Last night, GayRVA joined VA Pride and the Richmond Flying Squirrels for the first-ever Pride Night at the Diamond. Richmond rose to the occasion, too, packing the Diamond with delighted fans ready to cheer for the home team and show their Pride!
GayRVA was on the scene, handing out copies of our brand-new Summer Pride Guide, produced in collaboration with VA Pride. Fans were eager to show their support, lined up outside the stadium in a sea of colors and bright flags. Even Nutzy came dressed in his rainbow cape with striped socks up to his knees — and enough fans to book most of the arena took their seats gladly despite the sultry heat.
It was humbling to see so many fans from different backgrounds and ages, almost uniform in their smiles, and especially the young ones gleaming with excitement to stand with their parents and raise their flags.
I went alongside a group of local Starbucks partners, whose company bought something close to 80 tickets to ensure all their employees could attend. They’ve got a great reputation for their LGBTQ-friendly workplaces, and it’s clear from spending time with them that they’ve got more than inclusivity — they’ve got large groups of staff from the LGBTQ community who stand beside each other as coworkers and, more importantly, as friends. Decked out in custom Pride shirts, they occupied a large section above the field for the occasion, and brought their enthusiasm as well.
More companies like Capital One and a few others showed similar support by printing custom shirts for their teams to come in groups. Armed with a batch of fresh GayRVA Pride Guides, I set out to meet some of the other attendees — and was greeted with nothing but grins.
Enjoy these images from the evening — truly one to remember. Happy Pride Night, Richmond!
Photos by Caley Sturgill
