Kim Russell, the lacrosse coach at prestigious Oberlin College in Ohio, says she was “burned at the stake” after stating her opinion on controversial transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Russell, 56, told her story in a short documentary produced by the Independent Women’s Forum.
She said her troubles began in 2022 after she congratulated Emma Weyant as the “real winner” of the 500-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA championships. Weyant actually finished second behind Thomas, who made news last year by dominating women’s swimming.
After that post, Russell said one of her own players reported her to administrators, who harshly criticized her. Russell, who recorded the conversations for her own protection, said that officials told her she was in the “category of people that are filled with hate in the world.” They also reportedly told her, “It’s acceptable to have your own opinions, but when they go against your college’s beliefs, it’s a problem. For your employment.”
When the college demanded that she apologize, Russell balked.
“I started to write on and then thought, ‘No. I’m not writing a letter of apology. I’m not sorry,’” she said in the documentary. “I will have a conversation with anyone who wants to have a conversation about this.
“I really believe women should be competing against other biological females.”
That led to a big meeting involving athletic department officials, Russell, and her team members.
“Chairs were set up in a huge circle. I felt like I was burned at the stake,” Russell said. “I felt like I was stoned and hanged all at the same time. It was, what I would call, the mob mentality,” she explained. “That meeting turned into anybody being able to say anything they didn’t like about my coaching style, or my assistant’s coaching, anything.”
🆕BREAKING: Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Oberlin College is breaking her silence in an @IWF documentary after being “burned at the stake” for her support of single-sex sports & speaking out against allowing men in women’s sports. https://t.co/n1MPhiM4D5 pic.twitter.com/WgD57sAYxR
— Independent Women's Forum (@IWF) August 29, 2023
Russell is still at Oberlin. She concluded by saying, “It is scientific that biologically males and females are different, period. I don’t believe that biological males should be in women’s locker rooms. Where’s the ‘Me Too’ movement now?”
