Here’s why a lesbian golfer just won $359,000 from the University of Minnesota | The Raw Story

This week, a remarkable trial concluded with a detailed finding of facts by a judge in Minnesota. He awarded a woman named Katie Brenny almost $360,000 after a three-year lawsuit. And while there’s been a small amount of media attention paid to Brenny’s victory, it’s received little national media exposure.

And that’s a shame, because the 38-page decision by Hennepin County Judge Thomas M. Sipkins contains interesting details that describes a startling case of overt discrimination on a college campus.

In 2010, Kathryn “Katie” Brenny was a 30 year old professional golfer living in North Carolina when she was approached that July by John Harris, the new director of golf at the University of Minnesota.

Harris was a pro golfer himself, and today, at 61, he plays on the Champions Tour.

But in the summer of 2010, he needed a new coach for the university’s women’s team. He wanted to know if Brenny was interested. He told her that she would be responsible for the things a head coach does: helping players improve, recruiting new players, and traveling with the team to tournaments, as well as doing the other administrative duties that come with the job.

Brenny had played four years at Wake Forest before turning pro, and figured she knew something about what coaching a college team would be like. Excited at the opportunity, Brenny sent her resume. Harris, meanwhile, sent her a list of job duties which were identical to those for the coach of the men’s team, John Carlson.

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UPDATE: Katie Brenny e-mailed us this statement… “I’m grateful for the judge’s ability to discern the truth. This is a win for me, but it’s so much more than that — it’s a victory for those who believe in equality, and it’s progress for college athletics. Hopefully, my experience and this lawsuit will help others by serving as a deterrent for discrimination in the future. It’s clear that we are moving forward. I just can’t tell you how grateful I am that the judge was able to see through it all and write up the decision he did. This is a huge win for coaches and student-athletes.”

Here’s why a lesbian golfer just won $359,000 from the University of Minnesota | The Raw Story