Oberlin College coach berated for stance on trans athletes in women’s sports says she never broke school rules
Kim Russell, the ladies’s lacrosse head coach at Oberlin College, a liberal arts school in Ohio, continues to talk out relating to transgender inclusion in girls’s sports as she was a visitor on “The Ingraham Angle” with Laura Ingraham on Tuesday evening.
Russell has been the middle of a giant debate with Oberlin College after she talked about how directors and her gamers ridiculed her after she posted her private viewpoint about Lia Thomas profitable an NCAA championship in swimming in 2022 on social media.
Russell reposted a headline that sarcastically congratulated former Virginia swim star Emma Weyant for defeating Thomas, a transgender feminine, the place the Yeowomen head coach wrote, “What do you believe? I can’t be quiet on this… I’ve spent my life playing sports, starting & coaching sports programs for girls & women…”
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Oberlin College women’s lacrosse coach Kim Russell discusses her put up about trans girls enjoying in women’s sports with Laura Ingraham (Fox News)
That put up from Russell sparked a big controversy with Oberlin College, the place directors stepped in to ridicule Russell. She recorded these conversations, which had been performed on the present and are featured in the Independent Women’s Forum documentary she participated in on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, you fall into the category of people that are kind of filled with hate in the world,” Natalie Winkelfoos, affiliate vp for athletics, stated to Russell in the recording.
“It’s acceptable to have your own opinions, but when they go against Oberlin College’s beliefs, it’s a problem,” Creg Jantz, senior affiliate director of athletics, added.
Ingraham’s first query to Russell was whether or not the pinnacle lacrosse coach had damaged any rule.
“None,” Russell replied. “There were no rules that I was breaking. I was speaking my belief, my opinion. When I took that to the college with a letter from my attorney, I said, ‘If I am breaking university policy, please tell me what that policy is. Please do so in writing. And if you’re going to fire me for breaking that policy, please do it now.’”
May Mailman, senior authorized fellow for the Independent Women’s Law Center, was additionally current for the dialogue, the place she highlighted Oberlin College’s particular “missions and values.”
“Funny enough, Oberlin College’s missions and values, which is on their website, says that they foster an environment that is respectful of divergent viewpoints. That’s the type of students they want to recruit.
Oberlin College delivered a statement to “The Ingraham Angle,” where it said, “Freedom to precise one’s views is a cornerstone of our democracy and is definitely essential to our Oberlin College neighborhood.”
May Mailman, a senior legal fellow from the Independent Women’s Law Center, discusses case with Laura Ingraham. (Fox News)
However, when posting on social media, Oberlin College said staff should “replicate upon any doubtlessly unfavourable posts and the influence they may have upon your skill to successfully carry out the roles and tasks of your job.”
Russell went on to explain that it was one player on her lacrosse squad that went director “proper to the athletic director, and the athletic director got here to me and that’s how this all began.”
Russell was told to write an apology letter to the athletics department and the team, but she didn’t do it.
She said she’s willing to have a conversation with anyone on the topic, but won’t hide her passion on the topic.
“I actually imagine that girls ought to be competing in opposition to different organic females,” she said in the documentary.
“We’ve heard from different coaches who wish to be leaders for their groups,” Mailman added. “…It is as much as the adults. We can’t let the entire obligation for girls relaxation on school children. There need to be coaches that talk up and shield girls.”
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“Oberlin has requested her to not attend sure occasions,” Mailman added. “This would never occur to a males’s coach who stood up for male gamers.”
Russell made waves when she said she “felt like I used to be burned on the stake” when she had a meeting with the lacrosse team, the athletic director, the Title IX officer for her department and a Diversion, Equality and Inclusion officer along with the Title IX director and DEI officer for Oberlin College.
“I felt like I used to be stoned and hanged all on the identical time,” she recalled from the meeting.
Russell later added in the documentary her opinion that “it’s scientific that, biologically, women and men are totally different. Period. I don’t imagine organic males ought to be in girls’s locker rooms. Where’s the Me Too motion now? What occurred to that?”
Oberlin College women’s lacrosse coach Kim Russell discusses her post about trans women playing in women’s sports with Laura Ingraham (Fox News)
Riley Gaines, who hosts the “Gaines for Podcast” , is a leader for fairness in women’s sports and praised Russell for sticking to her beliefs.
“This is absolutely actually large. The voice we’ve been lacking is that of coaches,” Gaines wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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Russell ended the segment with Ingraham saying that suing Oberlin College is on the table as well as all other options.
“We’re in the center of the storm proper now,” Russell said.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.