The defending champion Golden State Warriors held LGBT Pride Night at Oracle Arena Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.
More so than any other region in the United States, the Bay Area’s sense of pride when it comes to inclusion is as strong as ever. In fact, the mainstream gay rights movement started in Northern California and continued throughout the rest of the United States decades ago.
Never really afraid to speak up about the issues of the day, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talked about the sense of inclusion in his adopted home community ahead of Wednesday’s game.
“I’m proud to be a part of an organization and a region, an area, that really embraces diversity,” Kerr said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “I don’t think there has ever been a more important time in our country to respect the person next to you regardless of race, creed, color, sexual preference, sexual identity.”
Kerr is talking about the divisive society we’re existing in today, a society that some within the NBA world would like to blame on one man.
For his part, Kerr is in a way talking from a micro perspective. He’s raising kids in the Bay Area, and likes what the community has offered them.
“I’m really encouraged by my kids’ experience in California growing up, just in terms of acceptance,” Kerr said. “It seems like our young generation is learning more about it. We all just are who we are. We’re all individuals, and what makes our country great is our diversity. The fact that we can respect each other, work together and embrace each other, I think it’s an important night for us, and we welcome everybody in the LGBTQ community.”
Warriors president Rick Welts is the highest-ranking gay executive in the sports world. He’s led by example when it comes to the inclusive Warriors organization. It’s definitely something Kerr has embraced in his time as the Warriors’ head coach.
These comments are a prime example of that.