(Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania) A former star women's basketball
player is calling on Penn State to put an end to
what is described as a decades-long reign of terror
by Lady Lions basketball coach Rene Portland.
Jennifer Harris was a 6
foot guard from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Despite
Harris’ outstanding performance as a player during
her two-year career at Penn State from 2003 to 2005,
Coach Portland repeatedly questioned Harris about
her sexual orientation, repeatedly threatened to
kick Harris off the team if she found out Harris was
a lesbian, and eventually told other players not to
associate with Harris because she believed that
Harris was gay.
In 2005, Coach
Portland abruptly told Harris to find somewhere else
to play.
“My departure from
Penn State was very painful,” said Harris.
“I struggled with
whether I should just walk away and try to forget
what happened. I finally realized that I could
never put this incident behind me as long as other
students were being subjected to the same sort of
humiliation and discrimination I experienced from
Coach Portland. In the end, I knew I had to speak
out. Coach Portland very nearly destroyed not only
my athletic career, but also my dream of completing
my education and becoming a doctor. I do not want
to see a single other student damaged in this way.”
Harris transferred to
James Madison University.
Tuesday the National
Center for Lesbian Rights sent a letter to Penn
State University President Graham Spanier, demanding
that action be taken against Portland.
“Coach Portland
created an offensive, hostile and intimidating
learning environment for players she believed were
gay," the letter said.
"She created
divisiveness on the team by instructing players not
to associate with other players she believed to be
gay, or they would be kicked off the team also.
Coach Portland’s final insult was to exclude me from
the 2004-2005 Awards Banquet, which all of my
2004-2005 Lady Lion basketball teammates were
invited to attend.”
This is not the first
time Penn State has been asked to take action to
stop Coach Portland’s anti-gay crusade.
Portland created a
stir in 1986 after she told the Chicago Sun Times
she does not allow lesbians on her team, and again
in 1991 after Penn State officially added sexual
orientation to the school’s non-discrimination
policy.
Despite student
protests and an alleged investigation into Portland
’s anti-gay conduct, Penn State has refused to take
any action against her.
“Coach Portland’s
anti-gay recruiting methods and infamous ‘no
lesbians’ policy have continued for nearly three
decades. Coach Portland’s behavior not only
violates the school’s anti-discrimination policy, it
is illegal," said NCLR Regional Counsel Karen
Doering.
"It is time for Penn
State to step up and put an end to this overtly
illegal activity.”
©365Gay.com 2005
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