Umpire Dale Scott becomes first openly gay male referee in pro sports

Umpire Dale Scott becomes first openly gay male referee in pro sports
(Image credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty)

Veteran Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott revealed in an interview published Tuesday that he is gay, making him the first openly gay referee in professional North American sports.

For an October profile in Referee Magazine, Scott submitted a picture of himself and his longtime partner, Michael Rausch. When asked about it by OutSports, Scott said he "felt it was the right thing to do," and that MLB was well aware of his relationship.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.