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One LGBT group says MLB's cross-dressing rookie hazing sends dangerous message
We know it's coming every year. When the final week of the season arrives, MLB teams engage in their rookie hazing rituals.
Often times, these rituals include having rookies and sometimes even second-year players dress up in themed costumes. The Los Angeles Dodgers, for example, had their young players dressed up as legendary professional wrestlers.
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It's an often unusual rite of passion into the major leagues. It's seemingly done with no ill-intent other than to perhaps embarrass the players. However, TMZ Sports is reporting that powerful LGBT advocacy group Athlete Ally believes the ritual goes too far when it forces rookies to cross-dress, citing that it sends a dangerous message to kids.
Here's what Athlete Ally head Hudson Taylor told TMZ.
"Requiring rookies to dress in feminine presenting clothing like wigs, dresses, and bikinis sends a strong and dangerous message that being a girl, woman, or feminine is somehow less than, and something to be mocked."
"Regardless of intent, as long as professional athletes participate in hazing of this kind, they will be continuing to perpetuate a culture that isolates, excludes, and marginalizes the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and female athletes."
This season, several teams dressed their rookies up in women's clothing, snapped photos and had them travel to the next city in their outfits. Among those teams were the Oakland A's, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs (pictured above).
In none of those cases did it appear the players felt they were insulted or lowering themselves by participating or dressing as a woman. The Cubs players were dressed as characters, such as Little Red Riding Hood and Princess Elsa from the Disney movie "Frozen." Perhaps where the big problem comes in is how people from the outside react mockingly and turn it into a bigger deal than it probably is.
Either way, Athlete Ally is not happy. As TMZ also notes, the group has many notable backers in professional sports, including Andy Roddick, Abby Wambach and Martina Navratilova. Now that Athlete Ally has spoken, it will be interesting to see what type of response might come from the league.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
