On Jun. 6’s Friday night home game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins utility player Willi Castro sported eye black resembling the Trans Pride Flag, shown below:
Days and weeks after the Friday night game, Castro’s gesture gradually garnered national attention, including star actor Pedro Pascal posting a picture of Castro on his Instagram story:
Witnessing Castro wear eye black resembling the Trans Pride flag (the night before Pride Day at Target Field, no less) was a welcome sight, especially considering the national shift against trans rights from both major political parties. However, when asked about his gesture, Castro stated he was unaware of the implications of the color scheme. Now, we can all maintain our personal opinions of the honesty of that claim (and trust me, I have many). Yet, just as we should accept people for who they tell us they are, we should accept Castro’s explanation as what he prefers to present to the world and respect his choice.
The real issue (or predicament, if you will) here is not what Castro knew or intended, nor what he chose to say or not say. Instead, this incident perfectly embodies people’s preferred mode of operation these days in that it’s more about what we all saw and felt, rather than what Castro actually did. A mere decade ago, Pride (and the notion of LGBTQIA+ rights) had become widely normalized, most notably proven by the United States Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Acceptance was spreading, and equity was gaining a foothold.
What this tea-kettle maelstrom exposes is how desperate people from the trans community now feel, all over again, for even a semi-visible, notable ally. It’s about the fact that the question of many people’s basic humanity and right to exist on the same terms as everyone else has been unjustly brought back to the table, as if it’s a valid thing to question. If you felt seen and supported by Castro, that makes us here at Twins Daily very happy. We hope you still do, and we hope you feel seen and supported here, as well.
Twins Territory doesn’t know Castro’s intentions, and won’t attribute any advocacy to him that he declined to claim. Mostly, we hope that one day we can return to celebrating diversity and identity during festivals like Pride, rather than worrying that MLB will eliminate Pride Day at the park altogether or that those outside the league will make it an annual source of controversy. Trans rights are human rights, and if Castro’s eyeblack meant something positive to you, let it continue to do so. That said, athletes cannot effect all the cultural and policy change we need right now, so don’t count too heavily on Castro (or any athlete) being an activist, even if his advocacy would be a welcomed development at a time when the masses appear to be spiraling in a regressive direction. That we live in a moment that might need such activists is a problem those would(n’t)-be activists can’t solve. It’s on all of us to do so, instead.
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