Newly out UMass shooting guard Derrick Gordon was spotted at the GLAAD media awards this weekend with new beau, actor Gerald McCullouch. Gordon, who announced that he was gay just last month, arrived at the event in New York in style, wearing a white tuxedo and an old-school high-top fade.
Gordon, 22, is the first openly gay college basketball player. Last month he approached his family and his team with the revelation. Both the coaching staff and the university helped him prepare to come out to the world (via ESPN):
"'I just didn't want to hide anymore, in any way,'" Gordon told ESPN. 'I didn't want to have to lie or sneak. I've been waiting and watching for the last few months, wondering when a Division I player would come out, and finally I just said, 'Why not me?'' Gordon took to Twitter on Wednesday after the news broke: 'This is the happiest I have ever been in my 22 Years of living...No more HIDING!!!...Just want to live...'
Gordon, a native of Plainfield, N.J., said that a key moment for him came when the Brooklyn Nets signed veteran center Jason Collins to a 10-day contract in February. Collins, who publicly acknowledged his sexuality in April 2013, became the first openly gay player in NBA history when he took the court against the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 23. 'That was so important to me, knowing that sexuality didn't matter, that the NBA was OK with it,' Gordon said."
With a large and growing number of openly gay athletes, and the support of the LBGTQ community and groups like GLAAD, there is a bright future ahead for young athletes to be able to come forward and express themselves truly and fully.
What do you think? Is enough being done to break through the hegemony of mainstream sports culture? Is America on the verge of a new era of social consciousness and collective cooperation?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments below
© 2024 Classicalite All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
