Glenn Burke

Not to be confused with Glen Burke.

Glenn Burke
Outfielder
Born: (1952-11-16)November 16, 1952
Oakland, California, U.S.
Died: May 30, 1995(1995-05-30) (aged 42)
San Leandro, California, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 9, 1976, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
June 4, 1979, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average.237
Home runs2
Runs batted in38
Teams

Glenn Lawrence Burke (November 16, 1952 – May 30, 1995) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979. He was the first MLB player to come out as gay, announcing it in 1982 after he retired.[1]

Though he would eventually embrace his sexuality publicly, rumors and mistreatment due to speculation eventually proved to be an emotional, psychological, and professional burden he could no longer endure; leading to his retirement from Major League Baseball after only four years.[2][3][4] He was, nevertheless, proud of his legacy, stating, "They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it."[5][6]

In October 1977, Burke ran onto the field to congratulate his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit his 30th home run; Burke raised his hand over his head and Baker slapped it. They are widely credited with inventing the high five.

Burke kept active in sports after retiring from baseball. He competed in the 1982 Gay Olympics, now re-named Gay Games, in track, and in 1986 in basketball. He played for many years in the San Francisco Gay Softball League.[7]

He died from AIDS-related causes in 1995.[8][9] In August 2013, Burke was among the first class of inductees into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame. Burke was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2015.

  1. ^ "Glenn Burke, 1st openly gay MLB player, is shunned no more — 40 years after coming out". TODAY.com. July 3, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Glenn, Burke. "Nominee". LegacyProjectChicago. The Legacy Project. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  3. ^ Barra, Allen (May 12, 2013). "Actually, Jason Collins Isn't the First Openly Gay Man in a Major Pro Sport". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  4. ^ "17 Baseball Heroes Who Came Out as Gay". February 2, 2018. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  5. ^ Keith Stern (2009). Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays. Jennifer Canzoneri. p. 78.
  6. ^ Vox, Dylan (December 11, 2006). "A High Five to Baseball Great Glenn Burke". This Week in Texas. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  7. ^ "Glenn Burke, 1st openly gay MLB player, is shunned no more — 40 years after coming out". TODAY.com. July 3, 2022. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Gallagher, John (August 18, 1998). "Gay athletes through history". The Advocate: 14. ISSN 0001-8996. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  9. ^ Luca Prono (2008). Encyclopedia of gay and lesbian popular culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 44. ISBN 9780313335990.