For the past ten years, the White Sox have marked Pride Month with Pride Night, offering specialty items like hats, T-Shirts and flags for LGBTQ+ fans and their allies excited to celebrate at Rate Field.
This year, the team turned to NAACP award-winning comedian and Chicago native Tee Sanders to design the “Freedom Day Hat” for fans turning out for Wednesday’s match against the Atlanta Braves.
A self-identified Black lesbian woman, she said the hat represents her two identities.
“I always wanted the hat to represent me,” Sanders said.
The crossed bats behind the Sox logo represent resilience and the refusal to back down, which is rooted in that same South Side fighting spirit the White Sox are known for, according to a release. The Chicago skyline appears under the brim, painted in the Pride flag’s colors. There is an “I’m from Da Crib” patch along the side with a Black power fist. And the Freedom Day patch connects 1969 and 2015 as a tribute to the generations who fought to live openly, from the Stonewall riots to the fight for marriage equality.
Sanders wanted a hat that would be distinguished from previous collections and highlight two historic events in the month of June.
“I wanted to combine Juneteenth because June is the same month as Pride. But they already had hats specifically for Juneteenth,” Sanders said. “But I’mma find a way to sneak that in. So, I added the Black Power fist. I was like, “Okay, we here wit it.”
Sanders teamed up with Nick Benitez, a New York-based e-commerce marketer and designer, to design the hat. Benitez has worked with popular sportwear company New Era, and he approached Sanders with something that she could pitch to the White Sox.
“I came up with the idea for the patches, like the Sox logo with the two bats, like everything,” Benitez said. “The iconography about it basically represents her in a really dope way.”
The limited edition hat sold out days before the game, with 700 purchased. Those that bought it had the opportunity to attend a private meet-and-greet with Tee Sanders.
Cheryl Wilson and Anna Garcia are a new couple within the LGBTQ+ community. Wearing their Freedom Day hat, Garcia said Tee Sanders represents them in more ways than one.
“First of all, the visibility that she gives us, right? We’re already die-hard Sox fans, right? To find out that Tee’s coming here, she’s designing the hat, and it’s everything Chicago,” Garcia said. “Not only do you feel seen as a Chicagoan, but seen as somebody from the community, the LGBTQ community.”
Father and daughter Brian and Aubren Kubicki came in from South Bend, Indiana, to celebrate the night. Aubren said she is “a big queer person” and her father is a “huge White Sox” fan, so this game was “the perfect combination” for the pair. Aubren appreciated the meaning behind the hat’s imagery, and said it was a testament to the White Sox’s commitment to inclusivity, amidst corporate DEI rollbacks.
“The little nod to Stonewall on the side as well is so, so cool, like it’s a stunning hat,” Kubicki said. “The White Sox, I feel like with everything I’ve seen here tonight, the way that they have brought out people in the community, … I feel like they are actively making an effort. It means a lot, and to be able to come out and see a bunch of other queer people is also just what we need right now.”