LA Dodgers Honor Glenn Burke & Billy Bean On Pride Night 2026

The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled a permanent display honoring LGBTQ trailblazers and former players for the team Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, who were the first two major leaguers to come out as gay.

A ceremony including their families was held hours before the team’s 13th Pride Night as the Dodgers hosted the Los Angeles Angels.

A night celebrating Pride Night presented by @BlueShieldCA and honoring LGBTQ+ trailblazers Glenn Burke and Billy Bean with a new exhibit in the Centerfield Plaza. 🏳️‍🌈 pic.twitter.com/4RHaiAyrnz

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 6, 2026

From ESPN:

“It’s brave of them in this day and age to spotlight someone in our community when other organizations are trying to erase us,” said Greg Baker, Bean’s husband.

Against a swirling rainbow painted on the wall are Burke’s No. 3 and Bean’s No. 40 framed jerseys, along with a color photo of Burke’s baseball card and a black-and-white shot of him in action. Bean’s side of the display features two color photos of him. Placards describe their careers and contributions.

“He would be smiling. He would be so happy. He probably would be giving a high-five,” said Joyce Burke Henderson, one of Burke’s three sisters on hand.

In 1982, Burke became the very first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, three years after retiring. He played for the Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979.

Factoid: Burke and his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker are widely credited with inventing the high-five after they slapped hands on the field in 1977.

Burke died at age 42 in 1995 of AIDS complications.

Bean came out publicly in 1999, four years after retiring having played in the majors from 1987 to 1995 (Detroit Tigers, LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres).

He was appointed MLB’s first ambassador for inclusion in 2014 and later became the league’s senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2023, Bean died the following year at age 60.

Here’s the video presentation narrated by tennis legend Billy Jean King.