Only openly gay player in men's Division 1 college basketball responds to Indiana's religious freedom law

Only openly gay player in men's Division 1 college basketball responds to Indiana's religious freedom law

“For him to go and try to fix it gives me a lot more hope as I head to Indiana, where I am heading this week. It will make me feel a lot more comfortable when I’m down there.” Derrick Gordon, the first NCAA men’s Division I basketball player to come out and compete as an openly gay player, weighed in on Tuesday on the controversy surrounding Indiana’s new “religious freedom” law. Gordon spoke to Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga just hours after Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spoke at a news conference where he struck a more conciliatory tone against critics of the legislation he signed in to law last Thursday. Just 48 hours after telling ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he would not change the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Pence vowed to do just that. He said that he would ask Indiana lawmakers to consider new legislation aimed at clarifying and fixing the law. The turnabout came after days of protests against the passing of the “religious freedom” that critics believe gave business owners the right to deny services to members of the gay and lesbian community.

The NCAA had added to the criticism of Indiana’s law in the days leading up to the Final Four of its annual basketball tournament, which is being played in Indianapolis. Gordon agreed that the pressure of the NCAA may have quickly helped to change the governor’s mind. “If there wasn’t such an outrage, I don’t think he would have been doing this press conference.” Gordon also spoke about the pressure he felt coming out as an openly gay player. “It’s a scary situation. I had to tell my parents and my teammates... I was nervous and teary-eyed the whole time,” he said. But he also had this revealing comment about the future of gay and lesbian athletes in the sport of basketball. “There are so many people that are in the closet right now in major college basketball, and that’s going to change.” Which Gordon believes is nothing more than a sign of the times. “It’s 2015. The world is changing as the day goes by.”