iStock/Thinkstock(MILWAUKEE) — Major League Baseball has its first openly gay active player.
After an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, David Denson, a first baseman for a Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate has become the first openly gay baseball player affiliated with professional baseball.
According to the Journal Sentinel, Denson revealed the information to his teammates after a teammate jokingly referred to him using a derogatory term for a gay male. Denson responded by outing himself to the rest of his team.
“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.'”
On Sunday the Milwaukee Brewers released a statement calling Denson “a highly respected member of the Milwaukee Brewers family” and a “very courageous young man.”
“Our goal for David is to help develop him into a Major League player, just as it is for any player in our system,” said the statement. “And we will continue to support him in every way as he chases that dream.”
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