TJ House, former MLB pitcher, comes out as gay: “Love has finally set me free”

Former MLB pitcher TJ House has come out as gay and announced his engagement in a heartfelt post on social media.

House, who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians from 2014 to 2017, wrote in a Facebook post about struggling to be “comfortable” in his own skin and eventually, coming to terms with his sexuality.

“It has taken me years to wake up every morning and tell myself that you are loved for you, the one that’s deep down inside that you’ve never truly let out,” House wrote.

“Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but Love has finally set me free,” he added.

The 33-year-old from Louisiana said he lived out his “childhood dream playing professional baseball,” but he admitted to using it as my “drug to numb what was really going on inside.”

“But even with all the money, fancy cars, nice clothes and a little tiny bit of fame, I would go home every night wishing I could change. Deep down I wanted something more, I wanted to be loved not for what I did, but who I was,” House wrote.

House’s post published on Thursday – the same day as the House passed the Respect for Marriage Act. The legislation is set to become federal law and enshrine gay and interracial marriages on Tuesday after President Biden signs it. This was not lost on House, who’s engaged and noted how the law “makes us equal to you.”

“It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful… I have a wonderful fiance, who challenges me daily to become a better person. To live life authentically. One who I never deserved but blessed to have,” House wrote.

House is the third former MLB player to come out as gay publicly, according to LGBTQ website Outsports. Glenn Burke and Billy Bean are the others.