Russell was told she falls into a category of people who are filled with hate. She was told it is acceptable to have her own beliefs but if they go against those of the college, that’s a problem for her employment. So, no, she isn’t entitled to her own beliefs as an employee of Oberlin College. How else would that be interpreted? In another meeting she was asked, “What were you thinking? Why would you do that?” How could she not think a trans woman is a woman, she was asked? In yet another meeting she was told to write a letter of apology to the team and to the department. She was told, “I hope you feel remorse.” Wowza. Talk about laying it on thick for wrong think.

The coach did start to write the letter of apology but then came to her senses. She stopped and said she would begin a conversation with anyone who wished to talk about it but she isn’t sorry. She passionately believes that women should be competing against other biological women. Then a meeting was called with her, the team, the athletic director, the Title IX director for her department, the DEI person for her department, and the DEI director for the school. She knew what was coming.

Chairs were arranged in a circle for that meeting. She described the atmosphere as filled with dark energy. She said she felt like she was burned at the stake, stoned, and hanged all at the same time. It was a mob mentality, she said, because of a few team members speaking out against her social media post. She said the meeting turned into a free-for-all where any criticism of the coach was voiced and her post’s impact on the college community was a main focus, especially given the large LGBTQ population in the student body.

She knew no matter what she said, no one was listening to her. She said it broke “the family” apart.

At the end of the season, she was called in to the athletic director’s office and handed a letter. The college’s legal counsel was there. She was told that the letter would be put in her file and she needed to change her behavior. Her response was to ask that the college put in writing how she was breaking school policy and if they planned to fire her for breaking policy, to do it right then.

The 56-year-old coach points out that it is scientific that males and females are different. She doesn’t believe biological males should be in women’s locker rooms. And she asked an important question – where’s the Me Too movement now? Good question. I’ve been asking where the feminists are now. What about all the women who fought for Title IX for years before it came into being?

Coach Russell is ready if she is fired. She wants to be a voice for those who are too afraid to speak out, for those who fear losing their jobs. “Because if I don’t speak out, who is going to speak out?” THAT is the point. It takes everyone from various levels of authority to speak out.

She is the first coach at the college level that I know of who has the strength to say, enough is enough. This is wrong and it has to stop. That is why I say good for her. It will take more coaches to do the same. Then it will take athletic directors. And so on. Every level of leadership and authority has to get involved before this insanity is stopped.

This is a war on women, there is not mistaking that fact. A majority of Americans, nearly 70 percent, think that transgender athletes should be allowed to compete only on sports teams that correspond with the sexes they were assigned at birth, according to Gallup. That number has risen over time. I think it is reasonable to think it will continue to rise, especially since the push back is beginning.

The survey — conducted from May 1 to May 24 via telephone interviews with roughly 1,000 adults living in the U.S. — found that 69% of people say that transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth, compared with 62% in 2021. It also shows that a slightly higher share of Americans, 55%, consider “changing one’s gender” to be more “morally wrong” than in 2021, when it was 51%.

Ordinary Americans know right from wrong. It is wrong for a male to cosplay and demand to compete against women on a sports team. Putting on a woman’s swimsuit does not make Lia Thomas a woman. If he wants to present himself as a woman as he lives his life, fine. But that doesn’t entitle him to anything, including a slot on a woman’s team. A small minority of people are making demands of which they are not entitled. There is no scientific basis for it.

The ironic part of Coach Russell’s story is that she thought that working at a liberal arts college like Oberlin would give her the freedom to enjoy free speech and thought. Given its history, though, it has been clear for some time that Oberlin is a college that is run by progressives who quickly shut down any opinions that are not their own. Groupthink is mandatory in progressive America. Otherwise, propaganda doesn’t work. There is no room for independent thought.

Oberlin College was the school that tried to drive Gibson’s Bakery out of business. Fortunately, the school was not successful. The bakery was awarded a $36.59 million judgment. Gibson’s is a small bakery located near Oberlin College. The bakery chose to prosecute three students who shoplifted. One student was white, two were black. Oberlin College students held a massive protest in front of Gibson’s Food Mart and Bakery. The students accused the bakery of racism, because, of course. One of the bakery’s owners was physically assaulted during the shoplifting. The students pled guilty to attempted theft and aggravated trespassing. The college had to pay up for the actions of their students and its support of the students. It was a libel lawsuit. Some members of the college faculty (including some deans) participated in the protests.

For the record, police investigating the racism charges “found that 40 people had been arrested for shoplifting there in recent years and only six of them were black.” So, there’s that.

The college isn’t one of free expression or freedom of speech. It all only goes one way with progressives. It doesn’t matter if it is a member of its faculty or a local business. This is evil authoritarianism. Thank goodness Coach Russell is speaking out.

She sought out the support of the Independent Women’s Forum. It made a short documentary of Coach Russell’s story. It’s just a little more than eight minutes long. It’s worth a watch. Coach Russell has not apologized. Cheers to her.

Riley Gaines is an advisor to the Independent Women’s Forum. She had to compete against Lia Thomas in a NCAA swim meet and tied in that race. Lia Thomas was presented an award. Riley put dental school on hold and is now an advocate against men competing in women’s sports.

This is really really huge. The voice we've been missing is that of coaches. Watch this to understand why so many remain silent even though they know what they're being told to do is wrong.

Thank you for putting your name to this, Coach Kim Russell. https://t.co/F91Qlgw9A4

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) August 29, 2023