2008 Woodie Awards
NCAA, Drexel try to tackle homophobia in sports
James Mason
Issue date: 11/9/07 Section: Sports
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The NCAA has made strides in educating its coaches and athletes on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual issues, but there is still room for the NCAA and the schools it governs to improve.
Currently, the NCAA sponsors an array of diversity education programs for all of its schools, which includes homophobia in sports. Charlotte Westerhaus is the Vice President of the NCAA's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which coordinates these diversity programs.
"If a school would like to have a presentation, we require the athletic department to go through an introductory course on diversity," Westerhaus said. "We want people to have a primer on it first, before they have an advanced course. Then a university can bring in a person from a half day to a full day on issues. Homophobia is one of our more requested workshops on an advanced level. In addition to that, what we are now putting together is a best practices document that will highlight diversity related best practices that support student athletes, coaches and administrators."
Additionally, the NCAA works closely with Dr. Pat Griffin on diversity education. Griffin is the Director of the It Takes a Team! Education Campaign to End Homophobia in Sport.
It Takes a Team produces an educational DVD about homophobia, which the NCAA distributes to schools through their CHAMPS Life Skills initiative. Griffin noted the progress the NCAA was making in addressing homophobia in sports in recent years.
"The NCAA has initiated several initiatives addressing LGBT issues in sport," Griffin said. "Moreover, in the last year, NCAA President Miles Brand has publicly noted the need to address lesbian and gay issues in collegiate sport. In addition, the NCAA sponsors training for individual school athletic departments on what they call 'Sexual Orientation Issues' in athletics."
Griffin also said that there was still room for improvement, in particular in issues related to transgender athletes.
Currently, the NCAA sponsors an array of diversity education programs for all of its schools, which includes homophobia in sports. Charlotte Westerhaus is the Vice President of the NCAA's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which coordinates these diversity programs.
"If a school would like to have a presentation, we require the athletic department to go through an introductory course on diversity," Westerhaus said. "We want people to have a primer on it first, before they have an advanced course. Then a university can bring in a person from a half day to a full day on issues. Homophobia is one of our more requested workshops on an advanced level. In addition to that, what we are now putting together is a best practices document that will highlight diversity related best practices that support student athletes, coaches and administrators."
Additionally, the NCAA works closely with Dr. Pat Griffin on diversity education. Griffin is the Director of the It Takes a Team! Education Campaign to End Homophobia in Sport.
It Takes a Team produces an educational DVD about homophobia, which the NCAA distributes to schools through their CHAMPS Life Skills initiative. Griffin noted the progress the NCAA was making in addressing homophobia in sports in recent years.
"The NCAA has initiated several initiatives addressing LGBT issues in sport," Griffin said. "Moreover, in the last year, NCAA President Miles Brand has publicly noted the need to address lesbian and gay issues in collegiate sport. In addition, the NCAA sponsors training for individual school athletic departments on what they call 'Sexual Orientation Issues' in athletics."
Griffin also said that there was still room for improvement, in particular in issues related to transgender athletes.
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