Helen Carroll___________
The National Center for Lesbian Rights ( NCLR ) celebrated its 30th anniversary in grand fashion on May 12 in San Francisco. The gala honored Martina Navratilova and John Amaechi, and recognized NCLR's many monumental accomplishments over the years.
The NCLR is a national legal organization committed to advancing the civil and human rights of the LGBT community through litigation, public policy advocacy, and public education.
'I think the atmosphere is changing [ about gays in sports ] and that's directly related to the fact that people now know someone who is lesbian or gay,' said Helen Carroll, NCLR's sports project manager. 'And the real possibility [ is there ] of having a role model who is a sports figure who could be LGBT, and being able to show the positive qualifications of those role models. A perfect example is John Amaechi. What a great role model he is.'
Windy City Times: How much did your coaching and athletic administration jobs help you for what you're doing now?
Helen Carroll: The experience was critical because what that experience gave me to bring to NCLR was a background and the knowledge of the coaches and athletic directors who I've worked with for years. So, that trust was already built, thus making it easier for me to be able to go into those groups and talk about these particular topics.'
WCT: What's helped more, your coaching background or your athletic administrative background?
HC: Both. Basketball certainly helped getting media exposure and coverage. Being an athletic director has given me ties to the top decision-makers in sports, especially in inter-collegiate sports across the United States.
WCT: What's your take on the Penn State University situation, culminating with women's basketball coach Rene Portland's recent resignation amid allegations that she had a 'no lesbians' policy?
HC: That was NCLR's case. We represented Jen Harris against Penn State, Coach Rene Portland and the athletic director, Tim Curley. That ( lawsuit ) opened a dialogue across the United States in a very public, very visible way through the media that has been beneficial for everyone in sports. I think it broke the silence, so administrators and coaches could see the necessity in being able to speak with their teams and grapple with how to speak to their teams about equality, respect and just fair treatment toward every athlete on the team.
We were very pleased with the [ favorable ] settlement. Our client, Jen Harris, was pleased with the settlement.
WCT: What other major cases have you been involved with?
HC: One that involved a female softball player at the University of Florida. She alleged that she didn't get to finish her senior year due to the fact that she was lesbian and didn't get to play. That case also settled, and I really felt that the University of Florida was really, really pro-active in bringing in several of us to do training and educational sessions for the entire coaching staff. And the coaching staff felt that was really helpful for them.
There have been many other cases over the years.
WCT: Have you seen progress?
HC: Yes, on many, many fronts. At the college level, and also at the professional level. I work with the San Francisco 49ers, serving on their community advisory panel. The visibility and the conversation going on around the nation is very interesting now—from John Amaechi coming out and Tim Hardaway's [ anti-gay ] comments to the NBA's response, which was huge.
Sheryl Swoopes, in October 2005, came out, bringing to light race and lesbians in sports. I think that was very, very important.
I think the media has had a very big part in helping change happen. The NCLR Sports Project has been very active in working with the media to get a positive message out about LGBT role models in sports.
WCT: Talk a little more about the John Amaechi-Tim Hardaway situation. How has that changed or affected pro sports and the LGBT community. And, are we any closer to the day when an athlete from one of the big four sports ( baseball, basketball, football or hockey ) comes out while still active?
HC: The reaction to John Amaechi's coming out was, I thought, very interesting. NBA Commissioner David Stern really supported John and stood out and said, in essence, intolerance would not be accepted in the NBA. He showed that with his action against Tim Hardaway [ banning him from all 2007 NBA All-Star Game weekend events. ]
That's always the big question, and I firmly believe it will happen sometime over the next five years. Sooner than that, I hope. And one of the reasons I say that is because Esera Tuaolo, Billy Bean and John Amaechi have each been very successful in their lives since coming out. Esera, for instance, was invited to speak to NFL rookies about gay issues and sexual diversity, and that was by invitation of the NFL. So I think that's an indication that the atmosphere is being set up for change within pro sports.
WCT: Are things getting better?
HC: Yes, and as things get better and things are changing. But, it unfortunately also gets worse in some ways. The people, for instance, who are very intolerant, such as Tim Hardaway, will come out and will speak out in the way they do and you'll see a very aggressive type of hate. But I think that always happens in a civil rights movement, as change comes about.
WCT: How have things changed in the LGBT world since back when you were coaching?
HC: Certainly, one really big change is that there's actually language to talk about what's going on, and that there are educational programs that were developed and available through the NCAA, through the Women's Sports Foundation, through NCLR, and they can really help athletic departments turn this into a positive.
At the same time, there also are some things that are exactly the same as when I was coaching, even though it's been 20- to 30-years. Negative recruiting is still out there and happening. That unethical practice just needs to stop, or there needs to be some consequences to institutions that choose to recruit in that unethical way.'