On Tuesday evening, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' LGBTQ+ “Night OUT” game.
The 83-year-old congresswoman walked out to the pitcher's mound, took a few steps toward home plate, and lobbed the ball to the catcher, who wore the Nationals mascot costume and a rainbow shirt.
The game marked the team's 18th annual "Night OUT" event, making it the longest-running Pride celebration in Major League Baseball.
In an announcement from earlier in the week, the Nationals said that Pelosi was chosen "for her long-standing commitment to fighting for the rights and dignities of the LGBTQ+ community, dating from her first congressional speech in 1987 on the AIDS crisis, up through leading recent legislation guaranteeing civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity."
In a recent interview with The Advocate, the former Speaker called for "more LGBTQ people running for office."
"I'll always be a @SFGiants fan, but tonight my pitch was to celebrate the vibrancy of our LGBTQ+ communities with @TeamDCSports and @Nationals," she shared shared in a tweet after the pitch.
A portion of special ticket sales from the game will be donated to Team DC, an advocacy group that "educates the LGBTQ community on the benefits of individual and team sports participation," the Nationals said in the announcement. The team's commitment to Pride comes amid the controversy surrounding the L.A. Dodgers' removal (and later reinstatement) of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from their Pride event.
Check out Pelosi's first pitch below.
