Blue Jays pitcher 'truly sorry' for sharing anti-LGBTQ2S+ video
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Anthony Bass said he is “truly sorry” for sharing a controversial anti-LGBTQ2S+ video on Instagram.
“I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine and I'm truly sorry for that,” Bass said while addressing the media Tuesday afternoon.
- Watch Anthony Bass' full statement in the video player above
On Monday morning, Bass shared a video on his Instagram story from @dudewithgoodnews, a user who posts daily devotionals to his feed, which encouraged those of Christian faith to boycott Target and take no part in their business.
Tagging Target in the caption, the user says they will expose the retailer’s “works of darkness.”
“For those who don’t know, Target has begun pushing the message of transitioning to young people and teamed up with a Satanist to push pro-Satan clothing and pins to children. The enemy isn’t even hiding anymore,” the caption reads, calling the merchandise “evil” and “demonic” in the video.
After receiving a wave of backlash for sharing the video, Bass told reporters, “The ballpark is for everybody.”
“I just spoke with my teammates and shared with them my actions yesterday and apologized with them, and as of right now, I’m using Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself and make better decisions moving forward,” he said.
Blue Jays Manager John Schneider said Bass’ actions don’t reflect the team’s views as an organization.
“An apology for one person goes so far and we're gonna continue to do everything that we have done in the past to help support the Pride community,” Schneider said on Tuesday.
He called Bass’ apology “remorseful” and said that he was “aware” of the hurt he had caused by sharing the video.
The Blue Jays also said in a statement they are proud to celebrate Pride month, including hosting their fourth annual Pride Weekend at Rogers Centre on June 9 and 10, and “demonstrations of allyship all month long around the ballpark.”
Bass made headlines in April after calling out United Airlines on Twitter, saying the airline forced his pregnant wife to “get on her hands and knees” to clean up after their two-year-old daughter while on a flight.
PRIDE MERCHANDISE BOYCOTT
Target’s Pride merchandise hit the stands earlier in May, ahead of Pride month in June.
One of the vendors, Abprallen, sold items like a “cure transphobia, not trans people” sweater, a “too queer for here” tote bag, and “we belong everywhere” fanny pack.
Target's Pride collection had more than 2,000 products for sale from home furnishings to clothes, but Abprallen was one of the few vendors so far removed from its website and stores.
A screenshot of Anthony Bass' Instagram story. (Instagram/@anthonyebass)
The backlash on social media revolved around some of Abprallen's products that weren't sold at Target, like an enamel pin with a slogan that reads 'Satan Respects Pronouns.'
In an Instagram post, the designer, Erik Carnell, said he was accused of being a Satanist and marketing his work to children.
“It is a common trope to accuse LGBT+ people of immoral or illegal activities in order to discredit them, regardless of the truth behind the matter,” the artist wrote.
According to Target, customers have knocked down Pride displays at some stores, antagonized workers, and posted threatening videos on social media from inside the store.
“Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work,” Target said in a statement to The Associated Press.
In response to the backlash, Target announced it would be removing some of its LGBTQ2S+ merchandise nationwide and moving its Pride merchandise to the back of some southern U.S. stores.
Target’s decision comes on the heels of Bud Light’s recent controversy with dropping its brand partnership with transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. The popular beer brand has long marketed itself to LGBTQ2S+ drinkers – selling rainbow cans for Pride – but some consumers, including musician Kid Rock, lashed out.
All of this comes during a time where hundreds of anti-transgender bills in the U.S. were introduced, with the goal to strip or criminalize gender-affirming care.
With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit the federal carbon price on natural gas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.