Monday, March 09, 2015 03:19 AM |
Shannon Miller is known as the 4th winningest coach ever in Division I Women’s Hockey. Yet, citing financial problems, Berlo and UMD Chancellor Lendley C. Black decided not to extend Miller’s contract, as well as the contracts of her three-person all-female coaching staff. Miller has since filed a Title IX complaint due to sexual orientation and gender discrimination against the UMD Athletic Department. Miller’s attorney, Dan Siegel, asserts she has a very strong case that involves civil rights violations. Erskine College’s newly adopted statement asserts, “We believe the Bible teaches that monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is God’s intended design for humanity and that sexual intimacy has its proper place only within the context of marriage,” among other sentiments of condemnation. The college argues that this does not ban any individual from attending or participating in Erskine College activities. The college fails to acknowledge the mental, emotional and spiritual impact this decision will have on its queer students. The Consortium buoys the strength and fight of Coach Miller and other minoritized women, genderqueer, and/or non-binary coaches and athletes who continue to face gender-based discrimination in college athletics. Participation in college athletics has the potential to lead to interpersonal and cultural transformation. Nevertheless, athletics frequently holds coaches and players hostage in a culture of fear and disempowerment. The Consortium remains steadfast in our support of and quest for racial and gender justice for queer and trans college athletes, coaches, and administrators.
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