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| Andrew Davis practiced spiking in warm-ups for a volleyball match this week at Erskine College, a conservative Christian school in Due West, S.C. Davis and a teammate, Juan Varona, came out as gay last year. Mike Belleme for The New York Times |
The situation at Erskine illustrated that many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes still face uncertain acceptance, even as high-profile performers like Brittney Griner and Jason Collins in basketball, Abby Wambach and Robbie Rogers in soccer, and Michael Sam in football have helped overcome long-held resistance.
The New York Times reports:
It has been a year since Juan Varona and Andrew Davis, volleyball teammates at Erskine College, a conservative Christian school, came out as gay in an interview with Outsports.com.
During that time, Mr. Varona said, he has been embraced by teammates, coaches, teachers and fellow students. The president of Erskine’s student government association called Mr. Varona and Mr. Davis “some of the most-liked guys on campus” at the rural liberal arts college, which has about 600 undergraduates and was founded 176 years ago by the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church.
So it was jarring to many last week when Erskine publicly condemned same-sex relationships, calling them sinful, in what was widely interpreted as a direct or indirect response to the two volleyball players.
Hayley Rogers, 21, the editor of Erskine’s student paper, The Mirror, said that if she were in the position of Mr. Varona and Mr. Davis, she would have felt “personally attacked” and “discriminated against,” even if that was not the college’s intention.
The situation at Erskine illustrated that many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes still face uncertain acceptance, even as high-profile performers like Brittney Griner and Jason Collins in basketball, Abby Wambach and Robbie Rogers in soccer, and Michael Sam in football have helped overcome long-held resistance.
Erskine’s president said Tuesday that the private college’s position on sexuality was developed over the past two and a half years and had everything to do with the Bible and nothing to do with the volleyball players.
Still, Erskine has drawn widespread attention and criticism in juxtaposition to increasingly tolerant public attitudes in the United States. Thirty-seven states, including South Carolina, and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage.
“I was shocked,” said Mr. Varona, 21, a junior from Toa Baja, P.R. “I had never had any hints from the college that they would release a statement like that. I’ve always been treated well. I feel everybody is moving toward equality and getting more accepting. It’s like they’re putting it in bold that they don’t like it.”
Mr. Varona quit the volleyball team several weeks ago for personal reasons that he said were unrelated to the current controversy. He is seeking to transfer to another university. Mr. Varona said he would not have permitted himself to play volleyball at Erskine after it took its stand against same-sex relationships.
“I wouldn’t feel right representing Erskine knowing they don’t represent or support me,” Mr. Varona said.
Mr. Davis, 20, a junior who continues to play volleyball for the Division II power, declined through a college spokesman to be interviewed.
“It was really surprising to hear from the administration a hateful statement,” said Alanna Carvalho, 18, a freshman lacrosse player at Erskine who is openly gay. “It’s a bit threatening. It’s scary. I’m going to have to watch my back, maybe?”
Last week, Erskine said on its website that the student services and athletic committee of the board of trustees had submitted a statement on human sexuality.
Unanimously approved by the board, the statement said, “We believe the Bible teaches that monogamous marriage between a man and a woman is God’s intended design for humanity and that sexual intimacy has its proper place only within the context of marriage.”
Citing biblical verses, the statement added, “Sexual relations outside of marriage or between persons of the same sex are spoken of in Scripture as sin and contrary to the will of the Creator.”
The final sentence of the statement said that those at Erskine were expected to adhere to scriptural teachings about sexuality and that “institutional decisions will be made in light of this position.”
The vague wording left some gay students, athletes among them, confused and worried about what would be permitted: Could they hold hands on campus, touch a partner’s shoulder? Would they be welcomed any longer? Might they be expelled?
Caitlin Bullock, 22, a senior who starred on the Erskine women’s volleyball team and is dating Ms. Carvalho, said she found it “kind of sad that people still think the way they do and are so close-minded.”
Ms. Bullock said: “At home, I’m still not widely accepted. I come here for people that love me for who I am. I can be open about it and talk about it. I was taken aback. Maybe I can’t go up to people and talk about it. I thought everybody was O.K. with it. It makes you think twice about who you’re telling what to.”
Pete Savarese, the student government president at Erskine, said that while college officials had the right to state their position on sexuality, the statement seemed unnecessary, given that everyone at the college knew what the Bible said. He echoed others in expressing regret that a college that considered itself inclusive had suddenly gained a reputation for intolerance.
“I know the school did not intend this, but it did alienate and it did hurt a lot of people,” Mr. Savarese, 22, said. “If you know Erskine, we’re a very tight-knit community, and that’s not what we’re about. We’re about supporting each other and accepting people.”
Erskine, believing its position was misunderstood, issued a second statement Friday. Its stance on sexuality was not intended as policy, and no students would be barred from attending or asked to leave because of their sexual orientation, the statement said.
Erskine did not discriminate against “any protected categories of individuals,” the second statement said, adding that “all types of students are welcome.”
Its position should not be considered “unusual or unexpected” for an evangelical Christian college, Erskine said, adding that it had simply established “a point of reference” for discussion that should be conducted with “civility and respect.”
Paul Kooistra, who was named Erskine’s president in July, said the college felt it was necessary to issue a statement on sexuality because “there was some confusion about us as a Christian institution — what did we believe?”
Mr. Kooistra, 72, said: “When I came here, I said we were going to be a Christ-centered institution. The only way I know to be Christ-centered is to be biblical.”
Mark Peeler, Erskine’s athletic director, said it would be regrettable if the controversy affected recruiting. “That statement was not intended to keep anybody out,” Mr. Peeler, 52, said. “We are a loving and caring environment.”
A number of private Christian universities have instituted policies on sexuality that have caused tension within their athletic teams. During the 2011-12 basketball season, Ms. Griner, an all-American center, led Baylor to an N.C.A.A. title and a 40-0 record. But she said she felt pained as a lesbian by having to remain publicly closeted for appearances’ sake.
In her memoir, “In My Skin,” Ms. Griner wrote that Baylor seemed to want to have it both ways, a charge that might carry broader resonance in light of the situation at Erskine.
“They want to keep the policy so they can keep selling themselves as a Christian university, but they are more than happy to benefit from the success of their gay athletes,” Ms. Griner, who now plays in the W.N.B.A., wrote of Baylor. “That is, as long as those gay athletes don’t talk about being gay.”
At least Ms. Griner was celebrated as one of her sport’s greatest stars. In 2010, Lisa Howe, the women’s soccer coach at Belmont University in Nashville, resigned under pressure after telling her players that she was a lesbian and that she and her partner had decided to have a baby. Belmont has since added sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination policy, according to The Associated Press.
In December, two former women’s basketball players at Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif., filed a discrimination lawsuit against the university and their coach. The players said they had been harassed for dating each other and had been told that their relationship would cause the team to lose games. Pepperdine has denied the accusations.
“We’re seeing this stuff happen across the nation,” said Helen Carroll, the sports project director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, who is assisting Mr. Varona in transferring to another college. Ms. Carroll is also a former college athletic director and basketball coach.
With more states legalizing same-sex marriage, Ms. Carroll said, “I think it’s a little worse because there’s a backlash happening.” Full story here!
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