Training Rules
Encyclopedia
Training Rules is a 63-minutes 2009 American
award-winning documentary film
co-produced and co-directed by Dee Mosbacher
and Fawn Yacker
.
The documentary, subtitled as No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians is a Woman Vision film. Director Mosbacher, a lesbian feminist activist filmmaker and psychiatrist established Woman Vision as a nonprofit organization, to promote tolerance and equal treatment of all people through the production and use of educational media,
Training Rules examines how women's collegiate sports, caught in a web of homophobic
practices, collude in the destruction of the lives and dreams of many of its most talented athletes. It focuses on the women's basketball
program at Pennsylvania State University
under head coach Rene Portland
and her policy of discrimination on her players based on their sexual orientation
over a 30-year period as coach of the university's basketball program, particularly from the 1980s to the late 1990s.
individuals. She set the policy as "No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians," letting every player know that being a lesbian or associating with lesbians would not be tolerated under any circumstance. If a player violated this "rule," she would be dismissed immediately.; hence the title of the film, "Training Rules."
In response to this, Jennifer Harris
, an expelled basketball player in the program who believes she was excluded because she was a lesbian, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights
filed a lawsuit that prompted former Penn State players to come out to corroborate Harris’ story. In 2007, the Harris case was settled out of court. Portland finally resigned in May 2007.
Lisa Faloon, who was also interviewed in the documentary, says that Portland warned players that their scholarship would be canceled and they would never play basketball again if they talked to players suspended because of their sexual orientation. Cindy Davies was another talented young basketball player struggling with her sexuality in the 1980s. When interviewed for the documentary, she said that coach Portland threatened to out
her to her parents and to the media, as well as to expel her from the team. Davies left Penn State quietly. In 1986, Coach Portland finally went public with these viewpoints, telling the Chicago Sun-Times
: "I will not have lesbians on my team".
USA Today
’s Christine Brennan attempted to encapsulate the real problem by wondering what would have happened if Portland had had a different policy: "I will not recruit black people. I will not recruit Jewish people. I will not recruit Asian people. How quickly would that woman be fired?" She went on to note that the same outcry apparently did not apply if a coach said that he or she would not recruit lesbians.
Neither Penn State's president nor the head of athletics took any action related to the "no lesbians' policy, in spite of the fact that it violated the University's non-discrimination policy related to sexual orientation, which was passed in 1991.
The film was also shown in many universities and colleges including at Penn State
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
award-winning documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
co-produced and co-directed by Dee Mosbacher
Dee Mosbacher
Diane "Dee" Mosbacher, MD, PhD, is an American filmmaker, lesbian feminist activist, and psychiatrist...
and Fawn Yacker
Fawn Yacker
Fawn Yacker is an American filmmaker, producer and cinematographer. In 2009, she co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed with director Dee Mosbacher a one-hour documentary film entitled Training Rules, about the controversial women's basketball program ran by Rene Portland at Pennsylvania State...
.
The documentary, subtitled as No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians is a Woman Vision film. Director Mosbacher, a lesbian feminist activist filmmaker and psychiatrist established Woman Vision as a nonprofit organization, to promote tolerance and equal treatment of all people through the production and use of educational media,
Training Rules examines how women's collegiate sports, caught in a web of homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
practices, collude in the destruction of the lives and dreams of many of its most talented athletes. It focuses on the women's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
program at Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
under head coach Rene Portland
Rene Portland
Maureen Theresa "Rene" Muth Portland is an American former head women's college basketball coach known for her 27-year tenure with the Penn State Lady Lions basketball team. Her career resume includes 21 NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four appearance in 2000, five Big Ten Conference...
and her policy of discrimination on her players based on their sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
over a 30-year period as coach of the university's basketball program, particularly from the 1980s to the late 1990s.
Characters
According to testimony in the documentary, Portland was open with her recruits about her distaste for gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
individuals. She set the policy as "No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians," letting every player know that being a lesbian or associating with lesbians would not be tolerated under any circumstance. If a player violated this "rule," she would be dismissed immediately.; hence the title of the film, "Training Rules."
In response to this, Jennifer Harris
Jennifer Harris
Jennifer Harris is a former player of the Pennsylvania State University Lady Lions basketball team.-High school:Harris played for Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she was named a WBCA All-American...
, an expelled basketball player in the program who believes she was excluded because she was a lesbian, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Lesbian Rights
The National Center for Lesbian Rights is a national non-profit, public interest law firm that advocates for equitable public policies affecting the LGBT community, provides free legal assistance to LGBT clients and their legal advocates, and conducts community education on LGBT legal issues. It...
filed a lawsuit that prompted former Penn State players to come out to corroborate Harris’ story. In 2007, the Harris case was settled out of court. Portland finally resigned in May 2007.
Lisa Faloon, who was also interviewed in the documentary, says that Portland warned players that their scholarship would be canceled and they would never play basketball again if they talked to players suspended because of their sexual orientation. Cindy Davies was another talented young basketball player struggling with her sexuality in the 1980s. When interviewed for the documentary, she said that coach Portland threatened to out
Outing
Outing is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
her to her parents and to the media, as well as to expel her from the team. Davies left Penn State quietly. In 1986, Coach Portland finally went public with these viewpoints, telling the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
: "I will not have lesbians on my team".
USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
’s Christine Brennan attempted to encapsulate the real problem by wondering what would have happened if Portland had had a different policy: "I will not recruit black people. I will not recruit Jewish people. I will not recruit Asian people. How quickly would that woman be fired?" She went on to note that the same outcry apparently did not apply if a coach said that he or she would not recruit lesbians.
Neither Penn State's president nor the head of athletics took any action related to the "no lesbians' policy, in spite of the fact that it violated the University's non-discrimination policy related to sexual orientation, which was passed in 1991.
Screenings
- Philadelphia Film Festival (World premiere)
- Atlanta Film Festival
- St. Cloud GLBTA Film Festival (St. Cloud, Minnesota)
- Miami & Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Inside Out Festival, Toronto
- Out Film Connecticut
- Birmingham Shout (Birmingham, AL)
- Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival
- NewFest in New York
- Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
- Minneapolis Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Kansas City Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Philadelphia QFest
- Outfest Los Angeles
- Gaze Film Festival, Ireland (European premiere)
- Michigan Womyn's Festival
- OUT ON SCREEN/Vancouver Queer Film & Video
- North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival (Colorado Springs)
- Out Takes Dallas Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- CLIP Tampa Bay: Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- ImageOut: Rochester LGBT Film and Video Festival
- Reel Affirmations 19: Washington DC LGBT Film Festival
- Milwaukee LGBT Film Festival
- Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
- Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
- Paris Feminist & Lesbian Film Festival
- image+nation: Montréal International LGBT Film Festival
- Spokane GLBT Film Festival
- Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival
- Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival
- Ljublijana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (Slovenia)
The film was also shown in many universities and colleges including at Penn State
Awards
- 2009: Won Best Documentary (AT&T Audience Award) at Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
- 2009: Won "Pink Peach Award" (Jury Award) at the Atlanta Film Festival
- 2009: Won Best Documentary (Audience Choice Award) at the Birmingham Shout Festival
- 2009: Won Best Documentray at the Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival in Colorado Spring
- 2009: Director Dee Mosbacher was honored with the Barbara Gittings Award