The furor that greeted the San Francisco Giants when three pitchers wrote a Bible verse on their LGBTQ Pride Night caps in June overshadows the fact that something similar occurred in 2025 involving then-Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw
During the Dodgers’ June 13, 2025, Pride Night game against the San Francisco Giants, Kershaw was seen in the dugout wearing a Pride cap that was altered with the handwritten name of the Biblical verse ” Genesis 9:12-16,” part of which reads: “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the Earth.”
Kershaw’s action at the time drew little attention (Outsports was one of the few media outlets that mentioned it) and the fan reaction was nonexistent. He hadn’t spoken about his actions until this weekend when he appeared on “My View, with Lara Trump” that airs on Fox
Kershaw: It wasn’t meant to discriminate or marginalize anybody. The rainbow means a lot of different things to different people… for me, the rainbow represents God’s covenant with his people. That’s what I wanted to represent. I thought it was the best way to do that in a… pic.twitter.com/6eZDpvXXNj
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 26, 2026
“First of all, it wasn’t meant to discriminate or marginalize anybody,” Kershaw said when asked about writing the verse. “You know, I think it was the rainbow means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And so for me, what the rainbow represents is God’s covenant with His people, and so that’s that’s what I wanted to represent as a as a man of faith, as a man that believes in Jesus. That’s what the rainbow represents to me, and I thought that was the best way to do that in a somewhat of a difficult situation.
“And once again, it wasn’t meant to discriminate or, you know, put anybody in a bad spot. It was just what I believed in, and like you said, it wasn’t an easy decision, but I still stand by. I think it was the right thing to do.”
There is no evidence that Kershaw — unlike the three Giants pitchers — received a warning from Major League Baseball, for altering his uniform. I asked an MLB spokesman a month ago if Kershaw was warned and received no response. My guess is that because Kershaw did not play in that game, perhaps a warning wasn’t warranted
I have long heard that Kershaw, now retired, is a good guy so I accept that he didn’t think his actions slighted the LGBTQ community. However, they did and he’s tone-deaf to why. He defaced a hat that was part of a night honoring a segment of the Dodgers’ fan base and made it about his views. It’s clear to me that he has some level of disapproval of the LGBTQ community to feel compelled to make a religious statement about something as inoffensive as rainbow stitching on a baseball hat worn one game a season.
In the Giants’ 2022 Pride Night game against the Dodgers in San Francisco, Kershaw was the starting pitcher and he wore the rainbow cap without writing anything on it. It was the only time he played in a game where the Dodgers wore a Pride cap
We don’t know what changed from 2022 to 2025 that moved Kershaw to make a religious statement against the Pride Cap that he had worn without incident beforehand. I am speculating that the political climate had moved against LGBTQ people with the 2024 election, perhaps making Kershaw feel that his actions in 2025 were more broadly supported
I would love Kershaw to read a letter that 33 faith leadersin the Bay Area wrote to the Giants about the team’s Pride Night fiasco, especially the symbolism of the rainbow and how they interpret it. They offer lessons that Kershaw would do well to heed:
The Bible excerpt used by those pitchers to proclaim their lack of support for the LGBTQIA+ community highlights God’s covenant with Noah, where God promised to never again wipe out humanity. In the story, God is a warrior who has hung up His bow … to be in peaceful relationship with humanity
It is deeply strange and unsettling, not just as clergy and scholars, but as Christians, that these verses are being used in an attempt to “take back” the rainbow from LGBTQIA+ communities.
Gilbert Baker, the designer of the original pride flag, described it as a symbol that the community could recognize anywhere in the world and experience a feeling of welcome and safety, recognizing kindred spirits in those who chose to fly it. Sporting events in particular, have not traditionally been spaces where queer and trans people have experienced safety. So it’s especially cruel in this political moment when trans people in particular, and queer people more broadly, are in such danger, for the power of that flag to be undermined at the ballpark.
God also makes clear in the Genesis covenant story that the rainbow is a symbol of safety. God is using the rainbow as a sign to remind Herself of her promise not to destroy, and when you see it, you will know that you are safe.
Perhaps the best question to ask when looking at Bible passages like this is: Does an exclusionary interpretation of the Bible advance foundational aspects of Christianity, namely love of God and love of neighbor?
