tom Szczerbowski/Getty TJ House
Former Major League Baseball Pitcher TJ House came out as gay as he announced his engagement to partner, Ryan Neitzel, on Facebook last Thursday.
House, a pitcher who played for the Cleveland Guardians and the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2014-2017 seasons, is only the third MLB player to come out as gay publicly.
The other two players are Glenn Burke who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics in the 1980s, and Billy Bean who played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the 1990s.
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“I’ve been loved my whole life for what I did as a career, and it carried me for the longest time,” the former MLB player shared in his post. “Eventually though, it’s a bandage that covers a wound that needs fresh air to heal.”
He continued: “You have to rip it off at some point if you truly want to get better. Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but Love has finally set me free.”
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His post also referenced the Respect for Marriage Act that passed that same day, saying it “protects us to have the same rights and opportunities that each of you have. It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful.”
“It gives me the confidence to get engaged to the person I love (he said Yes!), to marry them,” House wrote.
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House kept his sexuality for many years and feels loved now that he’s opened up. “I’m finally healing, and days like today are what helps me continue to grow into the person I’ve been all along, one I’ve locked up for 20-plus years,” he wrote.
“Today I am Loved.”