DI basketball’s only openly-gay athlete speaks about RFRA

The Final Four in Indianapolis is just days away, and on Tuesday the NCAA’s only openly gay athlete in Division I basketball weighed in on Indiana’s controversial law.

Derrick Gordon, a UMass guard who came out as gay last April, said he has hope the state will correct the law. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) last week, and many fear it gives businesses the right to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples.

“For (Pence) to go and try to fix it gives me a lot more hope as I head to Indiana, where I’m heading this week,” Gordon told Yahoo! News. “It will make me feel a lot more comfortable when I’m down there.

“I hope overall he can change his decision and make it comfortable for the LGBT community in Indiana.”

Each day since the bill was signed into law, more and more businesses, politicians, celebrities, athletes and organizations have announced their opposition to it. So far, the NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, NCAA and Big Ten have expressed their concern. On Tuesday, the Mid-American Conference announced it would no longer schedule any meetings or championships in the state.

A similar bill passed through the Arkansas legislature, but Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday he wouldn’t sign it unless changes were made. Wal-Mart, headquartered in Arkansas, earlier announced it opposed the bill.

The Final Four begins Saturday, and a number of prominent, openly-gay athletes are planning protests. They include former NBA player Jason Collins and Olympic diver Greg Louganis.