Gay bean
Remembering Billy Bean, pioneering gay outfielder who challenged baseball’s homophobia
If you’re an alum of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the number “44” has particular resonance: It was retired in 2000 by the men’s basketball team in honor of Hank Gathers, the All-American who led the Loyola Marymount Lions to glory before tragically dying during a game in 1990.
But Gathers wasn’t the first L.M.U. sports legend to wear “44”—and he’s not the school’s only All-American whose accomplishments led to the number being retired. Move out to George C. Page Stadium at L.M.U. and look at the outfield fence. There’s another #44 there: Billy Bean.
Bean, who died on Aug. 6 of leukemia, led the 1986 L.M.U. men’s baseball team to the College World Series in a extraordinary season which saw the Lions ranked #1 in the country for several weeks. Drafted after both his junior and senior seasons, Bean went on to play major league baseball for the Detroit Tigers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, retiring in 1995.
No active major league baseball player has ever come out as gay.
He published an autobiography in 2003, Going the Other Way: Lessons From a Life In Tuesday, August 6th, was a sad night for baseball fans. Billy Bean, who was among the very first professional athletes to come out as gay, passed away at age 60. The baseball celebrity who played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres in the late 80s through mid-90s, was beloved in the sport. He later went on to assist as the MLB’s first Ambassador for Inclusion as adequately as the Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. According to the MLB, Bean’s work included provide guidance and training related to efforts to aid LGBTQ people throughout Major League Baseball. He worked with Major and Small League Clubs to encourage equal opportunity for players, employees, and fans alike. In 1999, Bean made the courageous verdict to come out publicly in the Miami Herald. Among the first MLB players to enter out as homosexual, Bean’s bravery paved the way for a new generation of athletes. He dedicated much of his career to ensuring a safer, more inclusive environment for LGBTQ people. Bean annually took part in Spirit Afternoon, the world’s most visible anti-bullying movement inspiring LGBTQ youth, especially transgender and nonbinary youth to live their li Interviewing Billy Bean is love sitting down with a long-time friend you haven’t seen in a while and chatting about wherever the conversation takes you. Gregarious, handsome and thoughtful, Bean is the flawless representative for inclusiveness in Major League Baseball. “The first word in the headline was ‘gay,’” Bean said, referring to a recent Tweet associated with his appearance with the Mets. “It’s the first pos they define me as for the rest of my life. I will always be the same-sex attracted player. I’m an out and proud gay male now, so I’m okay with that.” Fear of coming out while playing hasn’t changed at all in the past decades. There are many factors and each situation has its uniqueness. Whether it’s the homophobia shown by another player, a fan catcalling from the stands or fear of becoming the one guy everyone points at on social media, any reason seems to be a good one. Considering the response and reaction to other athletes coming out, Bean thinks it could be a long time before the sport of baseball comes to terms with players coming out. “I can say you that it was not historically an accepting place to hang your hat there,” Bean said. “But every player that’s playing Joshua Bean is a litigator with experience in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex commercial litigation, civil rights, white-collar defense, family law, and appeals. Prior to joining Selendy Gay as an associate, Joshua served as a term law clerk to the Honorable Milan D. Smith, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Lawrence E. Kahn of the Northern District of New York. Joshua earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he served as a criminal law instruction assistant to the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff and a comparative constitutional law research assistant to Professor Jamal K. Greene. Joshua also served as the Executive Online Editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law and externed for the Honorable Timothy M. Reif of the United States Court of International Trade. After Joshua’s first year of law institution, he completed a summer internship at the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.