White Sox partner faces scrutiny over gender care, drag events and DEI
When Chicago White Sox fans look beyond the outfield wall of Guaranteed Rate Field, they see the logo of Rush University Medical Center, the team’s official healthcare partner.
What they weren’t told at the concession stand was where the health system’s money was actually going: to run a pediatric gender clinic, host a “PRIDE Charity Drag Brunch,” implement mandatory diversity retreats and pay the top executive nearly $3.7 million in total compensation.
White Sox fans are now taking a closer look at the team’s medical partner.
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As fans head to Guaranteed Rate Field for the White Sox-Astros series, Consumer Research is launching a campaign of billboards, street posters and TV ads targeting the team’s health care partner.
Consumer watchdog group Consumers Research has launched its “Rush Exposed” campaign, which it shared exclusively with OutKick and Fox News Digital.
Rush-White Sox partnership under fire
Rush signed a multi-year sponsorship as the official healthcare partner of the White Sox, paying tens of thousands of dollars for stadium branding, game sponsorships and other marketing.
An American flag is displayed during the national anthem before the game between the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 4, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)
Consumer Research campaign directs fans to: RushExposed.comThat’s where Consumer Research details its allegations against Rush, including its sponsorship of the Chicago White Sox, millions spent on advertising, DEI initiatives, pediatric gender transition services and “Pride Drag Brunches.”
“Rush betrays the core mission of every hospital by using his time, energy, and taxpayer support to promote radical woke activism,” Consumer Research Executive Director Will Hild said in a statement. he said.
“Rush not only has a history of prioritizing DEI, child gender reassignment procedures, and climate alarm, but he also has a troubling history of questionable spending on non-medical initiatives entirely unrelated to patient care, such as the hospital’s partnership with the Chicago White Sox.”
Clinic-funded ‘drag brunches’
The campaign focuses heavily on Rush’s Affirm Health Center, a clinic that offers gender-affirming services, including mental health support, for minors.
Loren S. Schechter directs Rush’s gender surgery program and is also president-elect of WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), an organization that publishes standards for transgender healthcare, including prior care of minors.
Rush previously offered gender-affirming care for minors, but announced in 2025 that it would no longer provide those services to patients under 18 since 2023.
Rush’s internal DEI committee also held a “PRIDE Charity Drag Brunch,” with proceeds going to the Affirm Center.
Pope Leo XIV addresses the Catholic faithful at the scoreboard at Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, during a celebration and Mass honoring his election as pope on June 14, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Robert Prevost was born in Chicago and raised in south suburban Dolton, the first American leader of the Catholic Church and a Chicago White Sox fan. (Getty Images)
Executives also required hospital administrators to complete “implicit bias” training with pediatric staff at Rush University Children’s Hospital DEI retreats covering “microaggressions” and systemic racism.
Staff layoffs follow $3.7 million CEO pay
The campaign also points to what Consumer Research calls a stark financial paradox.
While Rush recently laid off workers, citing financial pressures, public tax filings include CEO Dr. It shows that Omar Lateef received approximately $3.7 million in total compensation in fiscal year 2024; This figure was 2.9 million dollars compared to the previous year.
Guaranteed Rate Field, formerly US Cellular Field and home of the Chicago White Sox, was shown on November 5, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Getty Images)
Beyond his salary, the nonprofit also covered Lateef’s housing allowance and membership dues at private organizations such as the Economic Club of Chicago.
Even as Rush cut jobs, the White Sox continued to fund sponsorships and climate initiatives; This includes a goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 and vendor policies that weigh race and social impact.
Rush received more than $194 million in federal funds in Fiscal Year 2025 while maintaining its tax-exempt status.
Consumer Research says Rush has become the latest target of the national “Bad Drug” campaign because the group believes nonprofit hospital systems are using taxpayer support and tax-exempt status to advance political ideology rather than prioritize patient care.
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Rush paid to get his name in front of White Sox fans. Now Consumer Research wants those same fans to ask what the name means.
OutKick has reached out to the White Sox and Rush University Health System for comment.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow on X: @alejandroaveela
