Brewers minor leaguer David Denson became the first active player in affiliated professional baseball to reveal he's gay when he came out to his teammates and the media.
Denson, 20, plays first base for the Brewers' affiliate in Helena, Mont., and after coming out about his sexuality to teammates, he spoke to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for a story that appeared on the newspaper's website Saturday evening. Denson divulged that he made an announcement to the other players on the club and said he was met with resounding support from his peers.
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"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them," Denson told the publication. "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.'"
The slugger, who is of African-American and Hispanic descent, then followed it up by sharing it with the media as a way to publicly come out as gay in an open forum. Denson also said it was a great comfort for him to be able to tell his teammates and to get their support.
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"That was a giant relief for me," Denson said. "I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality."
The Brewers' 2013 15th round draft pick out of South Hills High School in West Covina, Calif., also relayed a story where a teammate jokingly referred to him as a derogatory term for gay when he entered the clubhouse. Denson cautioned the player to be careful because you never know who might be gay.
While he's the first professional affiliated baseball player to come out during his career, he's not the first player in the sport to do so.
Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy became the first active professional baseball player to reveal he's gay when he did so in June. The Stompers play in the independent Pacific Association, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Glenn Burke and Billy Bean are the only two former MLB players to publicly reveal their homosexuality, but they both did so after they retired. Bean is the MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion and helped Denson prepare to share his story with the media.
Players have also come out in other sports, as now-retired NBA player Jason Collins shared that he was gay during the 2013 offseason and played with the Nets in 2014. Collins became the first active gay player in major team sports.
Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam told his teammates he was gay in August 2014 prior to being drafted by the Rams. Sam was with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL until he stepped away from the game just last week.
Much like these players, Denson can now breathe a sigh of relief that a huge weight has been lifted off of him.
"It became a depression level," he said. "I wasn't being myself. It was visible in my body language. I didn't know if I should still stay in the sport."
Now, with the support of his teammates, Denson doesn't have to worry about being himself.
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