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17 J. Legal Aspects Sport. 253 (2007)
Sexual Orientation Harassment and Discrimination: Legal Protection for Student-Athletes

handle is hein.journals/jlas17 and id is 257 raw text is: Sexual Orientation Harassment and Discrimination: Legal Protection for Student- Athletes CLAIRE WILLIAMS The Ohio State University I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION In 1986, Maureen T. Rene Portland, Penn State University's women's basketball coach, stated in a Chicago Sun-Times article that she would not allow lesbians on her teams.' In 1991, her intolerance of homosexuality and lack of appreciation for the homosexual lifestyle was reaffirmed in the Philadelphia Inquirer.2 While Penn State discouraged Portland from continuing to state such policies publicly and soon thereafter adopted a university-wide nondiscrimination policy,3 Portland has remained the women's basketball coach with few other steps taken to address the matter. This inaction and apathy should not come as a surprise since homophobia continues to permeate playing fields, coaching, and athletic administration and, as columnist Graham Hayes argues, is the last stronghold of acceptable hate.4 In 2005, Portland's name was again in the news, not for her coaching success, but as the defendant in a discrimination and harassment lawsuit filed by a former player. Jennifer Harris, a top scorer and regular starter on the Lady Lions women's basketball team, was cut from the team directly after the season that year. Although Portland claimed that Harris' dismissal from the 1. Bill Figel, Lesbians in World of Athletics, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, June 16, 1986, at 119. 2. Jere Longman, Lions Women's Basketball Coach is Used to Fighting and Winning: Rene Portland has Strong Views on Women's Rights, Lesbian Players and Large Margins of Victory, THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, March 10, 1991, at GO. 3. The Pennsylvania State University, Policy AD42 Statement on Nondiscrimination and Harassment, available at http://guru.psu.edu/POLICIES/Ad42.html (last revised May 19, 2006) (prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status). 4. Graham Hays, Penn St. Coach Should be Packing (Apr. 19, 2006), http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/psupride/articles/ESPN%2004202006.pdf.

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