PHOTO BY KEITH ALLISON

By Staci Slaughter

SF Giants Are Pro LGBT

Editor’s Note: Special thanks to Staci and the Giants for their help in compiling this piece during an incredibly busy time for the team. That speaks volumes itself about their ongoing support of our community.

We are proud that the Giants have a longstanding history of supporting the LGBT community. In 1994, for example, the Giants became the first-ever professional sports team to host an HIV/AIDS awareness game. As a result, the 2012 Giants season marked our 19th Until There’s A Cure game presented by Gilead Sciences and the Giants Community Fund. This first-of-its kind partnership in the HIV/AIDS world was precedent setting, bringing together a professional sports team and the AIDS advocacy group to address an issue, which at the time was of epidemic proportions in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

While great strides in HIV/AIDS treatment and research have been made, especially in the San Francisco community, we’re still not there yet. This means that the Giants will continue to devote a game each season to keep this issue in the forefront of our community until a cure is ultimately found. Plans for our 20th anniversary game with The Until There’s A Cure Foundation are underway. The Giants, the Giants Community Fund, and many of our corporate sponsors throughout the years have additionally raised more than $2 million for numerous local community organizations that provide services and treatments to those living with HIV and AIDS. 

In addition to our signature Until There’s A Cure Day, the Giants have also lent our support to LGBT issues and awareness through our LGBT special events at AT&T Park and our team’s participation in the It Gets Better Campaign. The Giants were the first professional sports team to join the campaign. It gained the support of Giants players and coaches, including Matt Cain, Barry Zito, Sergio Romo and Hensley Meulens. They took a stand against LGBT harassment and other forms of bullying.

2012 marked the 10th annual LGBT Night with the Giants, featuring an average attendance of 1,500 attendees. It’s enjoyed a sellout capacity for the past three years. Each LGBT event includes a social gathering within AT&T Park, music, beverages, contests and local celebrity
attendance, all exclusive to the LGBT Night special event guests. Long time community partners participating in the Giants LGBT Nights include the Gay Softball Leagues, Lesbian/Gay Chorus of SF, Betty’s List, Bay Area Reporter and AT&T. A portion of the ticket sales to this special event have benefited many groups including the SF Gay Games, Gay Olympics in Cologne Germany, Team SF, SF LGBT Community Center and Cheer SF.

Staci Slaughter, Senior Vice President of Communications for the San Francisco Giants, became the first female vice president in the history of the organization in 1999. She also currently serves on the board of trustees of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the San Francisco Friends School and the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.