The first openly gay Division college basketball player is moving on and speaking out. UMass guard Derrick Gordon announced Sunday that he’s transferring to Seton Hall, but he told USA Today he encountered plenty of discrimination along the way in his inquiries to potential new schools. “During the recruiting process, a number of schools didn’t want me because I’m gay,” Gordon said. “To me, that’s blatant homophobia. At the end of the day, no coaches will ever admit that they don’t want me because I’m gay and there’s baggage that comes with the attention.” He added that the reaction of many programs caught him off guard and left him hurt. “I was starting to lose hope,” he told…
The first openly gay Division college basketball player is moving on and speaking out.
UMass guard Derrick Gordon announced Sunday that he’s transferring to Seton Hall, but he told USA Today he encountered plenty of discrimination along the way in his inquiries to potential new schools.
“During the recruiting process, a number of schools didn’t want me because I’m gay,” Gordon said. “To me, that’s blatant homophobia. At the end of the day, no coaches will ever admit that they don’t want me because I’m gay and there’s baggage that comes with the attention.”
He added that the reaction of many programs caught him off guard and left him hurt. “I was starting to lose hope,” he told the paper. “I felt like I was being treated like an outsider, like I didn’t belong in the NCAA.” Gordon didn’t specify any universities.
Gordon came out in April 2014, saying he was inspired to do so by Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay player. But a recent survey found homophobia is still pervasive in the U.S., as well as in many other English-speaking countries.
Last season, as a guard for UMass, Gordon started all 32 games and averaged 9.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Gordon told USA Today he had no issues with the way he was treated at UMass, calling the decision to transfer basketball-motivated. The Huffington Post reached out to Seton Hall, but the school said it couldn’t comment until the transfer is official.
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Originally posted here:
Derrick Gordon Says He Encountered ‘Blatant Homophobia’ In His Attempt To Transfer Schools
