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Ah, sweet irony. From the West Coast comes the story of an organization that exists to fight intolerance imposing its own form of purity test. And don't cha know, but a federal judge has stepped right up to the plate to rule that switch hitters can be banned from gay softball.
Back in August 2008, San Francisco D2 had the champagne on ice. The amateur softball team had advanced to the final round of the Gay Softball World Series held that year in Seattle, Washington. Steven Apilado, LaRon Charles, and Jon Russ were gearing up with their teammates to bring home the championship trophy.
D2 had beaten the Atlanta Mudcats in the semi-final round. Only the Los Angeles Vipers stood between D2 and glory.
But the D2 juggernaut was about to be derailed. The Gay Softball World Series is operated by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA). In what would appear to be a less than sportsmanlike move, the commissioner of the league's Atlanta affiliate filed a protest under Rule 7.05 of the NAGAAA Softball Code against six players of the D2 team, including Apilado, Charles and Russ.
Rule 7.05 states that a "maximum of two heterosexual players are permitted" on a world series roster....