David Denson, a minor league first baseman in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, publicly announced he's gay, becoming the first openly gay active player in an MLB-affiliated league. The 20-year-old shared his story with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed coming out to them," Denson told Haudricourt. "They said, 'You're still our teammate. You're still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You're still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don't treat you any different. We've got your back.'
"That was a giant relief for me."
Denson follows in the footsteps of Sean Conroy, a pitcher for the Sonoma Stompers, who announced he was gay earlier in the summer. Conroy is the first openly gay active professional baseball player.
MLB has made a concerted effort to create a more welcome atmosphere for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
Last July, then-Commissioner Bud Selig announced Billy Bean as the league's ambassador for inclusion. Bean, a six-year MLB veteran, revealed in 1999 he's gay.
"I wish that our game had someone in place to whom Billy and (Glenn Burke) could have turned when they played—a friend, listener, a source of support," Selig said at the press conference, per MLB.com's Alyson Footer. "That's why I am so delighted to make this announcement today."
Haudricourt reported that Denson consulted with Bean before publicly coming out.
"The beauty of what could come from this is he can be an example that can help change that perception and change the stereotype that there would never be a gay person on a men's professional sports team," Bean said. "That was something I struggled with."
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