Names & Faces: Billy Bean, Ashima Shiraishi
The former big-league outfielder will throw out the first pitch for the New York Mets’ first Pride Night.
In the past two years, he has talked to all 30 MLB ownership groups, various teams and players about struggling with his sexuality during his career and about gay and lesbian inclusion in the workplace.
Lou DePaoli, the Mets’ executive vice president and chief revenue officer, calls New York a “diverse and inclusive city” and says “we are particularly proud to welcome the LGBT community.”
The 15-year-old rock climber’s sport debuts at the Tokyo Games in four years, and the daughter of Japanese immigrants could be the next American teen Olympic sensation.