T.J. House celebrated the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act by sharing his true self with his fans.

The former Major League Baseball player came out as gay in a poignant Facebook post on Thursday. He also announced his engagement to fianc Ryan Neitzel.

Ive struggled my entire life with being comfortable in my own skin. I have purposefully distanced myself from people for the sake of trying to protect myself, wrote House, a pitcher who played for Cleveland and Toronto from 2014 to 2017. Its disheartening how one simple thing can change an individuals opinion of you in a matter of seconds. It has taken me years to wake up every morning and tell myself that you are loved for you, the one thats deep down inside that youve never truly let out.

Ive been loved my whole life for what I did as a career, and it carried me for the longest time, he continued . Eventually though, its a bandage that covers a wound that needs fresh air to heal. You have to rip it off at some point if you truly want to get better. Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but Love has finally set me free.