(E)Racing Jennifer Harris: Sexuality and Race, Law and Discourse in Harris v. Portland

Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Vol. 32, p. 345, 2008

24 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2009 Last revised: 28 Dec 2011

See all articles by Erin Buzuvis

Erin Buzuvis

Western New England University School of Law

Kristine E. Newhall

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Isenberg School of Management; University of Massachusetts Amherst - Isenberg School of Management

Date Written: 2008

Abstract

In 2007 Penn State basketball coach Rene Portland retired shortly after a confidential settlement ended a discrimination lawsuit brought by former player Jennifer Harris against Portland and PSU. Because of Portland's infamous policy of not allowing lesbians on her team, her departure was celebrated as a victory against homophobia in sports. Yet while Harris's claims of sexual orientation discrimination were validated in the media, her allegations of racial discrimination were ignored or dismissed as implausible. In this Article, we examine the omission of race from the discourse surrounding this case and suggest that both legal and cultural factors contribute to society's tendency to ignore the intersecting discrimination in sport and the multiplicity of identity.

Keywords: discrimination, college athletics, race, gender, sexual orientation

Suggested Citation

Buzuvis, Erin and Newhall, Kristine E., (E)Racing Jennifer Harris: Sexuality and Race, Law and Discourse in Harris v. Portland (2008). Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Vol. 32, p. 345, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1328414

Erin Buzuvis (Contact Author)

Western New England University School of Law ( email )

1215 Wilbraham Road
Springfield, MA 01119
United States

Kristine E. Newhall

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Isenberg School of Management ( email )

Amherst, MA 01003-4910
United States

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Isenberg School of Management ( email )

Amherst, MA 01003-4910
United States

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