The Los Angeles Lakers will host a
Pride Night next month.
The 2nd annual Pride Night
will be held on October 16 as the Lakers welcome the Golden State
Warriors to the Staples Center.
Robbie Rogers, Major League Soccer's
(MLS) first openly gay player, will receive the “Laces of Unity”
award at the event. Jason Collins, last year's honoree, will present
the award to Rogers.
Rogers, 32, came out gay in 2013. Later
that same year, he became the first openly gay man to compete in a
top North American professional sports league when he debuted with
the LA Galaxy. A series of injuries forced him to retire in 2017.
In 2017, he married Hollywood producer
Greg Berlanti. The couple is raising two children.
LGBT sports blog Outsports
reported that the Lakers will hand out Pride Night unity LED
bracelets to fans in attendance. Special guests will include
representatives from the Trevor Project and the LGBT Center of Los
Angeles. The National Anthem will be performed by the Gay Men's
Chorus of Los Angeles.