Baseball star Solomon Bates reveals he is gay and has been out to teammates since 2019
Athlete Solomon Bates has come out as gay, sharing his hopes to “open up doors” for other LGBTQ+ professional sports players.
Bates shared the news to followers after it was revealed he has been released by his team, the San Francisco Giants.
“Being gay in this sport you don’t know what comes at you! I thank the giants for giving me the opportunity to be myself and go out there and play the game that I love the most,” he shared on Instagram (below) on August 9.
“I’m still in shock on what just happened. But I’m not giving up on what I want to do.”
Shortly after his post on Instagram, the Baseball player told Outsports that he had come out to his teammates in 2019, but now wanted to share the news publicly in the hopes he can be an example of a successful gay athlete, as well as an inspiration for others like him.
“I haven’t been out as my complete self because I’ve been hiding myself,” he told the outlet. “I’m a masculine man who loves the sport of baseball, and now I want to open up doors for gay athletes like me.”
In June, during Pride month, Bates shared a social media post about things bigger than him, the image for which included a rainbow, with the Baseball player later telling Outsports that a hint of rainbow was an intentional nod to who he is.
Just days ago, he Tweeted about wanting to “open up doors for people like me”, and it would seem this coming out news it what he was indicating.
I’m going to open up doors for people like me and be the best at everything!!!!
— Solomon Bates (@SolomonBates_) August 5, 2022
2022 has, so far, been a record year for professional athletes coming forward and being openly, visibly LGBTQ+.
Take a look at all the celebrities and public figures who have come out in 2022 (so far) by clicking here.
Football/ soccer fans, click here for an incredible audio documentary on ‘The Rise of LGBTQ+ Football Fan Groups’.
Congrats, Solomon! His coming out post is below:
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