Dodgers to unveil permanent display honoring LGBTQ players Billy Bean, Glenn Burke on Pride Night

The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to host their 13th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on Friday, June 5, when they take on the Los Angeles Angels. As part of the pregame ceremonies, the team will unveil a permanent display to honor former players and LGBTQ trailblazers Billy Bean and Glenn Burke. 

The tribute, which will be displayed in the Centerfield Plaza at Dodger Stadium, will feature pictures and memorabilia from the careers of Bean and Burke, both of whom played for the Boys in Blue.

Burke, who played in parts of four MLB seasons, including with the Dodgers from 1976 to 1978, was the first MLB player to come out as gay when he announced his retirement in 1982. He also played for the Oakland Athletics and is credited with inventing the high five after rushing to celebrate with then-Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker after a home run in 1977. 

He died from AIDS-related complications in 1995 at 42 years old. In 2022, the Dodgers invited Burke's family to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at their Pride Night celebration. 

Bean played for the Dodgers in 1989 as part of his six-year big league career, in which he also played with the Detroit Tigers and the San Diego Padres. He also came out after his playing days in 1999, becoming the second player to do so after Burke. He continued working with Major League Baseball after his retirement, working as a special adviser to the commissioner and as the senior vice president for diversity, equality and inclusion. He died at 60 years old in 2024 after battling cancer.

"Billy was a friend to countless people across our game, and he made a difference through his constant dedication to others," said a statement from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred after Bean's death. "He made baseball a better institution, both on and off the field, by the power of his example, his empathy, his communication skills, his deep relationships inside and outside our sport, and his commitment to doing the right thing."

Burke and Bean are two of three MLB players to come out as gay. TJ House, a pitcher who played for the then-Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays, also came out after retiring from baseball in 2022. 

Prior to first pitch, the team is also hosting the Pride Night Party, which is being produced in collaboration with the Christoper Street West Association nonprofit organization. The celebration will feature multiple musical performances, including Mariachi Arcoiris of Los Angeles, the first LGBTQ+ mariachi band in the world, and DJ Brizzle. UMI is set to perform the national anthem and the first pitch will be thrown by 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, an Inglewood native and Compton Junior College alum who pitched in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and has a display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. She came out in 2022. 

All fans in attendance who purchase the LGBTQ+ Pride Night special ticket package will receive an exclusive item, a Dodgers Pride Night jersey, to commemorate the celebration. More information on the Dodgers game can be found on their website.