Panel pushes progress for LGBT athletes

Homophobia in college athletics has been gaining more attention and prevention, but more still needs to be done, according to several University affiliates who addressed the issue.
In the Cook Campus Center, a panel of media specialists, coaches and athletes answered important questions last night on how to make gay athletes feel comfortable and the struggles they face after a screening of the movie “Training Rules.”
In the documentary, several female Penn State University basketball players shared their stories playing under head coach Rene Portland’s 30-year tenure and her three training rules: no alcohol, no drugs and no lesbians.
Portland make it clear to her recruits that being a lesbian and associating with lesbians was not allowed, according to the film. If a player was discovered to be gay, they would be discriminated against and — as in the 2005 case of star player Jennifer Harris — dismissed.
Panelist Sean Smith, a University alumnus, swimmer and coach at the University, said his experience in 2005 was similar, but not as a result of having a coach like Portland.
“I think the fear that is built into intercollegiate athletics is already there without a coach,” he said. “It’s already in the locker rooms.”
Smith said the movie brought back a lot of bad memories for him, even though it was the second time he had seen it.
At the University, he felt he had to choose between figuring out his sexuality and being an athlete, which had been a part of him for 18 years.
Matthew Pletcher, an assistant wrestling coach at the University and former wrestler, is heterosexual, but he said homosexuality is common in his sport.
“The fact is that it does exist — in my sport and in all sports,” he said.
But he said he is committed to keeping homophobia and homophobic slurs out of his locker room.
But his wrestlers do slip occasionally, Pletcher said.
“Obviously I can’t be there all the time. … I try to do the best job I can,” he said.
Athletic Director Tim Pernetti, who called event coordinator Senior Dean of Students Mark Schuster yesterday about his support for the event, shows his interest in not hiding this issue, Pletcher said.
“Tim left a higher paying job to be [athletic director] at a diverse university,” Pletcher said. “This is a perfect place to understand that there are different types of student athletes.”
John Koblin, a reporter for the NY Observer, said when he was at the University, it was a controversial issue.
He said it is great that Pernetti seems to be more aware of homophobia in University athletics, but in order for change to be made, there must be extremely proactive steps.
“What it was like at Rutgers was nothing like at Penn State … but it was not great either,” said Koblin, an alumnus who had investigated the issue in a three-part series that ran in The Daily Targum in 2004.
One change starts with the media, said Ted Rypka, director of sports media for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
He said there have been numerous instances where reporters and newspapers have ignored homophobic actions or remarks.
“The media has started to start recording these things and start reporting these things … but we have a long way to go,” Rypka said.
Professional basketball player Sheryl Swoops — the WNBA’s equivalent of Michael Jordan — came out as a lesbian in 2005, but it was not covered, he said. A major reason is because men and women’s sports are not covered similarly in the media.
Several people at the event said change could come from the professional athletic community accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes more openly.
But Smith said a lot of people falsely think change will come when professional athletes feel free to come out publicly.
“I honestly don’t think that’s going to be it,” he said.
The NCAA fuels professional athletics, and if high school and college athletes are more accepting of gay athletes and preventing homophobia, it will create a culture change that will transfer to the professional level, Smith said.
In the film, NCAA officials said they created a think tank to try to find a solution for these issues, a project Sue Rankin, a former softball coach at Penn State, never thought would be realized.
Rankin, who researches institutional climate assessment for LGBT people in higher education at Penn State, left her coaching post when she felt she was discriminated against for being a lesbian.
At the University, the Office of Social Justice and LGBTQ education helps gay students deal with problems that may arise with their situation.
Program coordinator Jenny Kurtz said they provide training on homophobia, being an ally and anything else regarding the issue.
She saw last night’s event as a success.
“I think it’s a really fantastic conversation to be happening at the University,” Kurtz said, adding she hopes it will continue at others.
Nobody knows how to make a safe space, Smith said. But the University’s diversity training and language checks are all great starts.
Smith said change also comes from the straight community.
“I think the allies have to take a little more responsibility themselves,” said Smith, as it is difficult for minority groups to defend themselves.
He said Pletcher’s presence on the panel was great for the event.
“You’re going to have a gay athlete on your team … and for every single time you let that stuff fly, it’s going to hurt the success of your team,” Smith said.
As an educator, Rankin said more education is needed and coaches need to be held more accountable for their actions.
Rankin said at Penn State, the film was received positively. On two screenings, there were packed audiences and standing ovations.
Penn State also started to take more decisive steps toward eliminating discrimination toward gay athletes, she said. Portland was also fired.
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Assistant Dean Penny Carlson said this was an important issue for the University and its diversity.
“I thought the film was excellent,” she said.
But she wished there were greater student turnout, as much of the audience were faculty, staff and alumni.
She said it was important for students to know that faculty and staff are there for students.

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