Inside The Rangers

'Why Do We Need To Celebrate Them?' Former Texas Rangers Pitcher Takes Dig At Pride Month, LGBTQ+ Community

Former Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland posted a meme in support of the club being the only MLB team refusing to host a Pride Night at Globe Life Field.

Stefan Stevenson

Sep 8, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland (45) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 8, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland (45) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Former Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland has thrown a few wild pitches on social media.

Holland, a beloved member of the club's World Series teams in 2010 and 2011, posted a meme supporting the Rangers organization being the lone MLB club not hosting a Pride Night.

Holland, 37, responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from WFAA/Ch. 8 reporting the Rangers are the only MLB team refusing to host a night in support of the LGBTQ+ community during June, which is Pride month.

Holland posted a meme of Rangers Captain, the team mascot, that read, "That's a Rangers Win" early Monday evening in response to a story about the club's lack of Pride night. Another X user asked Holland, "Why he felt the need to go out of your way to put other people down?"

Holland, who apparently made a choice to be heterosexual, tried to sound tolerant in his response before conflating the topic with military appreciation.

"Why do we need to celebrate them choosing to be the way they are," Holland said. "Nobody cares if you’re gay or lesbian or whatever. Don’t need a whole month to celebrate. Have a day and move on. You wanna celebrate a month for something then do it for the veterans and our military who sacrifice [sic] it all for us to be where we are today. Real heroes! But didn’t realize we have to be apart of something where that something doesn’t even respect or accept themselves."

May has been Military Appreciation Month across the country since 1999. Some form of Memorial Day, which honors and mourns all U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the Armed Forces, has been around since 1868. Veterans Day has been a federal holiday since 1938. In fact, there are 21 military-themed designated days.

Another user told Holland that "not accepting people who are different than you is a really bad look."

Holland, who routinely reposts far-right memes and other political commentary, threw another inside fastball at the LGBTQ+ community with his response.


"THEY/THEM don’t even accept/respect themselves," he said.

Multiple X users posted comments in support of Holland's views and the club's Pride stance. "Proud of my team!" said one female user.

The left-hander, who played the first eight of 13 MLB seasons with Texas, earned more than $45 million in his career, according to baseball-reference.com.

You can follow Stefan Stevenson on X @StefanVersusTex.

Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and X.

Published
Stefan Stevenson

STEFAN STEVENSON

Stefan Stevenson worked as a journalist and editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for 25 years, covering sports, concerts, and general news. His beats have included the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, and Texas Christian University football.