It came as no surprise that when UMass basketball player Derrick Gordon came out as the first openly gay college basketball star this year, fans would take a vested interest in his love life. And Gordon had everyone wondering who had stolen his heart when he teased that he was bringing a date to this past weekend’s GLAAD Awards. Now, Gordon has finally revealed his surprising new beau to the world.
According to TMZ, Gordon’s date to the GLAAD Awards was former “CSI” actor Gerald McCullouch, who is 25 years Gordon’s senior. Gordon, who is 22, was photographed smooching his 47-year-old date on the red carpet as they posed together for photo ops.
Fans of Gordon were certainly surprised by the couple and questioned whether they were actually dating or just paired up for the awards show.
However, McCullouch silenced many questions when he spoke to E! Online and confirmed that he and Gordon are indeed dating. McCullouch explains that he and Gordon struck up a friendship years ago after Gordon saw him in the film BearCity.
“Through the years I’ve encouraged him to lead an authentic life and tried my best to offer as much objective support as possible,” said McCullouch, who, ironically, recently finished up production on Daddy, his feature directorial debut, in which he also stars. The film just so happens to be about a man in his forties who falls for a much younger guy.
McCulloch explains that, before he and Gordon began dating, he played a major part in helping the young basketball star make his way out of the closet.
“It was a scary time for him,” McCullouch recalls, “and I tried my best to assure him that self-acceptance wasn’t anything to be ashamed of and I strongly suggested he find a support team at UMass.”
McCullouch says that it wasn’t until last month that he and Gordon finally met in person and the sparks flew from there.
“There is certainly a spark between Derrick and me,” McCullouch explained. “I’m very proud of him and think he’s an engaging, courageous, and handsome young man.”
There may be a lot of broken hearts since Gordon is off the market now that he’s found romance during such a monumental period in his life. – nicholas robinson
