From: JAJONE02@ukcc.uky.edu (Jeff Jones)
Subject: LESBIAN COACH FIRED IN KENTUCKY
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 95 08:23:42 EST

LESBIAN COACH FIRED BY METHODIST-AFFILIATED COACH
 
On December 9, Ray Wells, Athletic Director for Lindsey Wilson
College in Columbia, KY, fired Diana Chalfant, a well-respected
volleyball and softball coach at the college.  Chalfant was fired
for being a lesbian with college administrators pointing to
"lesbian incidents" that both Chalfant and her players deny knowing
anything about.
 
As the college's women's volleyball and softball coach, Chalfant
made her players clean their rooms, keep up their grades, and abstain
from swearing and drinking alcohol.  For the first time the team
began weight training and running laps.  The team also began
winning.
 
Despite winning the respect of her players, Lindsey Wilson College,
a small Methodist-affiliated college in rural Kentucky, fired
Chalfant.  Kentucky has no laws protecting a person from discrimination
based on sexual orientation, so Chalfant has no legal recourse.
 
Ironically, the United Methodist Church to which Lindsey Wilson Colleg
is affiliated has a policy stating that homosexuals should be viewed
as persons of worth and treated fairly although homosexuality is
also considered incompatible with Christianity.
 
Because of this outrage, Lindsey Wilson College students have
protested this human rights violation.  The College president,
John Begley, merely patronized players who met with him by
telling them that he knew they didn't understand, but that he
was doing this to protect them.
 
Please take a moment and protest this blatant discrimination:
 
1) Write to:
  John Begley
  Lindsey Wilson College
  210 Lindsey Wilson Street
  Columbia, KY 42728
 
2) Write and urge that your letter be read at the church's annual
  meeting.  Ask that funds be cut to LWC and that students be
  urged to not enroll in this college that so blatantly breaks
  Methodist policy:
   Rev. Robert Morgan
   United Methodist Bishop
   4010 Dupont Circle #264
   Louisville, KY 40207
 
3) Email an editorial about this incident and the lack of anti-bias
  protections in Kentucky to the regional newspaper.  Your email
  editorial must be <200 words and include your address/phone/name.
      Lexington Herald-Leader letter to the editors:
            lheditpage@aol.com