Updated Jan. 13, 10:55amPT After digging a little, it seems there’s more to the story than was originally released about the pulled California bill that would ensure access to K-12 sports for transgender students. The bill was pulled by lead sponsor Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (right). We had previously reported the reasoning, given by Sacramento based advocate [...]
Posts under ‘Law’
Vote: Who is Outsports’ Jerk of the Year?
Last day to vote! Every year we crown our annual ‘Jerk of the Year,’ honoring those in sports who were, well, jerks. Last year’s ‘Jerk of the Year’ was the Belmont University administration, who fired soccer coach Lisa Howe after she came out of the closet. This year we have many worthy candidates from football, [...]
Gareth Thomas has new business partner, with whom he founded legal recruiting firm
Note: The story from wharf.co.uk originally said Smith and Thomas were romantic partners, but Thomas said that was a confusion of the word “partner.” They are partners in business only. Sean Smith is Thomas’ business partner, as the two have co-founded Sean Smith & Associates, a legal recruitment firm. From the company’s site: Co-founded by [...]
Jerry Sandusky vows ‘fight to the death’
The Jerry Sandusky saga continues to build intrigue. Week after the former Penn State assistant football coach was publicly accused of sexually assaulting young boys, he has opted to forgo a preliminary hearing that would have brought him face-to-face with his accusers. Instead, his lawyer Joseph Amendola was defiant on the courthouse steps, saying, “There [...]
Gay softball settles lawsuit. Court upholds straight limit, dismisses discrimination claims.
Updated: Nov. 28, 2011, 1:15pmPT The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance has settled a lawsuit brought by the National Center for Lesbian Rights on behalf of three players who were disqualified from the 2008 Gay Softball World Series in Seattle. In the settlement the players have been reinstated and their second-place finish is now [...]
Same-sex pedophilia scandal rocks Penn State football, involving Jerry Sandusky
Penn State athletic director Tim Curley has been charged with perjury in connection with allegations that former football team defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky (right) sexually abused eight young men. According to the Associated Press: The attorney general’s office said Sandusky, 67, of State College, was arrested Saturday. Curley, 57, and Penn State vice president for [...]
Moment #12: Renee Richards wins right to play in women’s U.S. Open
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Tennis, 1977. In 1976 the United States Tennis Association barred female transgender tennis player Renee Richards from playing as a woman in the U.S. Open. The issue at hand was a born-female rule, and the USTA said Richards would have to submit [...]
Moment #20: NCLR initiates Sports project
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Sports, 2001. The National Center for Lesbian Rights became the first national gay-rights organization to seriously tackle homophobia in sports with the creation of their sports project in 2001. They quickly tapped Helen Carroll, former NCAA national champion basketball coach and [...]
Moment #42: Lana Lawless wins right to play on LPGA Tour
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Golf, 2010. When trans golfer Lana Lawless won the 2009 Long Drivers of America title, it was too much for the organization to handle. They quickly changed their rules stating that female participants must have been born biologically female to compete, [...]
Moment #56: Supreme Court rules against Gay Games in use of ‘Olympics’
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Sports, 1987: When former Olympic decathlete Tom Waddell wanted to start a multisport competition for gay and lesbian athletes, his original name was the Gay Olympics. But that did not sit well with the U.S. Olympic Committee, which sued to stop [...]
Report: Cleveland to pay $475k to Synergy Foundation in Gay Games settlement
The Gay Games cleared a hurdle in settling out-of-court a lawsuit filed against them by the Cleveland Synergy Foundation. The CSF had originally won the bid to host the 2014 Gay Games in Cleveland, but the Federation of Gay Games has since stripped them of organizing duties and handed the reins to another group led [...]
Federal judge rules that gay softball association can limit number of straight players
A federal judge in Washington state ruled that NAGAAA, the national gay softball association that runs the annual Gay Softball World Series, can keep its rule that limits the number of straight players per team. However, he allowed a lawsuit against NAGAAA by three men to go to trial. US District Judge John Coughenour wrote [...]
Croatian court dismisses suit against Vlatko Markovic for homophobic comments he made
A Croatian court has thrown out one of two lawsuits claiming homophobia against Croatian soccer president Vlatko Markovic. Two gay-rights groups brought lawsuits against Markovic last year when he said gay players wouldn’t be on the country’s national team because “only healthy people play football.” Legally, Croatia is one of the friendliest Eastern European countries [...]
Braves coach Roger McDowell accused of homophobia by Gloria Allred and Justin Quinn
Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell has apologized for his response to heckling fans in San Francisco on Easter. The apology was spurred by accusations by Justin Quinn of Fresno, Calif., that McDowell threatened Quinn with a baseball bat and made homophobic remarks. It’s a strange situation, and it’s hard to believe everything Quinn is [...]
Open lesbian Hawaiian Supreme Court judge Sabrina Shizue McKenna was basketball player
Ross Forman at the Windy City Times has a recent piece about newly appointed Hawaiian Supreme Court judge Sabrina Shizue McKenna. In addition to being one of the first openly gay person to serve on the state’s highest court. McKenna’s also familiar with another kind of court, having played for the University of Hawaii women’s [...]