LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� The Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday unveiled a permanent display honoring LGBTQ+ trailblazers and former players for the team Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, who were the first two major leaguers to say they were gay.
A brief ceremony with their families was held on the team鈥檚 13th Pride Night, hours before the Dodgers hosted the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series.
鈥淚t鈥檚 brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us,鈥� said Greg Baker, Bean鈥檚 husband.
The families let out audible 鈥渁ahs鈥� and applauded as a blue curtain dropped on the display under the left-field pavilion near the Dodgers bullpen. Against a swirling rainbow painted on the wall are Burke’s No. 3 and Bean’s No. 40 framed jerseys, along with a color photo of Burke’s baseball card and a black-and-white shot of him in action. Bean’s side of the display features two color photos of him. Placards describe their careers and contributions.
鈥淗e would be smiling, he would be so happy, he probably would be giving a high-five,鈥� said Joyce Burke Henderson of Vallejo, California, one of Burke’s three sisters on hand.
Burke was the first MLB player to come out as gay, announcing it in 1982 after he retired. He played for the Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to ’79. He and Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker are widely credited with inventing the high-five after they slapped hands on the field in 1977.
Burke Henderson recalled that her brother initially kept his sexuality hidden before reaching a point where 鈥渉e just didn’t care.鈥�
鈥淣owadays the world is different and we need to conform to what鈥檚 going on,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s long as everybody is safe, they鈥檙e healthy, we don鈥檛 have the right to tell people how to live their lives. That鈥檚 up to them, but just respect that decision.鈥�
Burke died at age 42 in 1995 of AIDS complications.
Four years later, Bean became the second MLB player to reveal that he was gay. Bean did so after he had been retired for four years. Bean was appointed MLB’s first ambassador for inclusion in 2014 and later became the league’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bean was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023 and at age 60.
鈥淚t never stops being emotional,鈥� said Baker, who got choked up addressing the gathering. 鈥淚t’s so well-deserved. I’m so proud of him.鈥�
Baker has remained close to Bean’s family, including his parents Ed and Linda Kovac and three brothers who attended.
Baker said he’s not surprised that more professional athletes haven’t come out.
“I still think there鈥檚 a lot of work to do and I think that work is not necessarily like within the sports community. I think it鈥檚 within our community as a whole,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here’s always going to be homophobia, just hopefully there鈥檚 going to be less and less of it.鈥�
The families took turns posing in front of the wall and taking their own photos of it.
“We still love him,鈥� Burke Henderson said. 鈥淲e just appreciate the Dodgers honoring him and Billy Bean, too. We knew Billy Bean. They were both great guys.鈥�
___
AP MLB:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
