By John Mack Freeman
Two professional sports leagues have seen their first out players this week.
In baseball, David Denson, a first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers’ rookie affiliate in Helena, Montana, came out via an interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. From that interview:
Since coming out to his Helena teammates, Denson said he has felt like a different person and player. He was selected for the Pioneer League All-Star Game in August and was named most valuable player, displaying his prodigious power with a home run.
As for Denson’s teammates living and playing with a gay player, Helena manager Tony Diggs said: “I don’t think there have been any problems whatsoever with the team. I’m pretty sure everybody on our team has an understanding of it.
“We are professional baseball players first, and I think that’s the way they’ve taken it. They’ve handled it well. David has always gone about his business professionally. He has shared with me that (keeping the secret for so long) was a burden for him and he feels more freedom after coming out.
This is not the first time this summer that a baseball player has made news by coming out. Sean Conroy, who plays with the Sonoma Stompers, came out at the end of June. Denson, though, is the first player affiliated with the MLB to have done so.
In addition to baseball, the British Pro Rugby League now has its first openly gay player. Keegan Hirst, captain of the Batley Bulldogs, came out this week. Via Towleroad:
Keegan, who told the news to his wife a few weeks ago, said he first felt realized he might be gay back at age 15.
“I was having conflicting feelings, but it was something I suppressed. It wasn’t the done thing to admit it,” he said. “By the time I was 18, I was in complete denial, hoping it would go away. It was inconceivable to tell anybody how I was feeling.”
A few months ago, Hirst mustered up the courage and admitted to himself what he’d known for years. He has since told his teammates and said their reaction to the news was all positive.
