Celebrating Queer People of Color - Glenn Burke

(Posted by Tristan, '12)

Glenn Burke was known for many firsts. He is credited with giving the first high-five, a practice now so common no one really questions its origins. But, even greater, he was the first MLB player to come out as gay. In 1982, two years after leaving professional baseball, Burke officially came out. Yet, Burke believes that people may have known while he was still playing. He was originally signed with the Dodgers, but was traded to the A’s. Burke’s former teammates were angry about the trade, because they saw Burke as being a much better player. What was General Manager Al Campanis’s real reason for trading Burke? We can’t know but one likely explanation was that Campanis found out that Burke was gay. Burke was very close with Campanis’s son, a gay man who had died of AIDS and Campanis had previously suggested that Burke get married in order to improve his image and the image of the Dodger’s team. Burke spent a year and a half with the A’s, but retired prematurely because he felt that his secret was not safe playing in his hometown (both Burke and the A’s are from Oakland, CA).

Burke declined rapidly after leaving baseball. He played basketball and softball locally, but his career in sports ended after a car hit him and broke his leg. He became addicted to drugs and his new behavior pushed away most of his friends. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1994 and he died from the disease in 1995.

While Burke had many problems in the second half of his life, he accomplished so much while playing baseball. In an interview with People Magazine, Burke said "My mission as a gay ballplayer was to break a stereotype . . . I think it worked." Although Burke broke stereotypes, there has been, to this date, only one other MLB player who has come out (Billy Bean) and no one who has been an active player while being open about their sexuality.