UMass will hold its first Pride Day on Oct. 8 when the Minutemen welcome Liberty to town. There will be a lot of support in the stands and from the football program before and during the game, with UMass coaches and personnel sporting some Pride flag memorabilia on their clothing.
But UMass' opponent probably won't be showing any support.
If you're unfamiliar with Liberty University, it prohibits any sort of LGBTQIA+ behavior.
This is directly from what the school calls the "Honor Code:"
"... Romantic displays of affection with a member of the same sex (e.g. hand-holding, kissing, dating, etc.) and actions confirming denial of biological birth sex (e.g. asking to be referred to by pronouns inconsistent with one’s birth sex, using restrooms and changing facilities reserved for persons other than one’s birth sex, etc.) are prohibited."
UMass, though, didn't plan this intentionally -- at least, that's it's official position. COVID-19 delayed it until this season and Oct. 8 just made the most sense in terms of scheduling, according to the athletic department.
"We're comfortable with it," UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford told reporters Thursday, per The Boston Globe. "This is very important to us, and we are going to highlight and celebrate all the magnificent ways that our campus is diverse and is inclusive. We are very proud of that at the University of Massachusetts, and we're very proud of being a leader in our community and being a leader in Western Mass. and being a leader throughout the Commonwealth."
According to The Boston Globe, Liberty did not respond to the request for comment.
