Dodgers will honor Glenn Burke & Billy Bean on Pride Night June 5

This year, the Dodgers will be installing a tribute to LGBTQ+ trailblazers Billy Bean and Glenn Burke, who both played for L.A. and were among the first professional athletes to identify as gay. The permanent display will be housed in the Centerfield plaza and feature pictures and memorabilia from their careers and text explaining the duo’s contributions to Major League Baseball and professional sports. Bean played in six major league seasons from 1987-95, including part of 1989 with the Dodgers, playing all three outfield spots. Bean worked for Major League Baseball from 2014 until his death in 2024 of acute myeloid leukemia at age 60, working as senior vice president for diversity, equity & inclusion and special assistant to the commissioner. Since 2025, MLB no longer includes the word “diversity” on its careers or inclusion pages. Burke played the first two-plus seasons of his four-year career with the Dodgers and among other things, Burke is widely credited with inventing the high-five in 1977 with teammate Dusty Baker. The Dodgers traded Burke to the A’s in his hometown of Oakland in 1978 after learning he was gay, described by Andrew Maraniss, author of ’ in : *During the offseason after the 1977 World Series, Al Campanis paid a visit to Glenn in the Bay Area. Glenn thought it was to talk about his role on the team in ‘78. Instead, Campanis offered Glenn a bribe to get married. Glenn asked, “To a woman?” When Campanis said yes, Glenn knew management was on to his sexuality, and he refused to go along with the plan. At that point, he knew his days with the Dodgers were numbered. Tommy Lasorda’s son, Spunky, was gay and Lasorda wasn’t happy that he and Glenn were friends. One of the things I found most interesting while researching the book is how hard Glenn’s teammates took his trade to the A’s. Sportswriters noticed players sitting at their lockers crying when they heard the news. That shows you what a presence Glenn had on that team, how much his teammates liked and respected him, even though he wasn’t a starter. And these guys knew he was gay. Some people contend, even today, that a gay player would be a “distraction” on a team. Glenn was anything but a distraction; he was one of the most popular players on the entire team.”* The Dodgers first meaningful acknowledgement of Burke , when several of his family members in attendance and part of the ceremonies at Dodger Stadium, 27 years after his death. Bean was a part of several previous Dodgers Pride Nights, including in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022. This new display in center field will be a more permanent way to honor Burke and Bean at Dodger Stadium. Also as part of this year’s Pride Night ceremonies, 99-year-old Maybelle Blair, a former pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. She was also part of Pride Night festivities in 2022. More details .