TJ House on divulging his sexual orientation: "Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but love has finally set me free"

On December 9, former MLB pitcher TJ House opened up about his sexual orientation and declared himself gay.

House made the big revelation through a long Facebook post and posted engagement pictures with his boyfriend, Ryan Neitzel.

Here's what the former Toronto Blue Jay's written Facebook post said:

"Love. It’s a simple word, one that carries much weight and meaning. Each of us defines love in a different way, but at the core we all just want to feel the same."

"Today’s passage of the Respect for Marriage Act protects us to have the same rights and opportunities that each of you have. It protects the same benefits. It makes us equal to you. It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful."

"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. Today I am Loved."

TJ House is the third MLB player to publicly announce being gay after years of keeping it a secret.

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Apart from TJ House, there are other MLB players who declared themselves gay

Coach Alex Burg of the Texas Rangers throws the baseball during the eighth annual LGBTQ+ Night (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Aside from TJ House, the only two players in MLB who have come out as gay are Glenn Burke and Billy Bean.

Glenn Burke played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–1978) and Oakland Athletics (1978–1979).

"It is such an honor to be on the mic for Glenn Burke Pride Night. Glenn was MLB’s first openly gay player and not enough people know of him. He changed the game forever just by having pride in himself, which is more than many Hall of Famers can say." - Amelia Schimmel

Meanwhile, Billy Bean played for the Detroit Tigers (1987–1989), Los Angeles Dodgers (1989), Kintetsu Buffaloes (1992), and San Diego Padres (1993–1995).

"‘Don’t let someone take your dream away from you.’ — One of MLB’s only openly gay players Billy Bean is working to make the sport more inclusive." - NowThis

The main difference is that Glenn Burke was upfront about his gay orientation, but Billy Bean only came out in 1999 -- four years after his MLB departure.

With TJ House becoming the latest athlete to come out as homosexual, it will encourage others to also come out about their sexual orientations.