The big news in lesbian sports this week was the resignation of non-lesbian Rene Portland, head coach of the women’s basketball team at Penn State. Her departure was ostensibly voluntarily, but it’s no great leap to think it had something to do with years of questions, investigations, and lawsuits (one championed by the National Center for Lesbian Rights) about how she treated lesbian players and players she deemed not “feminine” enough. Some may say she left the Lady Lions many years too late, but the fact she did so at all speaks to a growing awareness of lesbian inclusiveness as a necessary component of women’s sports programs, if not university programs as a whole. Michelle Voepel at ESPN.com and Scribegrrrl at After Ellen have more of the story. (On a personal note, I’ll add that one of the benefits of going to a women’s college is that your team is never called the “Lady” anythings. People would find it silly if the Penn State men’s team were called the “Gentlemen Lions,” yes?)
On a more positive note for women’s basketball, there’s a good game on tonight. The perennial contenders and top seed UConn Huskies take on fourth-seeded NC State at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. NC State is the emotional favorite, though, playing under head coach Kay Yow, battling recurring breast cancer. According to ESPN, “Her nurse and oncologist will be on hand and she planned to go to a clinic in Fresno after practice Friday to ‘get everything checked out.'” I tend to root for UConn in general—I’m not an alum, but grew up about 20 minutes from their main campus. Still, I admire Yow’s courage and hope the team does her proud, win or lose.
In professional hoops, the WNBA draft is coming up on April 4, just a week and a half away. Preseason starts May 2. The one thing I’ve always loved about the WNBA, aside from the opportunity it gives women athletes, is that the games are reasonably priced and attract a family crowd. They’re loud, which is why I haven’t yet taken my son, but in a year or so they’ll be a great introduction to the sport, without the inflated egos and prices of the men’s game.
Turning to tennis, out lesbian star Amélie Mauresmo is recovering from appendix surgery, and will be out of competition for a month. Get well soon, Amélie!
All I have to say is it’s about TIME Portland resigned. I just moved from the State College (Penn State) area a year ago and it was routine to hear stories at Chumley’s (the local gay pub) about the madness going on on that team. The coach actually was quoted as saying, “I wil never have a lesbian on my team.”
Thank goodness they players will now be able to be who they are and not worry about the possible actions of that tyrant.