Dodgers unveil permanent stadium memorial honoring gay players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean
The LA Dodgers unveiled a permanent memorial at Dodger Stadium honoring gay players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, ahead of Pride Night.
Mark
The Los Angeles Dodgers revealed a permanent memorial at Dodger Stadium on Friday honoring gay former Dodgers players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, hours before the team hosts the biggest Pride Night in all of sports.
Family members of both Burke and Bean were in attendance, many of them meeting for the first time.
“It was so great to meet the Burke sisters,” Bean’s husband, Greg Baker, said in remarks. “Billy talked about you, and he always loved seeing you.”
The installation is accessible to the fans near center field at Dodger Stadium.
“We’re proud that this isn’t just going to be here for Pride Night,” said Erik Braverman, the out gay Dodgers senior vice president. “This is going to be here every day.”
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After the reveal, one of Burke’s sisters thanked the Dodgers and the Bean family, and Baker also spoke to the gathered crowd.
“I’m just so moved,” Baker said after seeing the memorial, “and I’m so thrilled about the bravery that the Dodgers community is showing. It’s something that in an age when we’re seeing a lot of erasure of LGBTQ people, it’s nice to see the Dodgers step up.
“This is so beautiful. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Glenn Burke and Billy Bean honored for their play and courage
Glenn Burke was the first MLB player to come out publicly as gay. He played in Major League Baseball for four seasons for the Dodgers and his hometown Oakland A’s, recording 124 hits and 38 RBIs.
Burke is famously credited with inventing the high five as he ran onto the field during a game in 1977, raising his hand to congratulate teammate Dusty Baker on his 30th home run of the season. Baker raised his hand, the two clapped and the high five was invented.
“Glenn Burke did it, not me,” Baker would later say. “Everybody says it was me. It was Glenn.”
Burke passed away in 1995 due to complications associated with AIDS.
Billy Bean played for three teams over six MLB seasons: the Detroit Tigers, Dodgers and San Diego Padres. While with the Padres, he skipped the funeral of his then-partner so as not to let on to his team or teammates that he was gay, a story he often told to highlight the struggles gay pro athletes experience.
Bean would come out publicly a few years after retiring, ultimately joining the MLB front office as the first Ambassador for Inclusion, ultimately stepping into an influential role as senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Bean passed away in 2024 from leukemia.
Now the memory of both gay trailblazers has a permanent home at Dodger Stadium.
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