Pride Night and We CANNOT ‘Calm Down’

Look, there are all sorts of ways straight allies can show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. They can show up to rallies, they can vote for pro-LGBTQ+ candidates, and they speak out when they hear casual anti-Queer rhetoric from their peers, just to name a few. But if you're New York Mets star Mark Canha, then you make one hell of a Queer playlist as your walk-up music during the game.

Mark Canha is a Pride Night icon.#LGM #LFGM pic.twitter.com/4sViI40aFE

— Matthew Searle (@searlebaseball) June 17, 2023

Who was Canha's go-to for the LGBTQ+ fans? Diana Ross, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Whitney Houston, obvi. If you're not familiar with Major League Baseball, the "walk-up music" is the music the stadium plays after announcing a player is coming up to bat. And to the fans' delight and cheers, Canha walked up to:

- You Need to Calm Down
- Born This Way
- Vogue
- I'm Coming Out
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody

MARK CANHA SAID YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/96f7ayOWkj

— Julia (@jquadddddd) June 16, 2023

The move also comes after a pro-LGBTQ+ tweet from Canha received backlash from a bunch of ignorant morons. Canha tweeted, "Get pumped for Pride Night at Citi Field tonight! Come celebrate love with the @Mets ❤️" which received the expected variants of "save the children" and accusations of forcing "sex" into baseball, ignoring the fact that sex was never mentioned in his tweet.

Get pumped for Pride Night at Citi Field tonight! Come celebrate love with the @Mets ❤️ pic.twitter.com/XcxoehI6jc

— Mark Canha (@outtadapakmark) June 16, 2023

Canha, who is one of the most outspoken supporters of the LGBTQ+ community in Major League Baseball, said Pride Night is one of his favorite nights because they're an "important and fun time for [him] personally." He also directly calls out how much he loves the LGBTQ+ community specifically, saying, "It's a community I have a soft spot in my heart for."

Pride Night is TOMORROW at @CitiField! @outtadapakmark is excited to celebrate with you all. pic.twitter.com/c0Xx4yr7YQ

— New York Mets (@Mets) June 15, 2023

It's been an up-and-down last few months for major league sports, no more so than for the MLB. The Los Angeles Dodgers invited, then uninvited, then apologized and re-invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be their honored guests to receive a "Community Hero Award" for their decades of community service and activism. In another incident, former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass was booed multiple times after he posted on social media supporting the boycotts of Bud Light and Target. He later apologized.

Anthony Bass comes into the game, greeted by a couple of separate choruses of boos. #Bluejays pic.twitter.com/NM3IpEA91i

— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness) June 1, 2023

In another incident, the Boston Red Sox brought Matt Dermody a minor league pitcher up to the majors, only to find out he had Tweeted, "#PrideMonth. Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. They will go to hell. This is not my opinion, but the #Truth. Read 1 Corinthians 6:9. May we all examine our hearts, ask Jesus to forgive us and repent of all our sins. I love you all in Christ Jesus!" They brought him in only a few days before their own Pride Night, which lead to an onslaught of backlash from the Sox's pro-LGBTQ+ fans. Though the team balked at first, they ended up releasing him after discovering more problematic tweets from the pitcher.

It's refreshing to see such vocal supporters of Queer people in major league sports. The impact that has on making sports more accessible to all fans is immeasurable, and we hope this leads to a trend in sports becoming at the forefront of progress, rather than a hindrance.

Happy Pride Month to everyone, but most especially to Mark Canha!

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