Lez Keep It Real

If you ever desire to defame a woman’s character, just call her a “lesbian.” Upon making such slanderous allegations, you will see hands shoot directly to numerous mouths in disgust, abhorrent looks plastered all over everyone’s faces and the sudden disappearance of the person in question from the public eye.

How do I know this? Simple. It happened, quite recently, in my home town.

From The Buffalo News:

Unproven sex allegations used to fire girls coach at McKinley

Buffalo School Superintendent James A. Williams told the Buffalo Board of Education in executive session Tuesday that Michelle Stiles was dismissed as the volunteer coach of the McKinley High School girls basketball team because of suspicions that she was having sexual relations with girls on the team.

Williams also told board members he lacked proof to back up the suspicion, according to several board members who were present but spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sexual contact with an underage student is a criminal offense.

But more than two months after Stiles’ dismissal, police sources say no complaints have been lodged against her, nor has any investigation been opened against her.

In addition, parents and legal guardians of several girls on the basketball team say the school district has never notified them about suspicions of anything improper involving Stiles.

Williams and spokesman Stefan Mychajliw did not return repeated calls about this story to The Buffalo News.

Stiles, who said she is not a lesbian, expressed horror when informed of what Williams told the School Board and worried about potential damage to her reputation.

“Who wants to have these allegations of [sleeping with underage kids] against you? They’re horrible,” Stiles said when informed of the rumors. “People who know me have no problems knowing this is not true. But for people who don’t know me, they could be scratching their head going, ‘Well, maybe.’ I have to repair a damaged reputation in the minds of people who haven’t met me yet.

“I’m horrified that someone in this position of authority, and in charge of stewarding kids’ lives, is acting this inappropriately.”

Stiles was dismissed after serving three years as a volunteer basketball coach not long after running afoul of James Daye, the boys basketball and track coach and assistant football coach. Stiles incurred his wrath, she says, after she questioned girls on the team about why Daye was seen leaving the house where one of them lived.

Daye was a regular visitor to an adult cousin there, according to girls on the team.

Stiles said that once she realized Daye was visiting an adult at the girl’s home, she did not pursue the matter.

But an angry Daye later confronted her and, according to Stiles, “threatened to smear my character.”

Christine Juarbe, a sophomore on the girls basketball team, said Daye later pulled her aside in the computer lab to claim, in the form of a warning, that Stiles was a lesbian.

Daye has asserted that he had no involvement in Stiles’ dismissal. READ MORE

Where there’s a Daye, there’s a lesbian.

Or, at least there is in this case.

Am I the only one who thinks this case is suspicious? Michelle Styles had an unblemished record. She was respected by her peers and adored by parents and students alike. Yet, she was hastily disposed of as if she were a used Kleenex. It used to be that all you had to do was cry rape or molestation to call a teacher’s morality into question. But now you can take it a step further. Instead of crying rape, cry “homosexual!” Say that he or she was sleeping with his or her students.

Now, I am not discounting the millions of students who are taken advantage of year after year by manipulating figures of authority. Those cases backed with proof are legitimate and justified. However, I’m failing to see the legitimacy in this case. What I am seeing is a Superintendent who was too quick to pass judgment, a hot-headed co-worker who held a grudge and an innocent woman being stripped of her unblemished reputation.

This case sounds waaaay too familiar. I’ve got two words for you …

Pokey Chatman.

Pokey was just as hastily removed from her position at LSU. Only, in that case she resigned before it got ugly. After all the research and investigation I did into what had happened, I found that LSU basically nudged her out the door and threw away the key once it closed sharply behind her. We still don’t know what really happened. But after reading the article in The Buffalo News, I have to admit that I am more skeptical than ever. The only difference here is that Ms. Styles stepped up and defended herself. She came forward to address the allegations. Pokey did not.

Is that an automatic admission of guilt? I don’t know. But I will say that it didn’t work in Pokey’s favor. Was she really having inappropriate relationships with her players? Or is she a lesbian whose sexuality came to light and the powers that be disagreed with it? Or, is she just a woman who had fallen prey to the vicious claws of an unfounded rumor?

The jury is still out on Chatman. She’s coaching in Russia now and I don’t think we’ll be hearing from her anytime soon.

As for Styles. She isn’t backing down. I hope that she will be reinstated. But the damage to her reputation has already been done. Her sexuality will always be in question regardless of the outcome.

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