This is a tale about a college coach who told her students she was welcoming a baby into her life and lost her job. The coach is Lisa Howe, the school is Tennessee's Belmont University and the sport is women's soccer.
She was given the opportunity to make it her decision by resigning rather than being fired. She took it, burned no one on the way out and left a final message on the chalk board for the athletes, "No regrets."
Howe is a lesbian and had no trouble during her six years at Belmont U. keeping that to herself while making it about soccer and acting as an educator to young women. Her record was 52-48-16. The team won its conference regular season title in 2009.
She had no idea that she was about to reach the point of no return when she recently informed the Athletics Director, of the impending arrival of a baby into the life of her and her partner.
She realized that her students would learn of the good news at some point and wanted to treat them like the young adults they are, by telling them directly about it.
She asked permission to do so and was met with silence for several weeks, asked again without being given the green light, according to one of her students. Howe took matters into her own hands when it became clear the news was spreading.
She violated a school policy in doing so and made her choice to go quietly rather than suffering the indignity of being terminated.
Sari Lin, a junior and the team's captain, told the Tennessean newspaper that in a meeting she requested with the school's AD, he (Mike Strickland) told her "we have a don't ask, don't tell policy" which Howe violated by indirectly announcing her sexual preference.
News of a baby coming into her life with a partner was the same as saying she is a homosexual, according to Ms. Lin's version of the meeting with Mr. Strickland.
Because the state of Tennessee does not recognize sexual orientation as grounds for protection under the state's Human Rights Act, she can't take advantage of some kind of legal action on that score.
It remains to be seen if the university has a specific policy that demands silence about one's sexual identity.
Whether it does or not, some lawyer will most likely tell her she can claim she was pushed out the door, wrongly terminated in effect, if not in words and let the situation play out in court.
She might help others who are bound to be in the same predicament in Tennessee if she does so, but from what her students say about Ms. Howe makes one wonder if she is built that way.
On Thursday December 2, Belmont U.'s AD said Howe resigned of her own volition, after the student newspaper broke the news of her situation. Earlier today Friday, December 3 the school changed the script:
"...there was a mutual agreement that it would be in the best interests of both Coach Howe and the university for her to conclude her employment as coach." In other words, she didn't resign, wasn't fired but is no longer the women's soccer coach.
To be continued...
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