Petition to admit Glenn Burke to Baseball Hall of Fame

Via Outsmart Magazine:


COOPERSTOWN, NY – More than 15,000 people have joined a breaking sports campaign on Change.org calling on the Baseball Hall of Fame to recognize Major League Baseball’s first openly gay player, Glenn Burke. Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics during the late 1970s and early 1980s, was openly gay with his teammates, and is attributed with popularizing the high five.

Jeremy Redlien, a volunteer EMT, president of PFLAG Oneonta/Otsego, and baseball fan from Oneonta, N.Y., launched the campaign on Change.org once he learned Burke has never been recognized by the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Glenn Burke came out to his teammates at a time when no one else was talking publicly about their sexual orientation, let alone athletes,” said Redlien. “We live in a world where the contributions of gay athletes to the history of sports is often overlooked. It’s time to recognize Burke’s bravery so that young people today can be inspired by this important figure in baseball.”

In addition to being the first Major League Baseball player to come out as gay, Burke is also accredited with popularizing the high five. In a late season game in 1977, Burke’s Dodgers teammate, Dusty Baker, hit a home run. Burke, who was on deck, raised his right hand as Baker crossed the home plate and gave him a high five.

“It’s amazing to think that Glenn Burke not only made history by coming out as gay, but that he also popularized something that millions upon millions of people do, from T-ball players to professional athletes, whenever they want to celebrate a special moment,” added Redlien. “Burke’s story is something that everyone deserves to learn about, as the contributions of gay athletes are all too often overlooked in professional sports.”

Burke’s career in the Major Leagues was short. According to a PBS documentary from 2010, Burke’s sexual orientation caused friction between him and his managers, with a Dodgers official suggesting that Burke should get married to protect the team’s image. Burke retired in 1980, and said a few years later that “prejudice drove me out of baseball sooner than I should have, but I wasn’t changing.”

Burke passed away in 1995, after a battle with substance abuse and HIV/AIDS-related complications.

“I think if Burke had been supported by managers and teammates early on, he would not have left baseball so early, and could have been a contender for the Hall of Fame,” said Redlien. “Instead, Burke died tragically after feeling like he didn’t belong in professional sports. It is time for his favorite sport to give him the respect he always deserved.”

“Jeremy Redlien’s petition on Change.org is mobilizing thousands of people who want to see Glenn Burke honored in some way by the Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Joe Mirabella, campaign manager at Change.org. “Baseball fans are speaking out, and joining Jeremy’s campaign in droves.”


Find the petition HERE.

19 June 2012 / NAACP President and CEO to be part of Team DC's Night OUT at the Nationals

From FGG member organization Team DC, an exciting update on Night OUT at the Nationals on June 19:

Over 3,300 tickets have now been sold to the 8th Annual Night OUT at the Nationals! Will we break the record of 3,523 tickets?????

Tickets are still available for $18 (normally $22 at the box office) and here is how you can get yours:
Go to Nellie's Sports Bar where tickets are on sale at the downstairs main bar.
Go to www.nationals.com/nightout and get your tickets NOW. Online sales start at $18.

We are extremely pleased to announce that Benjamin Jealous, the President and CEO of the NAACP, will join us that night to deliver the official Line-Up Cards that evening. As you probably know, the NAACP is one of the nation's oldest and most important civil rights organizations and has come out in support of full marriage equality. Team DC is proud to be associated with the NAACP and appreciative of their support of the LGBT community. Come meet Mr. Jealous and thank him for his support!

Please be sure to be inside the ballpark no later than 6:30 PM to watch the pre-game ceremonies with our other Special Guests, including:
Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) will join us at the Night OUT on June 19 to throw out the First Pitch. Congressman Polis is a true fighter for our community and as one of only 4 openly gay Members of Congress, he is a great example of what can be accomplished when you are OUT....just like we all will be that night!
The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington will sing the National Anthem that night AND be recognized that evening as the recipient of the Team Spirit Award from the Washington Nationals in recognition of their tremendous contributions to the Night OUT and our community. Way to go Chorus!!!!
Sgt. Brett Parson will open the game with "PLAY BALL". Brett is a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department and is the former head of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU). Brett has been a stalwart in our community for many years and we are excited to have him recognized that night.
We are also proud to have representatives of the AIDS Vaccine Trials Unit of NIH who will be at the Community Kiosk inside the ballpark that night. The work they do has a profound impact on our community. Thank You and let's hope they find some Nats fans who are interested in research trials!
And, don't forget, beers are only $5 up in our Scoreboard section up until the start of the game. Meet your friends and get there early and cheer loudly as representatives of our community are showcased throughout the ballpark that evening.


Be a part of the LARGEST LGBT Community Night in professional sports in the United States and see your first place Nats take on the first place Tampa Bay Rays

19 June 2012 / Team DC Night OUT at the Nationals tickets selling fast

A message from FGG member organization Team DC:

Night OUT at the Nationals - Tuesday, June 19 vs. Tampa Bay....now over 2,400 tickets already sold!

Do you have your tickets to the 8th Annual Night OUT at the Nationals? Tickets are available for $18 (normally $22 at the box office). The $18 seats will likely sell out (just like the $16 section did...we told you!), but here is how you can get yours:

• Go to Nellie's Sports Bar where tickets are on sale at the downstairs main bar.
• Go to www.nationals.com/nightout and get your tickets NOW. Online sales start at $18.

Better yet, join us TONIGHT, Monday, June 4 between 6-8 PM Nellie's Sports Bar for a special Ticket Night featuring CLINT, the Nationals own in-park Host and heartthrob to all Nats fans!

We are also pleased to announce that Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) will join us at the Night OUT on June 19 to throw out the First Pitch. Congressman Polis is a true fighter for our community and as one of only 4 openly gay Members of Congress, he is a great example of what can be accomplished when you are OUT....just like we all will be that night!

Be a part of the LARGEST LGBT Community Night in professional sports in the United States and see your first place Nats take on the first place Tampa Bay Rays.

San Francisco Giants 10th LGBT Night salutes Gay Games 30th Anniversary

The scene was electric. ATT Park, home field for Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants. A full house of 42,000 fans on hand for a divisional rivalry game with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was also the 10th Annual LGBT Night game from this pioneering pro sports team. The crowd included 1,000 purchasers of a special LGBT ticket that included a private pre-game party and an exclusive rainbow-themed knit cap. For the second year in a row, these special LGBT tickets sold out weeks before the game.

Just before the Giants came to bat in the bottom of the 6th inning, the enormous scoreboard presented a wonderful video salute to two major anniversaries being celebrated in 2012: the 40th Anniversary of the San Francisco Gay Softball League, and the 30th Anniversary of Gay Games I. The ovation for this video must have inspired the team, since they promptly went out and scored to tie the game 1 - 1.



One inning later, a quintet of singers from the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco led the sold-out crowd in an a capella performance of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," also captured on video. This too must have inspired the home team since the Giants went on to score two more runs. They won the game 3 - 1, breaking the four year "curse" of losing on LGBT Night.

Staffing the informational table and promoting Gay Games 9
were (left to right) Martha from Team SF,
Mike from Team SF, and Tyler, co-chair of Team SF.
They're all wearing the knit cap given to the 1,000 purchasers
of the special LGBT Night game tickets.

Earlier in the game, several local LGBT organizations staffed an informational table at the Giants' "Community Clubhouse" area behind home plate. All the groups mentioned above were represented, and postcards and brochures for Gay Games 9 - Cleveland 2014 were distributed. Overhead, the recap DVD from the 2006 Chicago Gay Games showed on a large flat-screen monitor.

A portion of the proceeds from the 1,000 special LGBT tickets will be shared by several beneficiary organizations: the Federation of Gay Games, Team San Francisco, and the San Francisco Gay Softball League.

To the San Francisco Giants, for the 10th year in a row, the LGBT Community of the San Francisco Bay Area says "thank you" to the most generous and progressive of all professional sports organizations!

Will San Francisco Giants break the LGBT Night "curse"?

Note the rainbow caps!

We previously excerpted this article, and thank the Bay Area Reporter for permission to reprint it in full:

Baseball thrives on superstitions, from never speaking about no-hitters when they are in progress to coaches skipping over the third baseline when approaching the pitching mound. From playoff beards to victory thongs, players are reluctant to change anything after a win or to continue anything after a loss. Statistical coincidence is mentally morphed into a double-play combo of cause and effect.

Thus, I note that the past three LGBT Nights at AT&T Park, the San Francisco Giants lost. In 2009, Tim "Timmmmmmay!" Lincecum, on his way to his second consecutive Cy Young Award, started well but the defense collapsed in the late innings. In 2010, Jonathan Sanchez, who struck out 200 hitters that year and pitched the victory that put the Giants into the postseason and on their way to the World Series championship, pitched eight shutout innings, but the Colorado Rockies rallied in the ninth against ace closer Brian Wilson. Last year, Lincecum got bombed like a Haight-Ashbury junkie in a five-run seventh inning by the Chicago Cubs. (Yes, the Cubs!)

Had they won all three times, we'd probably see the players this year wearing the fabulous promotional rainbow-logo hats they gave away at last year's game.

For this year's LGBT Night Out on Tuesday, May 29, the G-men are taking no chances. They put Wilson on the disabled list, ostensibly for Tommy John elbow surgery, but no doubt just as a superstitious precaution. They traded away Sanchez for Melky Cabrera, who has provided lights-out hitting in right field. And Lincecum, who has struggled unfathomably this season, is not scheduled to start in the game. If the pitchers stay in their normal scheduled rotation, we'll see last year's surprise sensation Ryan Vogelsong, who led the team starters going into this week with a 2.27 ERA and a 2-2 record.

All 1,000 special LGBT Night tickets were sold out two weeks ago according to Doug Litwin, marketing officer for the Federation of Gay Games, who said partial funds raised by the ticket sales will go toward the scholarship funds of Team SF and the FGG as well as the San Francisco Gay Softball League.


"The SFGSL was added in 2012 in honor of their 40th anniversary," Litwin told the Bay Area Reporter.


Last year's beneficiaries were the FGG, Team SF, and the Gay Straight Alliance, who equally divided $3,700, Litwin said.


Several LGBT sports organizations will have informational tables. This year, the tables will be located in the Community Clubhouse area, which is on the Promenade Level (main field level), right behind home plate.


A retrospective tribute to the 40th anniversary of SFGSL and the 30th anniversary of the Gay Games are scheduled to be shown during the sixth inning, and the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco will lead the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.

The Giants are fresh off the first of their two Bay Area series interleague battles with the Oakland A's, who took the finale against Lincecum in his latest tortured outing Sunday. The teams are following bizarrely parallel courses this year, and the Bay Bridge Series is always a delightful torment for bi-bay fans.

Last year the teams promised high and delivered low. Many had them picked to win their divisions; both finished abysmally out of the running. Familiar faces from the vaunted pitching staffs were traded away and have been replaced by players who, when the planets are aligned just right, deliver improved offense. Both have been hobbled by crucial injuries and both have mucked around the .500 level all season.

But hope springs eternal, and for the first time in recent memory both teams have speed on the base paths. If they can survive the injuries that have beset them thus far, we may see them challenge the Dodgers and Rangers down the stretch.

If not, bring back the victory thongs and get Madonna to pitch in next year's LGBT Night.

Watch this blog for photos and videos from the LGBT Night Game on 29 May.

28 May 2012 / SF Giants LGBT night to benefit FGG and local organizations

From Roger Brigham's Jock Talk column in the Bay Area Reporter:

All 1,000 special LGBT Night tickets were sold out two weeks ago according to Doug Litwin, marketing officer for the Federation of Gay Games, who said partial funds raised by the ticket sales will go toward the scholarship funds of Team SF and the FGG as well as the San Francisco Gay Softball League.

"The SFGSL was added in 2012 in honor of their 40th anniversary," Litwin told the Bay Area Reporter.

Last year's beneficiaries were the FGG, Team SF, and the Gay Straight Alliance, who equally divided $3,700, Litwin said.

Several LGBT sports organizations will have informational tables. This year, the tables will be located in the Community Clubhouse area, which is on the Promenade Level (main field level), right behind home plate. This is where the commemorative Giants LGBT beanie stocking caps will be distributed.

A retrospective tribute to the 40th anniversary of SFGSL and the 30th anniversary of the Gay Games are scheduled to be shown during the sixth inning, and the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco will lead the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Read in full, in particular to learn about the "LGBT night curse", HERE.

19 June 2012 / Team DC's Night OUT at the Nationals

Night OUT at the Nationals - Tuesday, June 19
Nationals vs. Tampa Bay

The 8th Annual Night OUT at the Nationals is coming and tickets are available NOW! Tickets start at only $16 (normally $20 at the box office) and this section will definitely sell out, so act now! Already over 1,000 tickets to this baseball game have been purchased! Here is how you can get yours:

All Star Partners (60 tickets or more) can order theirs now by contacting Brent Minor at news@teamdc.org. All Star Partners will get their name on the jumbotron that night, their name on the official "Nellie's Night OUT" Tee Shirt and several passes to the pre-game party.

Go to Nellie's Sports Bar where tickets are on sale at the downstairs main bar. They only have a limited number of $16 tickets left before they switch over to $18.

Go to www.nationals.com/nightout and get your tickets NOW. Online sales start at $18.

Be a part of the LARGEST LGBT Community Night in professional sports in the United States and see your Red-Hot Nats take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Oakland As say "It Gets Better"

From the San Francisco Chronicle (h/t Outsports):

The [Oakland Athletics] became the latest sports team to post an "It Gets Better" video, two weeks after starter Brandon McCarthy decried homophobia at baseball stadiums via Twitter.

McCarthy, left-hander Dallas Braden and second baseman Jemile Weeks appear on the video, along with stadium in-game host Kara Tsuboi.

The It Gets Better Project supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens who are dealing with bullying, harassment and feelings of isolation, with many celebrities and athletes providing messages that there is a brighter future ahead.

"I'm glad the A's were on board in helping get this out there, because we definitely wanted to get this off the ground," McCarthy said.

In the video, Braden says, "We are speaking for the entire Oakland Athletics organization when we say there is no place in society for hatred and bullying against anyone."

On Friday, Weeks said he was happy to participate in the video because he thinks it's important to use any platform as a public figure to try to help those in need, including teens who feel like outsiders. "Everyone should feel comfortable being themselves," Weeks said. "So I wanted to tell kids to be confident and to know they have support."

McCarthy said he heard from many gay and lesbian A's fans after his antihomophobia tweet and his subsequent remarks to Gwen Knapp in The Chronicle, and he said, "It's good for teams to do things that are important to their communities."


View the video below, and visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

---

More on Brandon McCarthy's slam on "kiss cam" homophobia

From the San Francisco Chronicle, more on Brandon McCarthy's response to the "kiss cam" at Major League Baseball games. The "kiss cam" is a camera shot of a (heterosexual) couple among the spectators that is shown on the stadium's big video screens, with messages urging the couple to kiss on camera. For "comedy", the "kiss cam" may also be used with two presumably straight men. It is never used for same-sex couples, even at team's LGBT games. McCarthy of the Oakland Athletics team tweeted his disgust with the practice while viewing a recent game.

For a lot of athletes, Twitter has been a forum for hazardous indiscretion. Last week, the A's Brandon McCarthy made the best of the social network's 140-character allotment. After a game in Anaheim, the pitcher tweeted: "They put two guys on the 'Kiss Cam' tonight. What hilarity!! (by hilarity I mean offensive homophobia). Enough with this stupid trend."

[...]

The wisdom of this 28-year-old's tweet shouldn't elude MLB and other leagues that indulge in "Kiss Cam" cheesiness. A couple of years ago, a group of gay fans in St. Louis publicly expressed their discomfort about an NFL game in which the camera homed in on two apparently straight men, and the two made disgusted faces over the suggestion that they kiss.

McCarthy pointed out the joke is usually telegraphed by placing the two guys at the end of the routine. There is no way it's an attempt to include gay and lesbian couples in the frivolity of "Kiss Cam."  "There's that stupid, little comedic value of it if you don't really think about what it implies," he said Tuesday. "It kind of got old on that level. Then I actually started thinking about why we were supposed to be laughing, and it bugged me."

McCarthy considers it incongruous for MLB teams to sponsor "It Gets Better" antihate campaigns and not banish this brand of humor. "The whole thing bugs me on a non-homophobic level, because it's awkward," he said. "... I just hate it."

[...]

Read in full HERE.

Billy Bean to be inducted into college conference Hall of Honor

From Loyola Marymount University, news of Gay Games Ambassador Billy Bean:

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Former LMU baseball standout Billy Bean is one of nine members of the newest class to enter the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor. The class will be inducted on Saturday, March 3 at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The induction ceremony will be part of the Conference's celebration of its rich history in athletics and academics during the 2012 Zappos.com West Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships from February 29-March 5 at the Orleans Arena.

"This year's WCC Hall of Honor class includes nine, highly accomplished student-athletes and administrators who have made their marks on their respective institutions and beyond," said WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich. "We look forward to recognizing our inductees in Las Vegas as part of our celebration to honor those who represent the West Coast Conference and its long history of athletic and academic excellence."

The 2012 WCC Hall of Honor class includes: BYU's Elaine Michaelis (Volleyball), Gonzaga University's Blake Stepp (Men's Basketball), Loyola Marymount University's Billy Bean (Baseball), Pepperdine University's Dana Jones (Men's Basketball), University of Portland's Kasey Keller (Men's Soccer), Saint Mary's College's Tom Candiotti (Baseball), University of San Diego's Thomas Burke (Administration), University of San Francisco's K.C. Jones (Men's Basketball), and Santa Clara University's Kurt Rambis (Men's Basketball).

All nine Hall of Honor members will be formally inducted at the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch on Saturday, March 3 at 9:00 AM at the Mardi Gras Ballroom in the Orleans Hotel and will be honored during halftime of the first men's semifinal later that evening.

Tickets to the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch & Induction Ceremony are available to the public for $40 and may be purchased online using the Hall of Honor Ticket Form on WCCsports.com. Tickets must be purchased by Tuesday, February 28.

2012 WCC HALL OF HONOR CLASS



Billy Bean spent four seasons with the Loyola Marymount Lions baseball team where he still is a record holder in numerous categories. Bean led the Lions to the program's first ever College World Series appearance in 1986 during his senior season. He was named to the All-WCC first team twice in his career, and was a member of the ABCA All-American second team in his senior season. Collegiate baseball named him Honorable Mention All-American as a junior. Bean holds the WCC single-season record for walks with 66, is the LMU single-season record holder for runs scored with 84, and still ranks among WCC career leaders in five offensive categories.

He was a fourth round draft pick in 1986 to the Detroit Tigers where he played two seasons and was traded the L.A. Dodgers mid-season. He took some time off and was picked up in 1993 where he played two seasons with the San Diego Padres where he finished his professional baseball career.

The Loyola Marymount Baseball team retired his No. 44 jersey and in 1992 he was inducted into the LMU Hall of Fame.

Compete looks at new sexual orientatio protections in US pro sports contracts

Ty Nolan has a great look in Compete  at the latest news on recent advances in US pro sport.


Ah, the drama behind the scenes of NBA and MLB contracts. I've written an extensive article on how the major sports franchises are dealing with sexual orientation in their new contract negotiations. At the time I had to send the article to the publisher, I had not heard back from the MLB. I included the fact the San Francisco Giants became the first MLB team to offer domestic partnerships and protections for LGBT employees because San Francisco had passed legislations any company doing business with the City had to reflect their values on equality.

Now I can bring you "the rest of the story." The good news after the NFL recently made headlines for protecting gay players the--MLB has added sexual orientation as a protected class in terms of employment. One of the most vocal advocates for equal opportunity employment has been Rafael McDonnell, the Communications and Advocacy Manager for Resource Center Dallas, the city's Gay and Lesbian Center. After reading about the NFL inclusionary CBA language, he contacted both the NBA and the MLB to see if they would include the changes as well. I'm including a detailed time line of his experiences as well as one of the letters he received in response.

Keep reading HERE.

Glenn Burke and the origin of the "high five"

A segment on the excellent Radiolab show led us to this story by Jon Mooallem on ESPN.com:

[...] Glenn Burke, a young outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late 1970s whose astonishing physique and 17-inch biceps earned him the nickname King Kong.

For at least a generation before the Sleets story surfaced, the conventional wisdom had been that Burke invented the high five on Oct. 2, 1977, in front of 46,000 screaming fans at Dodger Stadium.

It was the last day of the regular season, and Dodgers leftfielder Dusty Baker had just gone deep off the Astros' J.R. Richard. It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four sluggers -- Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith -- with at least 30 homers each. It was a wild, triumphant moment and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. "His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back," says Baker, now 62 and managing the Reds. "So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do."

Burke then stepped up and launched his first major league home run. And as he returned to the dugout, Baker high-fived him. From there, the story goes, the high five went ricocheting around the world. (According to Dodgers team historian Mark Langill, the game was not televised, and no footage survives.)

The high five was a natural outgrowth of Burke's personality. The Oakland native was an irrepressibly charismatic man who, even as a 24-year-old rookie that season, had become the soul of the Dodgers' clubhouse. He did Richard Pryor standup from memory and would stuff towels under his shirt and waddle bowlegged around the dugout, imitating Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. "He was a joyous, gregarious person," sports agent Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim says of Burke, a friend since childhood. "He could high-five you without necessarily going through the motion with his hand."

History of the HIgh Five
Burke often high fived Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker.

What most people didn't know was that Burke was gay. Following his retirement in 1980, he became the first major leaguer to come out. Even though he tried to keep his sexuality a secret during his playing days, there had been rumors in the clubhouse. And as the 2010 television documentary Out: The Glenn Burke Story revealed, Dodgers executives scrambled to squash those rumors at all costs: In the off-season of 1977, team VP Al Campanis offered Burke $75,000 to get married. (The Dodgers executive later explained the offer not as a bribe but as a "helpful gesture" to pay for Burke's honeymoon.) According to a friend, Burke rejected the marriage deal with a mix of wit and rebelliousness. He told Campanis, "I guess you mean to a woman."


Keep reading HERE.

Billy Bean comments on new Major League Baseball contract's prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

From the New York Daily News:

Billy Bean knows the fear, and the trauma, provoked by hiding his sexual orientation for the sake of his career. Through his own experience, and through conversations with front-office friends forced to keep their private lives secret, Bean understands why no active MLB player, manager or executive has identified himself as gay.

“I have spoken many times with people who work in Major League Baseball, and they are afraid to come out, because they don’t know how their owners and superiors would respond,” said Bean, who played for the Tigers, Dodgers and Padres from 1987-1995.

amazon.com	amazon.ca	amazon.co.uk	amazon.fr	amazon.de

In his 2003 memoir - “Going the Other Way” - Bean discussed his life as a major leaguer who hid his sexuality until after retirement. When he played, Bean was a not victim of overt discrimination because of one unfortunate fact: after realizing he was gay, he feared what would happen if he came out.

The 47-year-old, who now works in real estate in Miami, was glad to see baseball’s newest collective bargaining agreement address sexual orientation, but did not believe that wording alone would create the necessary changes.

The new CBA, released Tuesday, added the words “sexual orientation” to its section on discrimination. This development was first reported by the Daily News, and later confirmed by a news release, issued jointly by MLB and the Players’ Association, that read, “Non-discrimination based on sexual orientation were added to Article XV.

Article XV, Section A of MLB’s expiring Basic Agreement, in effect from 2006-2011, states: “The provisions of this Agreement shall be applied to all Players covered by this Agreement without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.”

In the new agreement, the words “sexual orientation” were added to Article XV. Michael Weiner, the union’s executive director, said that the decision was not motivated by requests from his membership, but by “the lawyers on both sides just recognizing that it should be there.”

Keep reading HERE.

LA Dodgers baseball team says "It Gets Better"

The Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball team have made a video for the "It Gets Better" project.

View it below, and visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

---

San Francisco Giants LGBT night a success: funds will finance FGG actions

A message from Roger Brigham on the LGBT Night hosted by Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants:

We should offer a big thank you to Doug Litwin of the FGG and Ken Craig of Team San Francisco for their work to ensure the most successful LGBT Night to date. The 1,500 dedicated tickets sold out quickly. Proceeds will benefit Gay Games scholarship athletes as well as a sports component of a GSA (gay-straight alliance high school groups) summit this December in San Francisco, in which Equality Coaching Alliance will participate.

Event highlight's at Monday's game included:

• rainbow-themed commemorative Giants hats
• performances by the Gay/Lesbian Freedom Band (with Doug Litwin on drums!)
• a pre-game party that was packed
• dozens of fans waving rainbow flags
• two same-sex couples included on the evening's "Kiss Cam"
• repeated scoreboard recognition of LGBT Night
• gay mayoral candidate Bevan Dufty's daughter Sidney proclaiming "Play Ball!" over the PA system
• and a showing of the Giants' It Gets Better video, the first one made by any major league baseball team.

The Tampa Bay Rays say "It Gets Better"

The Tampa Bay Rays have also made a video for the "It Gets Better" project.

And visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

The Phillies say "It Gets Better"

The Philadelphia Phillies Orioles are the latest baseball team to put out a video for the "It Gets Better" project.

And visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

Baltimore Orioles say "It Gets Better"

The Baltimore Orioles are the latest baseball team to put out a video for the "It Gets Better" project. They've done a good job: short but sweet!

Read more about the creation of this video on Outsports HERE.


And visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

Glenn Burke documentary to receive national US broadcast

After multiple broadcasts in the San Franciso area, the noted documentary on gay major league baseball player Glenn Burke will now be broadcast nationally on US cable TV.

NEW YORK – July 20, 2011 – “Out. The Glenn Burke Story,” which documents Burke’s legacy as the first openly gay Major League Baseball player, will have its national premiere on VERSUS on Tuesday, August 9, at 10 p.m. ET. Nominated for a Northern California Area Emmy Award and a nominee for Outstanding Documentary at the 22nd Annual GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards, “Out. The Glenn Burke Story” originally premiered on and was produced by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area last November.

VERSUS will provide encore presentations of the documentary on Saturday, August 13, at 11 p.m. ET and Wednesday, August 17, at 11 p.m. ET

Glenn Burke, the first openly gay Major League Baseball player, ended his journey through baseball where it began, in Oakland, California. His sports career had many stops along the way, starting as a multi-sport star at Berkeley High School, followed by a stint at the University of Nevada, Reno as a prized basketball recruit, and then into professional baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was hailed by one coach as “the next Willie Mays.” Early in his career, Burke felt he had to hide his true self from his teammates. Later, when he began to reveal glimpses into his sexuality, the baseball establishment began to shut him out.


“Out. The Glenn Burke Story” tells the dramatic tale of Burke’s Major League career as an outfielder for the Dodgers and as a starter in Game One of the 1977 World Series, to being traded to the Oakland Athletics the following season, and then walking away in 1980 from the game that he deeply loved. Many of Burke’s teammates were aware of his homosexuality during his playing career, as were members of management. Many of those teammates believe that Burke's sexuality led to the premature derailment of his baseball career.

“Out. The Glenn Burke Story” explores the wedge that was driven between Burke and the Los Angeles Dodgers management, the ensuing similar situation in Oakland that led to Burke’s abrupt retirement, and the hero’s welcome that Burke received in San Francisco’s Castro District after he left professional baseball. The documentary follows him through his public announcement of his homosexuality in a 1982 Inside Sports magazine article and on The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel, to his downward spiral after his split from baseball, a split that drove Burke to drugs and prison, and eventually to living on the same San Francisco streets where he was once recognized as an icon.

Burke’s story took on another level of tragedy when he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1994. At the end of Burke’s life, the game that he claimed had abandoned him so many years before reached out to one of its own. The Oakland A’s found Burke and provided him with constant support in his final months, as did some of his former teammates. “Out. The Glenn Burke Story” features numerous interviews with Burke’s teammates and friends, including Dusty Baker, Davey Lopes, Reggie Smith, Rick Monday, Manny Mota, Rickey Henderson, Claudell Washington, Mike Norris, Shooty Babitt, Tito Fuentes, and former Major Leaguer and gay rights activist Billy Bean.

“Out. The Glenn Burke Story” is produced by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Ted Griggs, David Koppett, Sean Maddison and Doug Harris. The documentary is narrated by Dave Morey, who was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in the class of 2010 after 26 years as a morning host at KFOG radio in San Francisco and nearly 40 years in broadcasting.

Gay Games Ambassador Billy Bean, a former Major League outfielder, is interviewed in the documentary, saying: “Baseball wasn’t ready for Glenn Burke. He was a pioneer and he caught them off guard.” Bean added, with regard ton dealing with discrimination: “The closet hurts people - forever. Everyone’s career ends, but to do it because you don’t feel you belong there when you’ve proven that you do is damaging. And it affects everything, and I’m sure that’s why Glenn swam in the waters of drugs and alcohol - to take away his frustration.”

Among the videos produced (see them all HERE) to accompany the Glenn Burke documentary are these featuring FGG Ambassador Billy Bean:

Boston Red Sox say "It Gets Better"

After the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Red Sox  are the latest baseball team to put out a video for the "It Gets Better" project. It's a particularly good one!



Visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.