Brewers minor leaguer comes out as first openly gay player in affiliated ball

(Helena Brewers) David Denson, a minor league first baseman and outfielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, has become the first active player in affiliated professional baseball to reveal he is gay.

Denson told his story to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel in a story published Saturday night.

Denson credits former major-leaguer Billy Bean, who last year was named Major League Baseball’s first Ambassador for Inclusion, for helping him bring his story to the forefront. Bean spent parts of six seasons in MLB, but never publicly revealed he was gay while active. In his role now, he continues working toward creating a more accepting atmosphere within baseball circles.

In his story, Denson reveals the internal struggles he experienced just finding the courage to come forward and be honest with his teammates. Denson says he was actually motivated by a teammate with the Helena Brewers, Milwaukee’s rookie ball affiliate, who used a derogatory term for a gay male directly to him in the clubhouse earlier this season.

“Be careful what you say. You never know,” Denson responded to his unidentified teammate.

Instead of taking that comment as a sign that his teammates weren’t ready or willing to accept his sexuality, or allowing the hurtful words to make him take a step back, he took two steps forward.

Here’s more from the Journal Sentinal:

Before he knew it, Denson was making the emotional announcement he yearned to share, and the group around him expanded to the point that he soon was speaking to most of the team. Much to Denson’s relief, when the conversation ended he was greeted with outward support and understanding instead of condemnation.

“Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them,” recalled Denson. “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 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.”

After taking that courageous step, Denson soon realized there were bigger steps to take. That concealing it within the clubhouse wasn’t what he really wanted. That he needed to come forward publicly and get the entire weight off his shoulders in order to move forward. So that’s exactly what he’s done. Now he can operate without that weighing on his mind and he can put the focus on baseball where it should be.

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Denson joins pitcher Sean Conroy of the independent Sonoma Stompers as the only two openly gay players who are currently active. That Denson is currently connected to an MLB team will bring more attention to his story in the weeks ahead, but both players deserve credit for coming out.

Denson, by the way, was a 15th-round pick in 2013 out of South Hills High School in West Covina, California. The 20-year-old has batted .240/.355/.379 in 179 professional games. He’s what you’d probably label a fringe prospect at this point in his development, but he’s already made an impact on the game that can never be measured.

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