Joint Statement from the Orlando Pride and /MNAyF2ZPiE- Orlando Pride March 22, 2022 According to a tweet posted on the Black Swans account, Pride staff told the club that the banner was removed for “political reasons.”Īfter pushback from their players and a meeting with the fan group, the Pride and Black Swans issued a joint statement on Tuesday acknowledging that taking down the banner was a “mistake” and “the organization wrongly focused on signage policies and procedures, instead of allowing the important meaning of this message.” The banner was created as a response to Florida’s new controversial legislation pertaining to the discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Pride ran afoul of their LGBTQ fan group, Black Swans Drinking Club, during last week’s Challenge Cup opening match when Exploria Stadium security confiscated a banner from their section with “gay” written in giant letters. Original Report: As a team that has employed luminaries like Megan Rapinoe, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger, the Orlando Pride are one of the most LGBTQ-friendly teams in all of sports. As the above-mentioned tweet indicates, it appears players, team, and fans are all on the same page. #AdAstra /1rjXvdq2eU- Orlando Pride March 26, 2022īased on the players’ support for the Black Swans immediately after the incident, there was no doubt they’d be on board.
