The national media picked up the story. Bean's coming out was front-page news in the New York Times. The only major-leaguer before him to reveal his homosexuality had been Glenn Burke. None has done so since.

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Bean and Veiga were interviewed by Diane Sawyer on the ABC television news magazine program 20/20. The segment won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Television Journalism.

Bean was pleased by the amount of positive reaction that he received and was happy to reestablish ties with old friends, including Ausmus and Hoffman.

There were cautious notes even amid the favorable comments, however. Bean's former manager Jim Riggleman stated that "everyone loved Billy on the club" and that "he was such a good guy that I think it would have been all right on the club. The news crews, that might have made it tough," if Bean had come out while he was still playing.

College teammate Jim Bruske expressed his personal support but opined that Bean "was right to keep it a secret. The guys would have been brutal." While such a reaction would clearly not have been universal, some players, such as Chad Curtis and Andy Pettitte, did state publicly that they would not be comfortable having a gay teammate.

Bean began speaking out for glbtq rights. He appeared at the Millennium March in 2000 and has given speeches at events of the Human Rights Campaign, which he strongly supports. He was also a featured spokesman for the Democratic National Committee in 2000.

Bean published his memoir, Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life in and out of Baseball, in 2003. He wrote candidly and movingly of the joy and the anguish that he had experienced as both a gay man and a baseball player. He also optimistically declared that "baseball is ready" for an out active player but at the same time noted that "there still isn't a single openly gay scout, front office exec, coach, or even umpire."

Bean hoped to get back into baseball in a front office job and undertook talks with Dave Dombrowski, the general manager of the Marlins, about possible places for him within the Florida organization. Before anything was settled, however, Dombrowski quit to become president of the Detroit Tigers. Not wanting to leave Miami, Bean did not pursue employment opportunities in Detroit.

Bean and Veiga's Mexican restaurant, Mayya, had failed to find a clientele and closed after about a year. The couple then opened a successful business redeveloping residential properties.

In the spring of 2006 Bean joined the all gay and lesbian panel of the Game Show Network's revival of I've Got a Secret. Bean welcomed the opportunity to do the unscripted show. "How many gay people have the chance to be completely themselves on TV?" he asked. "We've been guarded and monitored forever. I enjoyed just being myself."

As an openly gay man, Bean feels a responsibility to be a role model, especially for younger people who may feel anxious about coming out. "It has been a long, hard journey to me, and I want people to learn from my mistakes, not share them," he stated.

In a 2003 interview Bean was asked to complete the sentence "Being gay is . . ." and replied that it is "just one of the many ways all people in this world are slightly different from one another. Diversity is one of the most beautiful and important things in life. It is so important for all of us in our community to be shining examples of pride and self-respect."

Both parades and marches have served to render the glbtq community visible; whereas marches typically attempt to effect political change, parades and pride events affirm identity and community.

While sports, at least on the major competitive level, may be the final closet for gay men, there have nevertheless been a number of gay male elite athletes.

Closeted throughout his professional basketball career, John Amaechi is the first player from the National Basketball Association to acknowledge that he is gay; since coming out, he has become an eloquent spokesman for glbtq rights.

The first major league baseball player to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly, Glenn Burke believed that homophobia impeded his chances for a more successful career.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a watchdog group dedicated to promoting accurate representations of the glbtq community in the media.

The largest glbtq political organization in the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has emerged as the leading national organization representing glbtq concerns.

The first American professional athlete to acknowledge his homosexuality publicly, former National Football League player David Kopay stands near the head of the short list of openly gay and lesbian elite athletes.

Long-distance swimmer and respected sports commentator has in more recent years spoken out on issues of glbtq rights.

Major league umpire Dave Pallone was outed and forced out of professional baseball; since leaving the game he has become an advocate for glbtq rights.

Acclaimed Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas is among the small number of professional athletes who have found the courage to come out as gay at the height of their careers.

Out, proud, pretty, and funny, stand-up comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer is also an outspoken supporter of glbtq and feminist causes.