NFL Goes On Its Annual LGBTQ Embrace But Some Teams Continue To Opt Out

In the United States of America, we celebrate mothers for one day, fathers for one day, Veterans' Day is one day, the birth of the country and the birth of Jesus Christ are celebrated on one day, and there is no heterosexual celebration day at all. But lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and queers get a month-long celebration and NFL teams observe it every year now.

So, on Sunday's June 1 kickoff to gay pride month in some circles, the vast majority of NFL teams decided to celebrate gay pride and gay love and all that comes with it on social media. The NFL social media account that serves 37.7 million followers also amplified teams that posted about gay pride.

But there was also a notable exception in that some teams declined to join the gay pride chorus.

TOPSHOT - Donatella Fermata keeps cool with a pride fan during the Boston Pride Parade in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Nearly A Dozen Teams Have Declined

A total of 10 teams declined to post about gay pride month on their social media by the end of Sunday.

The teams that declined to join the gay pride party by the end of gay pride month's first day: The Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs, and defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Falcons, Packers, and Broncos declined to join the gay pride observance last year but have already done so this year. The Colts joined the gay pride observances last year but had not yet done so by the time of this article's publication.

The Baltimore Ravens didn't post a nod to gay pride month on June 1, but did so on Monday.

It should be noted this is a first-day snapshot and the numbers can change starting Monday and throughout the month. That's what happened last year when, initially, 10 teams didn't acknowledge pride month but some later switched, dwindling the number to 8 last we counted.

Outsports Wigged Out Over Numbers

The folks at Outsports, which is notably nothing like OutKick in that it paints biological males competing in girls' sports as victims, called me a "hack" because the numbers when I wrote the 2024 story had the unmitigated audacity of changing by the time it aggregated my story later on.

I suppose it's not shocking an outlet that defends biological males competing against girls was taking a cheap shot at an outlet that champions girls' rights and Federal mandates.

Anyway, the teams that waved the rainbow flag on their social media and website on Sunday got a lot of likes. They also got considerable push back. It's obvious the celebration of one class of people for a whole month is contentious.

But not so for some NFL teams.

The Bills are so far possibly the most pro-gay team in the NFL if one judges their actions on Sunday.

Bills' Website A Gay How-To

The Bills linked to a page on their team website that was a full-on gay, lesbian, transgender, queer lifestyle resource handbook of sorts.

The Bills showed photos of their employees participating in the Buffalo pride parade. And they provided links to Trans Student Education Resources pages that explained sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression. 

There's another link that outlines how you should use gender pronouns. That one starts out by saying there are "an infinite number of gender pronouns" beyond he, she, they, ze, hir and zir.

The Bills are also encouraging Bills Mafia, their rabid fan base, to give Bills Mafia Rainbow dads a follow on Instagram.

And yes, the Bills changed their X platform avatar to rebrand their Buffalo in rainbow colors.

But the Bills weren't alone in embracing gay pride.

Lions, Vikings, Bills Change Colors For Gay Pride

The Lions didn't actually send a post for gay pride month but changed their avatar on X to a Lion in rainbow colors, joining the Bills. The Minnesota Vikings also rebranded their Viking logo in rainbow colors.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers posted they "are proud to support pride month" and implored fans to join them at events this month, including the St. Pete Pride Parade and the Grand Central Street Fair.

The Chargers similarly provided a gay pride page on their website that includes Chargers gay pride wallpaper, a "coming out handbook" and a gay calendar of events.

The Rams say they are "encouraging our fans to join us in celebrating the LBTQ+ community this month and all year long!" The Rams, who in 2014 selected Michael Sam as the first openly gay player drafted by the NFL, have never encouraged fans to celebrate the straight community on social media.

The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, "stand united in honoring love, identity and the power of authenticity" this month under the pride flag.