Panelists speak about their identity as minorities within the LGBT minority. They share experiences related to discrimination and acceptance as elite, collegiate and recreational athletes. Speakers highlight the subtle nature of discrimination versus acceptance and how that can profoundly affect team cohesion, self-worth and motivation to succeed. They talk also about strategies for success and how to find mentors and allies.
Peter Roby was named Northeastern's ninth Athletics Director on June 21, 2007. Roby, former head basketball coach at Harvard University, marketing vice president at Reebok, and since 2002, Director of Northeastern's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, brings broad experience in unique perspective to his new position. Roby has been referenced extensively in print, television and radio media all over the world and his opinion pieces have been published on the editorial pages of the *Boston Globe*, the* Indianapolis Star*, the *Dallas Morning News* and the *Oregonian*. In October of 2007, Roby was named one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America by the Institute of International Sport. Roby is a 1979 graduate of Dartmouth College where he was co-captain of the basketball team and earned a bachelor's degree in Government. A native of New Britain, Connecticut, Roby lives with his wife, Sandra, and children, Kayla, Peter, and Jon Paul, in Newton, Mass.
Robin Galas attended Mills College from 1995 - 1997 and was a member of the crew team for nearly her entire tenure. During her first year, she served as co-captain of the novice team. The following year, she was awarded the Arthur Ashe Scholar Award recognizing combined excellence in academics and athletics by students of color. She began working at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) two and a half years ago in order to further justice and equal rights for all LGBT people. She is currently the Director of Operations at NCLR. She identifies as a bisexual, biracial (half Thai, half Polish-American) woman and understands the barriers that LGBT athletes of color often face both within the LGBT sports movement and athletics at large.
Helen Carroll is the coordinator of the Homophobia in Sports project at the NCLR. Carroll's long career as a basketball coach and college athletic director gives her credibility when examining complaints. She speaks the language of the locker room and the coach's office. Her 1984 University of North Carolina-Asheville team won the NAIA women's national college basketball championship, making her the first woman to win an NAIA title. From 1988-2000 she was the athletic director of Mills College in the Bay Area. In dealing with schools and sports organizations Carroll's goal is always the same: no athlete should be harassed or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. The NCRL, a small nonprofit based in San Francisco, will cajole, educate and, if necessary, threaten legal action to create a tolerant atmosphere.