The Closet Professor

On Monday, Billy Bean (May 11, 1964 – August 6, 2024) passed away after battling acute myeloid leukemia since 2023. He was 60. Bean was the second Major League Baseball player to come out publicly. Glenn Burke had come out in 1982. Both came out after retiring from baseball. I particularly remember Bean coming out (I was too young when Burke came out), because I was in the midst of figuring out my own sexuality. He came out publicly to Lydia Martin of the Miami Herald in 1999. Bean became a bit of a celebrity after coming out. I remember him as a panelist on GSN’s I’ve Got a Secret revival in 2006. I remember thinking how handsome he was. 

Bean was appointed MLB’s first “Ambassador for Inclusion” on July 15, 2014. In this role, Bean counseled David Denson, who became the first minor league player signed to an MLB organization to come out as gay. Bean was never really known as an outstanding player during his career. Instead, Bean achieved more off the field, becoming a symbol of inclusion and empathy, in a sport that didn’t (and still doesn’t) always have large quantities of either. He’d rise to become MLB’s senior vice president for DEI and special assistant to the commissioner.

Bean changed lives and influenced others to come out. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, “Our hearts are broken today as we mourn our dear friend and colleague, Billy Bean, one of the kindest and most respected individuals I have ever known. Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others. He made Baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing. We are forever grateful for the enduring impact that Billy made on the game he loved, and we will never forget him.”

He may have been one of the first gay role models I remember. There were of course other gay role models before him, but he’s the first one I think that came to my attention. I can’t say that Bean greatly influenced my coming out (I was already out when he was on I’ve Got a Secret), though baseball in general did influence my own realization that I am gay. I remember when I was twelve years old and saw Jose Canseco play for the Oakland Athletics in the 1989 World Series. He was so beautiful, but good lord, the years of steroids and hard living have not been good to him. Still, back then, I collected his baseball cards and even had posters of him in my bedroom. Sadly, after my parents found out I was gay, those posters were ripped down and thrown away by my mother. I also remember getting a Ryne Sandberg baseball card as a prize in a box of cereal. I think I instantly fell in love. The point is my fascination with baseball players is one of the things that helped me realize that I am gay. I still love to watch baseball, though I usually only watch college baseball. I’m not a fan of major league sports.

William Daro Bean
(May 11, 1964 – August 6, 2024)