Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player TJ House has come out as gay in a heartwarming statement. On 8 December, the former Toronto Blue Jays player took to Facebook to reveal the news and his engagement to his longtime boyfriend, Ryan Neitzel. “I’ve struggled my entire life with being comfortable in my own skin.
I have purposefully distanced myself from people for the sake of trying to protect myself,” he wrote. “It’s disheartening how one simple thing can change an individual’s opinion of you in a matter of seconds.
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 went on to say that despite succeeding in his career, achieving his wildest dreams and earning admiration from fans, he still went home every night wishing he could change who he was. “Deep down, I wanted something more, I wanted to be loved not for what I did, but who I was,” he added.
The 33-year-old also attributed the recent passing of the Respect for Marriage Act as one the main reasons behind his landmark decision to come out. “The Respect for Marriage Act protects us to have the same rights and opportunities that each of you have.