Pioneering Gay MLB Player TJ House Marries Partner

Former MLB pitcher TJ House and his partner, Ryan Neitzel, were married last week in a ceremony in New Orleans, the couple announced on Instagram.

House, 34, pitched in the majors for four seasons: three with the Guardians and one with the Blue Jays, from 2014 to ’17. He last played professionally in ’20 in the Constellation Energy League, an independent league that sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

House came out as gay in December 2022 in a Facebook post in which he also announced his engagement to Neitzel. House said he was inspired to come out after the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires the U.S. federal government and all states to recognize same-sex marriages.

“Today’s passage of the Respect for Marriage Act protects us to have the same rights and opportunities that each of you have,” House wrote.

“It protects the same benefits. It makes us equal to you. It allows Ryan Neitzel and I to come together and create something beautiful. It gives me the confidence to get engaged to the person I love, to marry them. I have a wonderful fiancé, who challenges me daily to become a better person. To live life authentically. … I’m finally healing, and days like today are what helps me continue to grow into the person I’ve been all along, one I’ve locked up for 20-plus years. Today I am loved.”

House is the third former MLB player to come out as gay, along with Billy Bean and Glenn Burke. He currently works as a real estate agent in Ohio.