A home run against homophobia.Andrea Zimbardi didn't just sit in the dugout when she was kicked off her college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is played by men. team for being a lesbian she fought back As cocaptain of the women's softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' team at the University of Florida University of Florida is the third-largest university in the United States, with 50,912 students (as of Fall 2006) and has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year). UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes. , Andrea Zimbardi never imagined she'd spend her senior year cheering her teammates from the sidelines. But that's exactly what happened when she was kicked off the team. And the reason for her dismissal, she says, was that she is a lesbian. Zimbardi was a force to be reckoned with on the field. In 2002 she caught the third most runners stealing bases in the school's history and was two putouts away from the school record. But then, Karen John was hired to coach the team. Zimbardi alleged that Johns outed other coaches and players, printed quotes from the Bible on the team's itinerary, and criticized lesbian relationships before kicking her off in the spring of 2003. With help from the National Center for Lesbian Rights The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a non-profit, public interest law firm that litigates precedent-setting cases at the trial and appellate court levels, advocates for equitable public policies affecting the LGBT community, provides free legal assistance to LGBT , Zimbardi filed a discrimination complaint against the university, and in January the school while admitting discrimination, settled the case by agreeing to provide training to combat homophobia homophobia Psychology An irrationally negative attitude toward those with homosexual orientation, or toward becoming homosexual. See Closet, Gay-bashing, Heterosexism. Cf Gay, Homosexual, Phobia. and to include sexual orientation sexual orientation n. The direction of one's sexual interest toward members of the same, opposite, or both sexes, especially a direction seen to be dictated by physiologic rather than sociologic forces. in its nondiscrimination non·dis·crim·i·na·tion n. 1. Absence of discrimination. 2. The practice or policy of refraining from discrimination. non policies. The Advocate spoke to Zimbardi shortly after the settlement. How do you feel about the settlement? I feel like a big weight has been lifted. My goal was to make sure that no gay athlete ever has to go through this again. This new policy is in writing, and that's going to last forever. That means so much to me. When did the problems at the university start? The whole atmosphere changed when the new head coach signed on. Religious aspects were added that made me feel uncomfortable. We would stand in the locker room and say the Lord's Prayer. Christianity was a big part of my coach's life, and I was being approached by her to talk about my personal life. How did you feel when you were kicked off? I was shocked and devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. . I knew it was going to affect not only me but also my teammates. I cried for more weeks than I can remember. And I knew that something had to be done. You could have just walked away, but you went to every game and cheered from the sidelines. It was necessary to show my team that I'm not ashamed that I'm gay, and I was not just going to stand by and let this happen. Softball was my life, and I wanted the team to see that I supported them. When did you first start playing softball? When I was 6 or 7, I did everything I could to play. I played in Little League. I played a lot of sports. In middle school I was also a wrestler on the boys' team, because there was no girls' team. How did your male teammates react? I was a tomboy tomboy Psychology A popular term for a girl whose developmental gender-identity/role is discordant with her genotype. Cf Sissy. and hung out with them anyway, and they saw me as an equal. But the girls got mad because I'd be wrestling with their boyfriends! [Laughs] Were you out as a lesbian then? I didn't come out until I was a senior in high school, and I only came out to my parents. My mother and stepfather said, "We understand." Just hearing those words made a world of difference. What advice do you have for other gay athletes? It's going to be a hard road sometimes, but keep loving your sport. You should be judged on your abilities, not your sexuality. So keep setting your goals high. What's next for you? To graduate! I'm getting my master's in engineering management. And I've been looking into playing for the women's professional [softball] league. And maybe joining a team to be part of the Gay Games The Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. Originally called the Gay Olympics, . |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion