The overly macho attitude seemingly inherent in professional sports has left its mark on queer athletes and sports fans. In 2015, in fact, a study on homophobia in sports declared the U.S. the worst place to be a gay athlete, and those who eventually come out often cite fear as the reason they stayed in the closet for so long. But that all could be changing, as is clear from the reaction from the crowd to a gay couple who got engaged at a Major League Baseball game on Friday, Queerty reports.
At first, it looked like one of the men was just lucky enough to win a prize baseball, handed to him by the Washington Nationals' mascot, Screech. But when the man looked down at the baseball, looked up at his boyfriend, and mouthed the words "oh my god," it was clear there's something more important going on. Seconds later, his boyfriend pulled out a ring and dropped to one knee.
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As happy as the video is when you're just looking at the two men (Tyler and Ty, according to the Nationals' Facebook page), it's the reaction from the crowd that makes this surprise engagement so special. The crowd erupted into cheers when the man who proposed got down on one knee, and several people in the background stood up to give the couple a standing ovation after it was clear that the answer was, "yes."
Screech, who was instrumental in orchestrating this proposal, gave them a big hug when the moment was over.
This is how queer couples should always feel — celebrated and loved. While we're willing to bet there were a few people in the stands that night who weren't as happy to see two men get engaged and (shock!) kiss each other, the vast majority were thrilled. And we'll take that as a sign that life as a queer person is getting a little bit better.
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