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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has sparked controversy after writing a religious message on his Pride-themed hat during their game on Saturday.
As they hosted the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium, LA stars wore special baseball caps that had the colors of the Pride flag mixed into the team's logo as part of an LGBTQ+ initiative.
Yet Kershaw, who is a devout Christian, decided to make a slight tweak to his hat despite not actually featuring in the game.
The 37-year-old inscribed next to the LGBTQ+-inspired logo 'Gen 9:12-16' - which is a passage from the Bible that claims the rainbow was not created by God to represent that demographic.
Instead, the passage reads: 'And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."'
That extract from the Bible, which comes just after the story of Noah and his family surviving a worldwide flood on an arc, suggests the rainbow is actually the sign of a covenant God made to never destroy the earth with a flood again.
Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw reference a passage from the Bible on his Pride-themed hat
Kershaw, who is a devout Christian, argued the rainbow was not created to represent LGBTQ+
Kershaw's religious statement has gone viral on social media, with a number of users of the same faith commending him for reminding people of the rainbow's meaning.
One wrote: 'Classy move by Kershaw. The rainbow he supports has nothing to do with pride month.'
'Courage to stand up for truth,' said another.
While another fan put: 'That’s a clever counter!'
Others, however, were critical of the baseball player for doctoring a hat designed to raise awareness for equality.
'The rainbow can have multiple meanings,' one argued. 'Why cant the rainbow mean both?'
'What a disappointment,' concluded another.
While one simply posted: 'he should stick to sports'.
Kershaw, whose wife Ellen shares his Christian faith, has previously taken issue with the Dodgers for promoting a prominent LGBTQ+ charity which he accused of mocking Christianity.
The 37-year-old and his wife Ellen, pictured with their four children, are both Christians
The MLB franchise controversially hosted the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at their annual Pride Night back in 2023 despite the group, who frequently dress in drag, typically wearing nun habits.
Due to Kershaw's unhappiness with the promotion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Dodgers moved their Christian Faith and Family Day forward to an earlier date.
'I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up,' he said at the time. 'Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well.
'Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [by the Dodgers].'
