Austin Hays, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, seems to have an issue with gay people.
The MLB player seems to have not much liked the celebration of the Orioles’ Pride Night, which elevated the LGBTQ community in sports. As Outsports has documented, the LGBTQ community has long-documented the struggles gay and bi people have suffered in sports.
Hays’ Instagram post shows an image of himself knelt in prayer the day the Orioles hosted their LGBTQ Pride Night. He seems to be praying to his god, and he includes this caption:
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
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We don’t know the full extent of Hays’ feelings about LGBTQ people in sports. Still, to post about the “day of evil” on Pride Night seems pretty clear how he feels.
Hayes has been with the Orioles franchise since 2017, when he hit for the cycle in 2022. That means in a game he hit a single, a double, a triple and a home run. Also, he has been an important part of his team’s success both at the batting box and running bases.
He’s now just this week been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
