During last Saturday’s 16th annual “Pride Night” celebration at Tropicana Field, at least five Tampa Bay Rays players decided not to wear rainbow-colored logos on their uniforms and hats, saying it’s against their religion and that they don’t want to “encourage” the LGBTQ+ behavior.
The five players include Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson.
Speaking to WFLA, Thompson essentially stated that he did some research and discovered that he won’t be able to get into heaven if he pretends to like the gay community too much.
Notably, many Rays fans have pointed out that this selective bit of performative bigotry absolutely sucks. Here are a few of the better tweets roasting the Rays players who can’t even unify around something as simple as tolerance and support for marginalized groups.
Maurice V. de Castro
Profession: Compliance officer at CitibankOther boards: Member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists since 2021
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2020
Notable references: His ex-wife
Registered party: No party afffiliation
Castro touted 21 years in IT and said their role at Citibank is to mitigate risk for the bank in the form of ad-hoc complex, high-risk financial investigations and relationship audits, identifying behavioral patterns, systemic weaknesses, and directly collaborating with law enforcement and other banks.
Minh Anh Nguyen
Profession: Retired project manager/program specialistOther boards/organizations: Volunteer since 2017 for Hillsborough County’s Diversity Advisory Council and City of Tampa Mayor’s Asian American Pacific Islander Advisory Council
Lived in Hillsborough since: 1984
Registered party: Republican
Notable references: Did not list any
In the application, Nguyen listed experience in data analysis, report making and leadership as qualifications for the committee.
Jacob Whitworth
Profession: Senior cybersecurity engineer at Modern Technology SolutionOther boards/organizations:
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2022
Notable references: Manager, coworker
Registered party: No party affiliation
Whitworth cites eight years of professional IT experience in nonprofit, government, and private organizations.
Robert Emerson
Profession: Self-employed private investor/financial consultantOther boards/organizations: Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee member 2012-2025
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2012
Notable references: Rep. Mike Owen (R-Apollo Beach), 2024 Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners District 4 Republican candidate and real estate broker Cody Powell, real estate broker Mike Greer
Registered party: Republican
In the application, Emerson wrote that they have deep experience in financial analysis, budgeting, planning economics, investments and insurance risk management at several Fortune 100 companies over many years.
Danielle Ellis
Profession: SVP of Regulatory Risks and Controls for Citigroup Financial ServicesOther boards/organizations: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority member since 2007
Lived in Hillsborough since: 2002
Notable references: Friends and colleagues.
Registered party: Democrat
Ellis’ application touts work managing “complex, error-prone systems while developing sustainable workarounds to meet deliverables and stakeholder expectations” as qualifications for the committee.
Non-Florida authors
These are some of the best and most talked about new books I read in 2024.When the Moon Hatched By Sarah A. Parker’ A sweeping, romantic high fantasy with a deeply immersive, dragon-filled world and intricate magic system. With so much heartbreak and hope, there’s no wonder When the Moon Hatched is a darling of the romantasy genre this year.
’House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas’ Every new Sarah J. Maas book is the must-read of the season, and the hype for HOFAS reached a fever pitch with midnight release parties around the country. The book turned out to be an intense and dizzying conclusion to the Crescent City trilogy.
’The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire by Dr. Chris Kempshall’ Ever wanted to read a Star Wars history textbook? Well, this one charts the events of the Skywalker Saga, delving into the politics and government actions that led to the rise of the fascistic Galactic Empire. Fiction, but eerily parallels some of our own political and cultural issues.
’A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon’ Not Star Wars, but Star Wars inspired with dragons and a unique magic system set in a fantastical, Philippines-inspired world. A Monsoon Rising is the second book in The Hurricane Wars trilogy of high fantasy with simmering romance.
Special mention: ‘Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive’ Love for Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books hit an all-time high this year thanks to his newest book, the fifth in the Stormlight Archive series. He’s my most-read author for 2024, and his books have literally altered my brain chemistry. Journey before destination.
