Patriots Country

Patriots Pride Month: 'No Room For Hate'

New England claps back at fans mad about LGBTQ celebrations during June.

Richie Whitt

There's the "Patriot Way", which envelopes everything from players merely getting the job done to helping soldiers celebrate American military holidays on U.S. soil. And there's "Patriots Pride", which includes not only honoring the LGBTQ community, but also standing up for it when critics try to ruin the party.

Like many pro sports teams, the New England Patriots shared Pride symbolism on social media last Wednesday as "Pride Month" kicked off across the country. Once viewed as risky territory, Pride celebrations are now commonplace across sports.

Gillette Stadium sported rainbow colors as a show of support of diversity.

The NFL has also turned its iconic shield rainbow, pink and light blue for the second straight year. There’s power in seeing iconic franchises embrace LGBTQ fans.

The Patriots have made championing LGBTQ rights a pillar of their dynasty, from sponsoring Gay Bowl to supporting same-sex marriage from the start. New England was the only NFL club to sign an amicus brief in support of same-sex marriage in 2015.

Last fall, owner Robert Kraft showed up to Boston’s LGBTQ flag football league’s opening day.

But not every Patriots fan is pleased with their favorite team’s sterling track record in supporting inclusivity. When the Patriots tweeted out their most recent Pride picture, they encountered some criticism and comments ranging from "when is straight month?" to "gross" to "you've just lost a fan" and, of course, the tired old trope: "stick to sports."

The Patriots quickly let followers know that spouting bigotry is not the Patriot Way. Wrote New England's account in the face of angry commenters:

“Our comment section is monitored and there is no room for hate."

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Richie Whitt
RICHIE WHITT

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