Jen Harris ( left ) and Rene Portland in the film Training Rules. John Amaechi. Photo courtesy of Fifteen Minutes PR
Class action:
Film looks at
college situation
By Ross Forman
Dee Mosbacher, a San Francisco-based filmmaker, was working on a generic film a few years ago about homophobia in sports. She planned it to include an update to another film she had produced about 15 years earlier about homophobia in women's sports, and also include tales from men's sports.
Then things went wild on the campus of Pennsylvania State University, where then-veteran head women's basketball coach Rene Portland was entangled in a bitter lawsuit brought on by one of her former players, Jennifer Harris, charging the school and Portland with discrimination based on sexual orientation.
"When I heard about the lawsuit, I thought it would make a perfect, and more dramatic, way to look at the issue of homophobia, particularly in women's sports. This was something that was just too good to pass up," said Mosbacher, the President of Woman Vision.
But then the lawsuit was settled during filming and, per the settlement, Harris could not speak about the topic, the lawsuit or the settlement. And of course Portland wasn't going to sit down for a one-on-one with Mosbacher.
"When we could not interview Jennifer Harris, that became a really big challenge and we were really concerned whether or not we'd be able to finish the film without a direct interview with her," Mosbacher said. "How do you make a film with two of the main protagonists [ not being interviewed ] . That was the $64,000 question, but we made it work."
The result isTraining Rules, an emotional, gripping look at Penn State's women's basketball program—and women's sports as a whole—and the web of homophobic practices and the destruction of the lives and dreams of many of its top athletes. Training Rules examines how one athletic department allowed skilled athletes, thought to be lesbians, to be dismissed for their college team.
Training Rules takes the facts from the Harris vs. Portland case and personalizes their impact by telling Harris' story, as well as those of six other women who were victimized by Portland through the years.
Harris, in her lone post-lawsuit settlement appearance in Training Rules, read a statement from her lawyer about five minutes into the film that she could not comment on the subject.
However, Harris' parents were not under such a gag order, and they spoke freely, openly and candid, as did other former Penn State players.
"We made this film to challenge people, to seek change, from the top down. That is, the [ National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA, which governs most college athletics ] and college's presidents and athletic directors. We want athletes to be safe as LGBT athletes, and at this point, they're not," said Mosbacher, who spent about three years producing the documentary, and also works as a licensed psychiatrist.
Training Rules had its worldwide premiere this spring at a film festival in Philadelphia, ironically, a straight film festival. It has been shown at numerous other film festivals this summer, including one in San Francisco's famed Castro District in June. It will be available on DVD in October.
"My favorite night so far was Opening Night, because I really wanted to do right by the players [ profiled in the film ] ; that was the biggest and most important thing to me," Mosbacher said. "It was very difficult for these players to talk about this subject, even 20 or 30 years later. I wanted this to bring a closure [ for them ] . I wanted them to feel vindicated, and I think they did. That was the most important thing, and for that I felt relieved and thrilled. I did not want to re-traumatize anyone, and I don't think this did."
Mosbacher has sent a copy of Training Rules to the NCAA, in hopes that the film helps open a dialogue about homophobia on college campuses.
"I really, really want this to be seen by the LGBT community, but also, the straight world," she said. "I really feel this film is an eye-opener."
And it is.
See www.trainingrules.com .
Amaechi, basketball
and the Outgames
By Ross Forman
It's been just over two years since John Amaechi became the first openly gay professional basketball player, and yet not much has changed for gays in sports, he said.
"I don't see why they would be [ different ] ; nothing has changed, has it?!" said Amaechi, who played for three NBA teams from 1995-2003. "I don't think there's been any sweeping legislation; there haven't been team owners acting in responsible ways to make the environment more embracing for all.
"Things don't change with time alone; time is just that line on the bottom of the grass; you have to actually act, make decisions; you have to pro-actively attempt to change the environment, and then things will move on. What did change since [ I came out in February, ] 2007? I'm not sure much did change. Sure, I think there are a lot of people doing a lot of great work, but without college [ athletic directors ] or owners of [ professional ] teams making explicit statements about what they expect from their teams," change will not happen.
Amaechi, 38, now lives in England, where he works for an executive training program. He now only keeps up with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , yet also tracks the Orlando Magic because the team is coached by Amaechi ally Doc Rivers, a Chicago native.
"I keep up with Boston and hope they win it all," said Amaechi, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz.
Amaechi was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by Manchester Metropolitan University on July 19, 2007, in recognition of his achievements not only as an athlete and broadcaster, but also for his charitable work with the National Literacy Trust, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children ( NSPCC ) and the establishment of the ABC Foundation to encourage children to become involved in sport and their community.
Amaechi will be in Copenhagen for the second-annual World Outgames Human Rights Conference, held on July 27-29. The 2009 World Outgames run from July 25—August 2. Amaechi is an Ambassador for Amnesty International, which is one of the co-sponsors for the panel he'll be talking on.
The panel, he said, "is about the mix of sexuality, sports and culture, and how sports can be re-claimed, so that it's not just for certain segments of the population and how sports can perhaps be a conduit for a better understanding for all people."
He will not be playing in any of the 38 sports, including basketball, at the Outgames.
Playing sports, he said, "is not my job anymore."
Amaechi added: "I think [ the Outgames and its coinciding human rights conference ] are important; something can be learned when we use sports properly, for their very best purpose. Anytime we have a serious, somewhat academic, conversation about the subject of sexuality [ and the ] issues of culture, including sports, I think that's a great benefit."
Amaechi is now a psychologist, working in the industrial organizational settings for medium- and large-companies. "I love it; it's fantastic," he said of his job. "I'm better at this [ job than I was in the NBA ] and it's more enjoyable for me because I don't have to sweat. It's a lot less physical; the main muscle that I now exercise is, my brain, and I tend to be somewhat better at that."
For more information on the 2009 World Outgames and its Human Rights Conference, visit www.copenhagen2009.org .
Red Stars in
poker benefit
Two members of the Chicago Red Stars women's soccer team will take part in the 4th Annual Texas Hold 'Em charity tournament benefiting Chicago Gateway Green.
The event will take place Wed., July 15, at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie, at 5:30 p.m. Others slated to appear include Chicago Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer and NBA star Chris Duhon. Visit www.greenpoker.eventbrite.com for tickets.
