Gay choir drowned out with recording during baseball match
A gay choir, which was invited to sing the US national anthem before a baseball game, has been drowned out by a recording of a woman singing over the top.
100 members of the the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus took to the field at Petco Park ahead of the San Diego Padre's match with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
As the group prepared to perform 'Star Spangled Banner' for the crowd, a woman’s voice kicked in over the top, drowning out the choir.
Friends and family members of the choir were watching on in the audience when the group were taunted with homophobic insults and told ‘you sing like a girl’.
The group claimed no attempt was made to rectify the recording and ‘start over’.
The group also said they did not receive an immediate apology, nor did their supporters in the stands.
The San Diego Pardes apologised later on in a statement, but it wasn’t enough to put the issue to rest.
On Sunday, the group slammed the event as a ‘nightmare’ on Facebook.
They said what should have been a night of joy and celebration turned into a nightmare which raised serious questions about homophobia within the baseball club.
The club then responded saying they took responsibility for the mistake.
They’ve since ended their relationship with the contractor responsible for the error.
"We once again sincerely apologise to members of the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus, their families and those who came out to support their Pride Night performance," the team said.
The choir has since called on the City of San Diego to launch an investigation to determine whether the baseball club deliberately participated in hate crimes.
