MLB teams welcome LGBTQ fans with Pride Nights but not one has seen an active player come out

A image for the Pride Parade is displayed on the video board during San Francisco Giants' Pride Day as Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, bottom, warms up during the third inning of a baseball game between the Giants and the Chicago Cubs in San Francisco, Saturday, June 10, 2023. Almost 80 years after Jackie Robinson broke the majors’ color barrier in a landmark moment for the American civil rights movement, the dueling expressions of LGBTQ+ support and seeming rejection recalled the question of when the big leagues might welcome their first active openly gay player. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

When it comes to baseball and LGBTQ inclusivity, Billy Bean often flashes back to his playing days.

Ending his career without telling his parents about his life as a closeted gay ballplayer. Shielding his secret from teammates like Brad Ausmus and Torey Lovullo. The regret of not sharing his “full self,” he says.

It’s a message Bean has delivered in clubhouses, and it resonates with today’s ballplayers — hyper-focused on staying in the majors, and being a good teammate. It’s also the lens through which Bean views baseball’s ongoing LGBTQ issues.