PSU coach draws ire of protesters

Almost 30 members of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services made a self-titled "showing of support" Thursday night at Assembly Hall in protest of Penn State coach Rene Portland. \nPrior to the IU women's basketball game, a 58-43 win, the GLBTSSS members stood at the south entrance of Assembly Hall passing out flyers and stickers to the fans entering the arena.\nThe appearance came in conjunction with the arrival of the Penn State Nittany Lions to Bloomington. Portland, PSU's head coach, has been under fire in recent years for her handling of sexual orientation among her players.\nThis past fall, Portland came under intense scrutiny when a former player, Jennifer Harris, filed a lawsuit against Portland, Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley and Penn State University that charged her with violating several federal and state laws.\n"This is not just about Coach Portland, but she is symbolic of the homophobia in athletics, especially in the NCAA," said Nancy Kallina, one of the GLBTSSS members present. "Our goal is to educate people that this (homophobia) is happening and that athletes are athletes no matter what."\nHarris, who played for Penn State from 2003 to 2005, alleges that Portland repeatedly questioned her sexual orientation, threatened to kick Harris off the team if she discovered she was a lesbian and even told players not to associate with her because she believed she was gay.\nFinally, Portland allegedly told Harris to find another school to play for in 2005. Harris has since transferred to James Madison University where she will play for her remaining two years of eligibility.\n"We have to educate people," said Kim Davis, another member of the GLBTSSS present Thursday night. "Being a gay athlete can be extremely troubling. The energy it takes to hide being gay is quite a detriment to all athletes and coaches."\nWith Portland's controversy comes perhaps the Big Ten's most impressive coaching resume. With nearly 700 wins, Portland is the seventh-winningest women's coach of all-time. She has also won four Big Ten Coach of the Year titles, and has led three U.S. Junior National teams. \nInstead of using Thursday night as a way to criticize Portland, the GLBTSSS members present took the chance to inform the fans of the issue. The flyers they distributed included a history of homophobia at Penn State, dating back to 1980 when then-Athletic Director Joe Paterno hired Portland as the head coach of the women's basketball team all the way up to 2005's incident with Harris.\nThe other side of the flyer contained information about a film showing next week. The film, "It Takes a Team," is 15 minutes long and explores how homophobia might impact athletes at IU, among other schools.\n"The video speaks about homophobia and all its ugliness," said Doug Bauder, the leader of the GLBTSSS members present at Assembly Hall. "People have to be aware that it is a reality."\nThe film will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday in Woodburn Hall Room 101. A discussion will follow the screening and those attending will be given an opportunity to sign a letter of support for all athletes, which will accompany a copy of "It Takes a Team" to be sent to Portland as a gift from IU sports fans.