2008 Woodie Awards
Penn State coach target of discrimination suit
Anti-lesbian bias cited in case
By: Adam Smeltz / Knight Ridder Newspapers
Issue date: 3/2/06 Section: News
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Chanting against Penn State basketball coach Rene Portland, 40 gay-rights demonstrators marched across campus Sunday afternoon and converged on the Bryce Jordan Center.
There, about 30 filed inside, took seats near the floor and jeered Portland during the Penn State Lady Lions' final home game of the season.
The idea, student organizer Darryl Watson said, was to "show the community we are here, show the students on the team that we are here, and hopefully show Rene Portland that we are not going away."
Portland, the target of a pending discrimination lawsuit brought by former player Jennifer Harris, has drawn fire from local gay-rights leaders. Some demonstrated at earlier basketball games this season and outside a university dinner where Portland was honored in November.
The activism Sunday was their most vocal yet. It came two weeks after attorneys for Portland and the university, a co-defendant in the Harris case, asked a federal court to throw out the litigation.
Lawyers argued in court briefs that the university non-discrimination policy does not amount to a legally binding contract with its students. Harris, who claimed that Portland exercises an anti-lesbian bias, has argued otherwise.
Demonstrators on Sunday said that Penn State's legal position poses a threat to students and employees.
The concerns extend "not just to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, but to anyone who's a minority," said demonstrator Brent Hurley, a Penn State employee.
About half the demonstrators were students; the other half, a mix of university workers and other local residents.
One Penn State employee said that "if the students feel this passionately about something ... ethically, how could I not be here?" He declined to give his name, citing a fear of retribution. "I don't think activism has been as big a part of the culture here as it has been at other schools," he said.
Steve MacCarthy, a university vice president, issued a statement last week that Penn State is committed to its nondiscrimination policy. The policy language ensures equal access and disavows discrimination based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation.
There, about 30 filed inside, took seats near the floor and jeered Portland during the Penn State Lady Lions' final home game of the season.
The idea, student organizer Darryl Watson said, was to "show the community we are here, show the students on the team that we are here, and hopefully show Rene Portland that we are not going away."
Portland, the target of a pending discrimination lawsuit brought by former player Jennifer Harris, has drawn fire from local gay-rights leaders. Some demonstrated at earlier basketball games this season and outside a university dinner where Portland was honored in November.
The activism Sunday was their most vocal yet. It came two weeks after attorneys for Portland and the university, a co-defendant in the Harris case, asked a federal court to throw out the litigation.
Lawyers argued in court briefs that the university non-discrimination policy does not amount to a legally binding contract with its students. Harris, who claimed that Portland exercises an anti-lesbian bias, has argued otherwise.
Demonstrators on Sunday said that Penn State's legal position poses a threat to students and employees.
The concerns extend "not just to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, but to anyone who's a minority," said demonstrator Brent Hurley, a Penn State employee.
About half the demonstrators were students; the other half, a mix of university workers and other local residents.
One Penn State employee said that "if the students feel this passionately about something ... ethically, how could I not be here?" He declined to give his name, citing a fear of retribution. "I don't think activism has been as big a part of the culture here as it has been at other schools," he said.
Steve MacCarthy, a university vice president, issued a statement last week that Penn State is committed to its nondiscrimination policy. The policy language ensures equal access and disavows discrimination based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation.