Brewers minor leaguer becomes 1st active MLB-affiliated player to reveal he's gay

Milwaukee Brewers minor-league prospect David Denson broke down baseball barriers Saturday night without even stepping foot on a field.

The 20-year-old prospect came out publicly in an exclusive interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, becoming the first active player in affiliated professional baseball to reveal he is gay.

Denson said his emotional announcement was triggered last month when a teammate jokingly referred to him by using a derogatory term for a gay male.

"Be careful what you say," Denson told the player with a smile. "You never know."

Denson, a first baseman for the Helena Brewers in the rookie Pioneer League, said he then made the decision to tell his story to a broader audience with the support of former player Billy Bean, who was appointed last year as Major League Baseball's first Ambassador for Inclusion.

"Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them," Denson told the Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt. "They said, 'You're still our teammate. You're still our brother. We kind of had an idea, but your sexuality has nothing to do with your ability. You're still a ballplayer at the end of the day. We don't treat you any different. We've got your back.'

"That was a giant relief for me," continued Denson. "I never wanted to feel like I was forcing it on them. It just happened. The outcome was amazing. It was nice to know my teammates see me for who I am, not my sexuality."

Sonoma Stompers pitcher Sean Conroy revealed in June that he is gay, though the independent Pacific Association is not affiliated with MLB. Bean and former Dodgers outfielder Glenn Burke are the only major-league players to announce they are gay, but both did so once they had retired.

Denson was selected by the Brewers in the 15th round of the 2013 draft. The California native is hitting .232/.319/.368 with five homers and 14 doubles across two minor-league levels this season.