In August, it was a pleasant bit of news when Brewers minor leaguer David Denson became the first MLB-affiliated player to publicly come out as gay. It was certainly a more uplifting “first” for the Brewers as compared to First Team to Eliminate Itself from Serious Playoff Contention. Tom Haudricourt’s lengthy story that served as Denson’s coming out announcement is still a stirring piece of work. Denson’s candor about his family’s initial disapproval and the mental health issues he struggled with makes for a compelling read.
It wasn’t long before the sports media fell all over itself in a rush to congratulate Denson for being himself. No doubt Denson went through a lot of personal torment over the years since he felt he had to conceal his sexuality, but still…a lot of those think pieces glossed over the pretty obvious fact that coming out of the closet in 2015 is just not the same as it once was. It’s not easy, but we’re a long way from living in a culture that categorized homosexuality as a mental disorder. In that sense, those who over-praise Denson – as opposed to just being happy for him – are guilty of ignoring some important social context.
Speaking of which, did you hear that Denson received a fairly prestigious award earlier this week for the accomplishment of being openly homosexual?
The first openly gay player in affiliated baseball is also the first active player to be awarded Minor League Baseball’s Presidential Citation. Brewers farmhand David Denson was on hand to accept the honor Monday from Minor League president Pat O’Conner during the formal opening session of the Winter Meetings.
The annual citations recognize exemplary service on behalf of MiLB.
“It’s an honor getting this award,” Denson said. “I told myself coming out here, getting this award is not only for myself but also others out there who are going through the same thing. This is not something I feel I’m taking on for myself. I feel like this is something that will touch other players who are going through the same situation and stands for something bigger than myself.”
I think we can all agree that gay professional athletes should feel comfortable being open about their sexuality. To the extent that Denson’s award sends a message that such players will be treated respectfully, it’s a good thing. Still, “exemplary service” is a stretch.
Obligatory throat clearing: I’ve been in favor of equal rights for gays since I was a 90’s teenager. Few people my age can claim to be more liberal on gay rights than me. When I wrote a letter to the editor of my college newspaper that homosexuals deserved to be treated like normal human beings, it was heady stuff. For an old school gay rights supporter like me, it makes sense to give a hearty “good for you” to folks who come out, but actually congratulating them is passé. Giving them a goddamn citation is all out of proportion.
There’s an argument to be made that the culture of professional sports, which tends to value traditional notions of masculinity, is less hospitable to homosexuality than average. That’s a serious point, and I would bet it’s especially true in the, shall we say, less socially progressive nations that MLB teams draw on for talent.
However, it doesn’t appear Denson faced any particular hostility from his teammates or the Brewers organization. Haudricourt’s story indicates they welcomed Denson’s news with open arms:
“Talking with my teammates, they gave me the confidence I needed, coming out to them,” recalled Denson. “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.’ […]
“I told him we supported him and would continue to support him,” said [farm director Reid] Nichols. “I thought the meeting went well. We told him that was his personal business and we would judge him only on his career in baseball, as we do with every player.” […]
As for Denson’s teammates living and playing with a gay player, Helena manager Tony Diggs said: “I don’t think there have been any problems whatsoever with the team. I’m pretty sure everybody on our team has an understanding of it.”
Denson may very well have faced prejudice and antipathy at different points in his amateur and professional career. Haudricourt’s story opens with an anecdote about how Denson was jokingly called a derogatory gay slur by a teammate in Helena. But Denson seemed to take that in stride, and his actual coming out was not greeted with animosity. That’s a pretty low bar for a Presidential Citation.
It’s not a bad thing that Denson is the first openly gay MLB-affiliated player. I would say it qualifies as remarkable. It just doesn’t strike me as something that rises to the level of conspicuous recognition.
(Image: MLB.com)
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