The woman, whose baseball career inspired the classic film A League of Their Own, came out as gay at the age of 95.
Maybelle Blair, a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, first opened up about her sexuality while promoting Amazon Prime’s reboot of the 1992 film at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for these young ballplayers to come [to] Realize they’re not alone and you don’t have to hide,” she said of the new show. “I’ve been in hiding for 75, 85 years and this is basically my first time coming out.”
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Maybelle Blair, a former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, came out as gay at the age of 95
Blair, who was also a pro softball player for the Chicago Cardinals in the 1950s (left), inspired Madonna’s character in the popular 1992 film A League of Their Own (right)
Blair, who was born in California, was known as “All The Way Mae” when she fielded for the Peoria Redwings in 1948. She inspired Madonna’s character in the original film, who shared the same nickname.
The historic athlete was a professional softball player for the Chicago Cardinals in the 1950s.
A League of Their Own is a fictional account of the trials and tribulations of the first women’s professional baseball league, formed during World War II.
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell starred alongside Madonna in the popular film, which was directed by Penny Marshall.
Blair first opened up about her sexuality while promoting Amazon Prime’s reboot of A League of Their Own at the Tribeca Film Festival in June
“I’ve been hiding for 75, 85 years and this is basically my first time coming out,” she said during the panel
There was no gay plot in the film, although Blair estimates that two-thirds of the AAGPBL players were gay in real life.
However, the new adaptation spotlights the realities of sexuality and race during this time with the inclusion of queer and trans characters as well as women of color.
Blair served as a consultant on the TV remake, co-created by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson, who also stars in the series.
The former baseball player spoke openly about struggling with her sexuality growing up and recalled the shame she felt after developing feelings for another girl as a teenager.
Blair was known as “All The Way Mae” when she fielded for the Peoria Redwings in 1948
The Peoria Redwings were in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1946 to 1951
Blair estimates that two-thirds of AAGPBL players were gay in real life
‘I was like, ‘Oh my God, Maybelle, what’s wrong with you?’ Because I had a crush on this girl in high school and eventually we had this little thing, you know how you do it,” she said, according to LGBTQ Nation.
“It was really bad because nowadays you wouldn’t dare tell your family or suggest to anyone that you’re gay,” she added. “It was the scariest thing in the world.”
Blair explained that joining the AAGPBL and later becoming a professional softball player was the best thing that could have happened to her.
“I went back to Chicago and got on the team and I’m telling you it was the most amazing time of my life because they asked me to go to a bar,” she recalled. “Well it turned out to be a gay bar and I’ve never been happier in my life.”
There was no gay storyline in A League of Their Own which starred Tom Hanks (left) and Rosie O’Donnell (right).
The TV reboot, co-created by co-star Abbi Jacobson (far right), sheds light on the realities of sexuality and race during this time and includes queer and transgender characters
Blair could speak privately about her sexuality with those she trusted, but she feared the discrimination she would face if others found out the truth.
“I was so scared in my day that there was nothing we could do if you came out. We couldn’t be school teachers … we couldn’t even join the church service,” she told Good Morning America. ‘We were [considered] the bad guys, which isn’t true.’
Blair shared that she’s struggled with similar fears after coming out during the panel discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
“All of a sudden I blurted it out and I was like, ‘Oh my God, Maybelle, what on earth is your family going to think of you? And I was like, ‘Oh my god, they’re going to disown me,’ she said.
Blair (pictured with the cast of the original film in 2017) recalled going to a gay bar with her Chicago Cardinals teammates but was afraid to come out publicly for years
Blair told Good Morning American that she was worried her family would “disown” her after coming out, but they insisted they love her for who she is
“I was glad I said it – but the next day I was really worried about my family until they started talking to me and calling me and said, ‘Don’t worry Aunt Maybelle, everything’s in okay, right? Worry about something. We love you for what you are.
“And to this day I’m so excited about it,” she added. ‘You have no idea.’
A league of its own celebrated Blair’s coming out by sharing a video of the moment on the TV show’s official Instagram page.
“For most of her life, sports legend, 95-year-old AAGPBL player Maybelle Blair, felt like she had to hide her authentic self. Today she came out publicly for the first time. We couldn’t be happier for them and continue to push for love, acceptance and education on and off the field,” the video was captioned.