The Castro in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Glenn Burke

(1952-1995)

— Rainbow Honor Walk —

Glenn Burke Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

1. Glenn Burke Marker

Inscription. First openly gay major league baseball player whose raised hand, after a home run, led to the invention of the high five.

Glenn Burke

Erected 2017 by Rainbow Honor Walk.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Rainbow Honor Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is November 16, 1952.

Location. 37° 45.79′ N, 122° 26.048′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in The Castro. It is on Market Street east of Castro Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2351 Market Street, San Francisco CA 94114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

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least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gerry Studds (here, next to this marker); We'wha (a few steps from this marker); Rikki Streicher (a few steps from this marker); Kiyoshi Kuromiya (within shouting distance of this marker); AIDS Memorial Quilt (within shouting distance of this marker); Barbara Jordan (within shouting distance of this marker); Fereydoun Farrokhzad (within shouting distance of this marker); Josephine Baker (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. Glenn Burke: America's first openly gay baseball player (YouTube, 1 min.). (Submitted on July 19, 2018.)
2. The High Five (YouTube, 10.5 min.). (Submitted on July 19, 2018.)
3. Glenn Burke (Wikipedia). "Glenn Lawrence Burke (November 16, 1952 – May 30, 1995) was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979....Burke was the first MLB player to come out as gay to teammates and team owners during his professional career and the first to publicly acknowledge it, stating, 'They can't

Glenn Burke Marker - wide view, looking east on Market image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

2. Glenn Burke Marker - wide view, looking east on Market

The marker is visible here, set into the sidewalk.

ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it.' He died from AIDS-related causes in 1995....On October 2, 1977, Burke ran onto the field to congratulate his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit his 30th home run in the last game of the regular season. 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. They have been credited with inventing the high five which was detailed in the ESPN 30 For 30 film The High Five directed by Michael Jacobs. After retiring from baseball, Burke used the high five with other homosexual residents of the Castro district of San Francisco, where it became a symbol of gay pride and identification." (Submitted on July 19, 2018.)

Additional keywords. LGBT LGBTQ

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2018, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 570 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 1, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.