Dawn Brown, the women’s basketball coach at Prairie View A&M, was fired this week for suspending two female players who were dating, according to HoustonPress. Brown suspended the players based on a ‘no dating’ rule she put in place after an assistant coach and a player were caught having a relationship. The rule applied any players, coaches or assistant coaches having relationships with each other, but many are claiming the rule was unfair when applied to players.
The players, who are remaining anonymous, filed a Title IX complaint against the coach for discriminating against them based on sexual orientation. Prairie View A&M decided the athletes were right after their own investigation—and that the coach’s suspension was a violation of Texas A&M’s policies as well. Though Title IX does not explicitly protect against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, only against discrimination on the basis of sex and gender, judges have begun to see links between the two, according to HoustonPress.
Prairie View A&M is an historically black college in Texas, which is part of the Texas A&M system. They compete at the NCAA Division I level, making this ruling especially progressive in the fight for LGBT rights.
Meanwhile, coach Brown claims that her suspension of the players was okayed by the school’s Title IX specialist, leaving her with a feeling of betrayal. She plans to appeal, according to the Houston Chronicle.
This ruling definitely sends the right message: LBGT players and students should be protected from discrimination.