FEATURE Sports Complex Calling Foul: Penn State Coach's History of Homophobia Jim Provenzano | November 07, 2005 Former Penn State basketball player Jennifer Harris, who now plays for James Madison University - Photo: JMU Athletics Dept Sometimes, defending athletes against antigay discrimination includes fighting for the rights of straight athletes as well. Such is the case of Jennifer Harris, a former guard for Penn State's Lady Lions women's basketball team. Harris started in 22 games for Penn State, averaging 10.4 points per game. She was third on the team in points (313), steals (38), and assists (42). After playing for Penn State from 2003 to 2005, Harris says head coach Rene Portland forced her from the team, believing that Harris was a lesbian. "Because Coach Portland thought that I was gay, I was treated in a very demeaning manner," says Harris. "Coach Portland created an offensive, hostile, and intimidating learning environment for players she believed were gay. 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." Harris says that Portland told her just hours after the team's loss in the 2005 NCAA Tournament that she was no longer welcome at Penn State as a basketball player. Harris turned to the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), an advocacy group that focuses on antigay bias in professional and educational environments, including athletics. Although Penn State representatives claim they have not had any other complaints about Portland's antigay statements, Portland has been quoted as upholding a "no lesbians" policy. Portland first created controversy in 1986 after she told the Chicago Sun Times she would not allow lesbians on her team. Portland repeated these claims in a 1991 Philadelphia Inquirer article, prompting Penn State to officially add sexual orientation to the school's nondiscrimination policy. Despite student protests and an alleged investigation into Portland's antigay conduct, Penn State has refused to take any action against Portland. Harris has become the first player to speak out against her. A 6-foot guard from Harrisburg, Pa., Harris graduated from Central Dauphin High School in 2003, the most decorated player in the school's history, and she still holds the record as its all-time leading scorer. A four-year member of the National Honor Society and President's Academic Award recipient, Harris was a star player at Penn State who also maintained a 3.0 GPA while majoring in psychology and pre-med. Yet in a reply statement to NCLR's complaint, Portland claims that Harris "engaged in disrespectful, profane, and belligerent behavior toward coaches and teammates, and she exhibited a work ethic and attitude that were unsatisfactory and detrimental to the success of our team." NCLR responded to Portland's statement, demanding a retraction, otherwise the university may face litigation. "It is shocking that an institution of Penn State's caliber would respond to the serious legal issues raised by Ms. Harris not by investigating her claims, but rather by launching a malicious and retaliatory public campaign to falsely smear the reputation of a dedicated young athlete and student," said Harris' attorney, NCLR regional counsel Karen Doering. Harris has since transferred to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., on a scholarship. Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris must sit out the 2005-2006 season. Doering sent a two-page letter to Penn State University President Graham Spanier on behalf of Harris, accusing Portland of discriminating against players the coach believed to be lesbians. Doering contends that Portland "has forced dozens of young athletes to leave the basketball program based on her (often mistaken) belief that they were lesbians." Pearl Harris, Jennifer's mother, confirms the accusations, saying that while recruiting her daughter, Portland called her on the phone to reaffirm her bias. "She said she had proof this player was gay, and she didn't want her to influence other players," Harris said in an interview in Inside Higher Ed magazine. "She wanted the parents' support." The process of "negative recruiting," in which coaches pry into players' private lives to weed out lesbians, has been going on for decades, according to NCLR. Such discrimination also has an effect on women who hope to play professional basketball. In the past few years, eight former Penn State players have gone on to be drafted by WNBA teams. Yet at the same time, Portland let go several players like Harris for unspecified reasons. After initially agreeing to meet with Doering to investigate her claims, according to NCLR, "Penn State University reneged on its commitment and instead issued a public statement attacking Ms. Harris." Under both federal and state law, it is illegal to retaliate against a person who has alleged discrimination. It is also against the law to make false statements defaming a person's reputation. With Portland now the leading coach in women's basketball, NCLR sees Penn State officials turning a blind eye to an otherwise successful coach's history of discrimination. Helen Carroll, NCLR's sports coordinator, views Harris' dismissal as a watershed case. "Too often, powerful athletic departments are allowed to set their own standards of operation, with few or no consequences when they violate the policies of the larger institution. It is time for Penn State to stand up for its students and put a stop to this outrageous pattern of harassment." Jim Provenzano is the author of the novels PINS and Monkey Suits. 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