Why haven't more coaches come out as gay?
Of the thousands of coaches who work in all sports in NCAA Division I, just a handful are openly gay or lesbian.
Bryant assistant men's basketball coach Chris Burns is the latest to join a short list that includes Kennesaw State men's tennis coach T.J. Greggs, UC Santa Barbara women's tennis coach Simon Thibodeau, UCLA assistant softball coach Kirk Walker and Ball State women's golf coach Katherine Mowat.
"With coaches, it's a glass closet," Jason Collins, the NBA's first openly gay player, tells USA TODAY Sports. "I know there are (closeted) gay coaches. A lot of them are struggling."
A coach comes out of the closet
Sherri Murrell, ex-Portland State women's basketball coach, was formerly the only openly lesbian coach in Division I women's basketball. "It's actually stunning and quite funny" there are none currently, she says. "There's the fear that your program will be adversely affected, that you won't be accepted by your bosses and boosters, that it will hurt recruiting."
Helen Carroll, sports project director with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, coached North Carolina-Asheville women's basketball for eight years, including an NAIA national championship in 1984.
"It's not as bad as it once was, but straight coaches use being gay as a recruiting tactic to persuade families against letting their daughter play for a team with a lesbian head coach," Carroll says. "They'd say, 'That's the gay team.' It creates a wall of fear for female coaches who don't have a tremendous amount of job security to begin with" — in part because 57% of women's college basketball teams are coached by men.
The contract of former Minnesota Duluth women's hockey coach Shannon Miller was not renewed after last season, though she has won five national championships. The school cited financial considerations; Miller says her gender and sexual orientation played a role.
Hudson Taylor, executive director of Athlete Ally, says: "A lot of ADs will say they support an inclusive culture and environment. Well, then prove it. Be explicit in saying you support an LGBT coach. Nobody is a mind reader. Until ADs come out and say they support it, there isn't a safe environment."
Otherwise, Carroll says, "If you're a lesbian coach, you're thinking, 'I better keep my mouth shut so I can get a job or keep a job.' Then that sends a negative message to student-athletes that it's a dangerous thing to be out as gay."
Catch-22: Coming out can quell gay slurs, but fear of homophobia hinders closeted athletes
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Follow college basketball reporter/digital editor Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson. Email: sgleeson@usatoday.com
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