"Burke raised his hand over his head as Baker jogged home from third base. Not knowing what to do about the upraised hand, Baker slapped it and the high five was born. This happened on October 2, 1977, when Burke ran onto the field to congratulate teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit his 30th home run in the last game of the regular season."
"He is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, which has just added new markers to the graves of Black individuals whose lives have shaped civic, cultural, and political history. The Oakland LGBTQ Center honors this baseball star with its Glenn Burke Wellness Clinic. Burke died of complications from HIV/AIDS, and the clinic is dedicated to preventing this disease along with other illnesses that have ravaged the LGBTQ+ community and others."
Glenn Burke, who played in Major League Baseball during the 1970s, is a significant historical figure in both sports and LGBTQ+ history. He is credited with inventing the high five on October 2, 1977, when he spontaneously raised his hand to celebrate teammate Dusty Baker's 30th home run. Burke died from HIV/AIDS complications, and his legacy continues through the Oakland LGBTQ Center's Glenn Burke Wellness Clinic, which focuses on disease prevention. His grave at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland has received new markers recognizing Black individuals who shaped civic, cultural, and political history. Despite baseball's long history as America's foundational sport, no active MLB player has publicly come out as LGBT during their career.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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