It was a huge deal at the time, “a bomb,” as Derrick Gordon recalls. In April 2014, while a junior on the University of Massachusetts basketball team, the Plainfield native told the world he was gay.
In doing so, Gordon became the first openly gay Division 1 men’s basketball player.
Ten years later, there hasn’t been another.
“I’m going to stay. I’m shocked, looking back on it now, that I’m the only one,” Gordon said last week from his home in Los Angeles. “I guess people don’t want to be in that position – they see it as a risk, but it’s not. It’s not a risk at all. Even though it wasn’t the NBA, I proved that you could still play professional basketball.
Quite a journey
Gordon then did some good business on the field. As a graduate student, he transferred to Seton Hall and – as a sixth man and unquestioned locker room leader – helped the Pirates win the 2016 Big East tournament title.
“It was a special time,” he said.
He later played professional football in Cyprus and Germany.
“I had a great time – playing in Europe is amazing,” he said. “You have your own apartment, you have your own car, you don’t pay anything while you’re there. And the fans really care. Every game is intense like a March Madness game.
At first, he was hesitant about moving to Europe.
“Don’t get me wrong: When I went to Cyprus (an island in the eastern Mediterranean), it was a culture shock,” he said. “I had to get used to the food and the way of life there. But it was an incredible opportunity.
He discovered that there: “It doesn’t matter what your sexual orientation is. If you can play, you can play. That’s one of the things I like about Europe: they don’t care. Don’t get me wrong, I would never play in Russia; I would never play in Serbia. It’s just for my safety.
Meanwhile, in the United States, no one followed Gordon’s example. In retrospect, it’s hard to understand, given the momentum that was building. Two months before Gordon, Mo., football star Michael Sam came out. The year before, NBA player Jason Collins did so.
“We’re getting there, but we still have a long way to go,” Gordon said. “In my world, in my eyes, this is the norm. I’ve been away for a while now and I will always be my true authentic self no matter where I am. But for me, there’s still a lot of work to be done, especially in NCAA men’s sports – college basketball, college football, college baseball.
For a great specialist on the subject, it’s complicated.
The revealing result of a study
Sociologist Eric Anderson may be the world’s leading expert on gay men in sport. This 56-year-old Californian, professor at the University of Winchester in England, has written numerous books on sexuality and gender, including his autobiography “Trailblazing: American’s First Openly Gay High School Coach”.
According to Anderson, “American society has made great progress, and this is very much the reality for young people, in particular,” he said, because for them, “homophobia is simply no longer an acceptable belief system. This is not only true in sports, but our latest study, the largest ever of North American LGBT athletes, shows that sports can be friendlier than the general school population. Of course, this is because teammates are friends and therefore seek to support each other.
Regarding the lack of a successor to Gordon at the highest level of men’s college basketball, Anderson said, “Some may be out, but not publicly.” With this generation, there is less need to stream shows; it’s just not a big deal for kids these days.
He added: “Almost everyone makes the mistake of thinking that since 2.8% of the population is gay, that must mean that 2.8% of baseball (or basketball) players must also be gay. be. »
It’s not that simple, he said.
“Gay men are attracted to music, art and theater in greater proportions than their percentage of the population (again, 2.8%),” Anderson said, adding that in contrast, their representation in team sports could be much lower, and it is more a barometer of “freedom of choice” than of homophobia.
“We need to celebrate the fact that gay men can play any sport they want,” Anderson said. “And heterosexual men too. It’s the American way: freedom.
“It’s okay to be yourself.”
From his home in Los Angeles, Gordon, 32, followed Seton Hall’s recent run to the National Invitation Tournament title: “They should have made the NCAA Tournament but they won the NIT, so they took it out something,” he said. said – and he’s been in contact with former Pirates head coach Kevin Willard and some of his former teammates.
Gordon lives with his partner, Scott Backman, has done theater and leaves the door open to another stint abroad. Last month, he and Backman attended the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills (GLAAD describes itself as “the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer media advocacy organization”). Gordon, who is active on social media, posted photos from the event.
Just like Jason Collins was there for him, Gordon will be there for the next Division I men’s basketball player to come out – whenever that is.
“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing – letting people know that it’s okay to be yourself,” he said. “Over the past few years, things have slowly changed, but there is still a long way to go. That’s why I want to continue to let everyone know that it’s okay to be your true, authentic self. I want to inspire everyone who needs it.
Jerry Carino has covered New Jersey sports since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at [email protected].