The Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Chicago Cubs next week, as the annual Gay Community Night at the Phillies celebrates 11 years of bringing the community out to the ballpark. The game starts at 7:05 p.m. Aug. 7 at Citizens Bank Park, and usually brings together hundreds of LGBTs and allies for a night of socializing and networking with new and old friends. The community night is presented by the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia. The event was created by Larry Felzer, treasurer of GALLOP and development coordinator for SeniorLAW Center. This year, GALLOP chair Angela Giampolo of Giampolo Law Group will throw out the first pitch. Giampolo, who hails from Montreal and still mourns over her fallen hometown team Montreal Expos, has been a Phillies fan since she moved to the city. She said she’s excited about the opportunity to throw the first pitch and has been practicing. “My arm hurts,” she said. “It is 60 feet that I have to throw the ball. I heard when Bill Clinton threw the first pitch, it bounced before it got to the plate. As long as I can get it there without bouncing or rolling, I will be fine.” Giampolo has been attending the LGBT night for seven years and said the event shows how teams like the Phillies have been at the forefront of promoting LGBT equality and acceptance. “The Phillies have been doing this for 11 years and just think of where we were 11 years ago: We didn’t have same-sex marriage yet, we hadn’t even reached that very first milestone and the Phillies were doing this before then,” she said. “I don’t think people realize how progressive the Phillies have been. For a sports team to highlight a gay community night is amazing and in 2013 with all the professional athletes coming out and showing equality from within the sport realm, this goes a long way.” Beyond its symbolic nature, Giampolo noted that the event is also a fun night for the local LGBT community to enjoy a Philadelphia favorite. “It is just so much fun. When you go to big nonprofit event like Mazonni Center’s annual gala or William Way LGBT Community Center’s Homecoming, it is a big gay camp reunion and you see all the people you wouldn’t see on a day-to-day basis, and community night at the Phillies is exactly like that. We all come together for one night to cheer for the Phils and catch up at a major league sports event. The energy is good from the first pitch to the end.” Felzer said the event is even a good time for those who are not baseball fans. “It is always an enjoyable evening for people, even if you don’t like baseball,” he said. “There are plenty of things to do; you can eat, drink and hang out with people. We are all sitting together. There are people in the LGBT community that go to baseball games every game of the season but this is one chance a year where we can sit together not just as a community, but as a family.” Tickets for the community section, which are $20 and $28, are now only available via phone at 215-463-5000. For more information, visit www.phillygaydays.com.
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