The Cincinnati Post |
NEWS
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Oct. 28, 1998 |
 A federal lawsuit filed by a former basketball player against Northern Kentucky University will continue even though
there have been contradictory statements about the player's sexual orientation.
The lawsuit filed by lawyer Lisa Meeks on behalf of her client Jaime Garner says that the university dismissed Ms. Garner from NKU's women's basketball team because of Ms. Garner's sexual orientation. Last week, Ms. Meeks said Ms. Garner is a lesbian. However, Ms. Garner in a radio interview Tuesday denied that. But Ms. Meeks said the contradictions do not affect the legal theories contained in the lawsuit and the suit will continue. ''Whether she's a lesbian or whether the coach perceived her to be a lesbian, either reason is a violation of the equal protection law,'' Ms. Meeks said. The lawsuit says that NKU head coach Nancy Winstel dismissed Ms. Garner earlier this year after a series of meetings in which the coach asked about Ms. Garner's sexual orientation. Ms. Meeks said Ms. Garner was dismissed after rumors surfaced that Ms. Garner was involved with a freshman on the basketball team. However, NKU has said Ms. Garner was dismissed from the team because of behavior disruptive of the team and not because of her sexual orientation. Ms. Garner, a transfer from Indiana University, was a guard for NKU last season and was the team's second leading scorer with an 11.6 points per game average. Ms. Garner wants to become a professional basketball player and playing her senior year is imperative, Ms. Meeks has said. |
Ms. Meeks on Tuesday wouldn't say if her client is lesbian.
''At this point, I'm not going to take a stand on that for her,'' Ms. Meeks said. ''I'm hoping that later on we can have a press conference and we can deal with that question more in-depth. ''It's a lot of pressure to take somebody who is 22 years old and ask them to label themselves as gay, straight or bisexual and to do it under media scrutiny.'' In a release, Ms. Meeks even points to the recent murder of a young man, whom authorities say was killed because he was gay. ''Coming out can be a difficult and confusing process for both the individual and his or her family,'' the release reads. ''The process is made more difficult and challenging when done under intense media scrutiny.'' When Ms. Garner was let go, the university told her about her options to transfer and continue her basketball career at another school. She was also advised of NCAA rules regarding her transfer options and eligibility status. The university also told Ms. Garner that she could retain her scholarship award if she chose to complete her education this year at NKU. Ms. Garner decided to choose that option.
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