As Pride Month celebrates LGBTQ inclusion across society, professional sports remains one of the last frontiers where many athletes still feel unable to be open about their identity. Billy Bean, a former Padres outfielder who later became a pioneering voice for inclusion in Major League Baseball, left behind a powerful legacy after his death last year at age 60.
"If you love baseball or you want to come watch a game, come through the turnstiles, if you want to work in our sport, if you want to play, then you are welcome," Bean told ABC 10News in 2017.
For Bean, these weren't empty words but a personal mission that defined his later career.
Bean spent nearly a decade as an outfielder in Major League Baseball, including three seasons with the Padres in the mid-1990s. After retiring, he made the groundbreaking decision to come out publicly in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer.
The stress of hiding his personal life from teammates ultimately led Bean to retire in 1995, earlier than he might have otherwise.
"I regret the fact that I felt like I had to walk away from playing to live the life I felt most comfortable living. I quit probably four or five years before I should have," Bean said.
Thirty years later, Bean remains among only a small number of American professional athletes to come out publicly. In 2014, he joined the Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office, eventually becoming a vice president overseeing the league's inclusion efforts.
This role brought Bean back to San Diego frequently, where he developed a relationship with Padres executive Tom Seidler.
"Just a really good-hearted guy. You know, he wasn't the biggest star on those teams from the early 90's, but a lot of fans remember him," Seidler said.
According to Seidler, Bean earned tremendous respect throughout baseball for his courage.
"He was really courageous to come out of the closet, and at the time, the only openly gay former Major League player, and one of the few in any sport."
Bean died last year from leukemia at just 60 years old. Seidler believes Bean's most significant impact came not from his time on the field but through his work in his final years to "expand the message that baseball is for everybody."
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