The action of collegiate coaches telling recruits about lesbian activities on other teams in an attempt to lure them to their program has been going on for years. But according to Unity minister and former softball star Temple Hayes, Olympic field hockey player Christy Morgan and attorney Karen Doering, that’s only part of the problem.
The three women were part of a panel that discussed homophobia in sports after a showing of Training Rules, a documentary on Penn State women’s basketball coach Rene Portland, who allegedly denied lesbians a place on her team.
The panel discussion was moderated by entertainment reporter Steve Kmetko at the Tampa Theater as part of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
“Negative recruiting makes it hard for coaches to come out,” Morgan explained. “We can’t be ourselves on the field and if we do come out you suddenly have other coaches using that against our programs.”
While the three women agreed that negative recruiting is more predominant in women’s athletics, they did say that homophobia exists in men’s programs as well.
“It’s a universal thing,” Doering said. “You’d think that in more progressive states and in the athletic departments of top tier Division 1 schools you’d see more acceptance. That’s just not true. Look at Penn State.”
Doering, who was involved in the case as legal counsel, said she could not give any specific details about the Penn State lawsuit that ultimately resulted in Portland’s resignation.
Many colleges have incorporated anti-discrimination policies to protect LGBT people, but sometimes those protections fall short in the athletic realm. However, things are easier now, especially with more professional athletes coming out of the closet.
“Sheryl Swoopes and John Amaechi have shown us it’s alright to be who we are,” Hayes said, referring to the WNBA and NBA basketball stars. “The more people we have come out, the more commonplace it becomes.”
The panel also discussed the psychological toll living in the closet has on athletes and the stress a team can feel when a program is not inclusive of all players.
