Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department’s civil rights chief, offered a scorching critique of Major League Baseball and the San Francisco Giants for what she called a “double standard” toward religious expression — as federal officials investigate whether Christian players were pressured to wear Pride-themed hats.
“It doesn’t really matter how gay San Francisco is — these workers have rights,” Dhillon told The Post in an exclusive interview Friday.
“They have a right to not be forced into a situation like this. They have a right to seek a religious accommodation.”
The investigation follows the Giants’ June 12 Pride Night at Oracle Park, when four pitchers protested the team’s rainbow-themed hats. Relievers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker wrote Bible verses on their ballcaps, while pitcher Sam Hentges chose not to wear the hat at all.
Days later, MLB spokesman Pat Courtney confirmed the players had received a warning, saying the writing on the caps violated league uniform rules and that players had been cautioned against future violations.
Dhillon said the Justice Department referred the matter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which has primary authority over private-sector workplace discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
“They do not mind when players are putting messages that the woke left approves of onto their uniforms,” Dhillon said.
“They don’t mind when players are taking a knee and exhibiting all kinds of stuff on the job, but when people are pushing back on being forced to promote a sexual practice that is against their religion, they’re threatening them.”
The league later clarified that the warning was “not disciplinary” and “had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” noting that MLB’s uniform regulations prohibit players from writing any messages on apparel or equipment and that similar warnings have been issued for personal messages such as “Dad” or “Happy Mother’s Day.”
The controversy has sparked fierce debate in San Francisco, where the Giants’ annual Pride Night is a marquee event. State Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, accused the team of tolerating behavior that caused “pain and anger” within the LGBTQ community.
“The Giants should publicly commit to enforcing rules around uniform defacement and should not effectively create a homophobia exemption to those rules,” Wiener said in a statement.
San Francisco Mayor Dnaiel Lurie said he was “really upset and disappointed” by the players’ decision, while Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, whose son is gay, said players have the right to their beliefs but should recognize the city they represent.
“What makes San Francisco so great is the acceptance of others — ethnicities, opinions, cultures — and that extends to the gay community,” Krukow told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Dhillon, who lived in San Francisco for nearly 25 years before joining the Trump administration, said the city’s prominent LGBTQ+ culture does not change employers’ legal obligations.
“You can celebrate gay rights — that’s fine,” she said. “But what they’re doing is forcing their workers to, on the job, wear messages that are anathema to most faiths.”
A longtime attorney who represented religious liberty plaintiffs before taking over the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Dhillon said she moved quickly after hearing concerns from lawmakers, attorneys and members of the public.
“I was getting calls and inquiries from United States senators, members of Congress, people in the public and lawyers in private practice,” she said. “I wanted to send the message very quickly, because I don’t want to see these players punished or suspended.”
Dhillon said she believes the players’ actions — writing Bible verses inside their caps or declining to wear the Pride-themed hat altogether — amounted to a “tasteful and discreet” expression of their faith.
“This is their quiet way of saying, ‘I don’t adopt this message,’” she said.
She compared the situation to being required to endorse beliefs she personally opposes.
“I’m a Sikh. If my employer told me I had to wear a hat that celebrates the caste system or says women are inferior to men, I wouldn’t do it,” Dhillon said. “These players don’t have that many options. They’re bound by contract and there are all kinds of other issues.”
Dhillon said she was encouraged that multiple Giants players were willing to publicly object despite playing in one of the country’s most liberal cities.
“I’m actually pleasantly surprised, frankly, that the San Francisco Giants have this many Christians willing to stand up for themselves,” she said. “It’s actually very encouraging.”
While MLB has said the warning issued to the players was routine and unrelated to the content of the messages, Dhillon warned the league could face legal action if it takes further steps.
“I rather suspect that Major League Baseball is going to do nothing to these players, because it’s illegal,” she said. “If they persist, they will get sued.”
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