Friday 06/05/2009 7-9 PM
Speakers Panel Discussion on Homophobia in Sports
Our Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support the athletic community, will be opening Team Philadelphia’s SportsWeek on June 5th 2009 with a panel discussion focusing on the current environment for LGBT student-athletes at universities nationwide. The attitudes toward LGBT individuals in general society versus attitudes toward the same individuals within the athletic community show a huge discrepancy with the athletic community’s views lagging about ten years behind that of the general population. The group of current and former student-athletes along with their advisory board of the top some of the top scholars in the field, are determined to merge that gap. Members of the Our Group board will discuss current challenges within the athletic community while telling their own personal stories ranging from struggle to triumph and acceptance and focusing on the importance of action within LGBT community as well as support within the athletic community.
Panelists will include:
Sean Smith – Rutgers University ’05, 2005 Big East Swimmer of the Year, Assistant Coach 05-06, 2000 & 2004 Olympic Trials competitor, Our Group Secretary, Out 100 Honoree 2007
Jenelle DeVits – University of New Hampshire ’09, Women’s Basketball team captain 08-09, Walk on freshman, scholarship athlete Jr. and Sr. season, Wildcat award recipient for embodying the goals of a UNH student-athlete, Our Group Treasurer
Anna Aagenes – University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2010
Major: Gender, Society, and Culture, Minor: Spanish
Team Captain Cross Country 2009-Track 2010, Team MVP 2009 Season, 2nd Team All Ivy, NCAA Regional Qualifier 800 m
Co-Chair Penn Athletes and Allies Tackling Homophobia and Co-Chair Queer Student Alliance
Brian Sims - Bloomsburg University '01, Michigan State University Law School '04
Captain 2000 Div. II College Football National Champion Runner-Up, Two-time NCAA Regional All-American
Staff Counsel for Policy & Planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association, Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia
Ted Rybka - Arizona State University (B.A. Russian 1996; Master of Mass Communications 2006), Director of Sports Media for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Our Group founding board member
Mark Schuster – moderator
Mark has been an administrator and faculty for over twenty-five years in the Northeast and Midwest. Currently the Senior Dean of Students at Rutgers University, supervises all deans at Rutgers along with 30,000 students and Judicial affairs for 45,000 students. He is also an affiliate faculty psych and women’s and gender studies and has taught Sport and Sexuality classes for 10 years. Mark has a Masters in Sport Psychology and Cultural Studies of Sport from the University of Iowa and his PhD. coursework is in Higher Education Administration, also from Iowa.
Time: 7:00-9:00
Date: Friday, June 5, 2009
Place: Carriage House, 3907 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA
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