David Denson, of Brewers' rookie team, is first openly gay pro player
— -- A Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguer has achieved a first in the game's long history by coming out as the first active player in affiliated pro baseball to come out as gay.
David Denson, a first baseman for the Brewers' rookie league affiliate in Helena, Montana, was spurred to come out to his teammates when, about a month ago, he was jokingly referred to with a derogatory term for a gay male by a teammate in the clubhouse. "Be careful what you say. You never know," Denson told the teammate, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which Denson engaged to help to share his story with the public.
That encounter with his teammate is the point at which Denson knew he had the opportunity he had been waiting for to share with his teammates.
Denson, who hit a home run and was named MVP of the Pioneer League All-Star Game earlier this month, was relieved to find nothing but support from the team after his emotional announcement.
"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them," Denson told the Journal Sentinel. "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.'"
The response of his teammates was a significant burden lifted off Denson.
"That was a giant relief for me," Denson said. "I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality."
Denson, 20, enlisted the help of Billy Bean, a former major leaguer who came out as gay four years after his career ended in 1999, to advise on how to publicly announce his story.
Bean was named Major League Baseball's first ambassador for Inclusion in 2014.
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