Maybelle Blair, “A League of Their Own” Inspiration, Comes Out as Gay – Them

You can come out at any age, as 95-year-old baseball legend Maybelle Blair can attest.

During a Monday panel for the new Amazon Prime series A League of Their Own, based on the beloved 1992 film of the same name, Blair came out as gay for what she said was “basically the first time.” As one of the original players on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which inspired the film and the TV show, Blair shared her experiences as a gay teenager growing up in the 1940s, detailing how baseball was her saving grace, as sports have been for many queer women.

“I thought I was the only one in the world,” Blair said in a video posted by a Twitter user who attended the panel. “I thought, ‘oh my gosh Maybelle, what’s wrong with you?’ because I had a crush on this girl in high school, and we sort of had a little thing, you know how you do.”

As one might expect given the culture of mid-century America, Blair felt it was “really bad” to grow up gay and closeted. “In our day, you wouldn’t dare tell your family or hint to anybody that you were gay. It was the most terrible thing in the world.” But things weren’t all bad; Blair also shared a heartwarming anecdote about going to Chicago to play for the Chicago Cardinals.

“I went back to Chicago and I got on the team and I’ll tell ya, it was the most amazing time in the world because they asked me to go out to a bar,” Blair said. “Well, it turned out to be a gay bar and I was never so happy in my life.”

In her remarks, Blair expressed gratitude that LGBTQ+ acceptance has come such a long way since her youth, as captured in a video posted by the official Twitter account for the A League of Their Own series. “I think it’s a great opportunity for these young girl ball players to realize that they’re not alone, and you don’t have to hide,” she said. “I hid for 75, 85 years, and this is actually basically the first time I’ve ever come out.”

Although the state of affairs for LGBTQ+ people often seems bleak these days, elders like Blair who paved the way are a much-needed reminder of the strength of our community.

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