Central Arkansas Pride cancels event with Travelers, says team rejected drag queen throwing first pitch

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An Arkansas LGBTQ+ rights group says they are canceling an event planned with the Arkansas Travelers baseball team over the involvement of a drag queen.

in a post made Thursday morningthe group Central Arkansas Pride said the Out Days event at Dickey-Stephens Ball Park had been called off just hours before the 6:35 pm scheduled start.

Organizers said they made the decision after the ball club rejected the group’s plan to have a local drag queen throw out the first pitch for the Traveler’s game against Corpus Christi.

The group said team officials told them they could suggest another person to throw out the pitch, but in the post, the group said its goal for the event was to “promote diversity and visibility” and that the decision to cancel was what needed to happen to, “stay true to that mission.”

Anyone who bought tickets for the event will be able to have the tickets refunded, the post noted.

Just before 1 pm, officials with the team released a statement on the event’s cancellation, saying in part that the “Arkansas Travelers have and always will be a place for ALL fans” and that in regards to Central Arkansas Pride they “respect and understand their decision to cancel their event.”

“The Arkansas Travelers have and always will be a place for ALL fans. We work with a number of 501c3 non-profits at Dickey-Stephens Park including hosting a Pride Night event in 2019 with Central Arkansas Pride. Although we have enjoyed working with them in preparation for an event in 2022, we respect and understand their decision to cancel their event this season. We will continue to create a safe and welcoming environment for all fans entering Dickey-Stephens Park and look forward to working with Central Arkansas Pride in the future.”

Officials statement from the Arkansas Travelers