Speaking of Cheryl Miller: Interrogating the Lesbian Taboo on a Women's Basketball Newsgroup

Abstract

Our article examines the responses of a group of women's basketball fans to an Internet posting that questioned the sexual orientation of women's basketball star Cheryl Miller. Miller arouses speculation because she seems to play with cultural markers of gender and sexuality. She wears ties and suspenders while working as a coach and a broadcaster. The norms of women's sport demand that women perform their heterosexuality in order to diffuse the "gender ambiguity" caused by competence in a "masculine" realm. Our analysis of 77 postings reveals that while some respondents are homophobic and/or heterosexist, other fans have a more sophisticated understanding of the sexual politics of women's sport and are supportive of lesbian participants. The latter group includes heterosexual men and women who "came out" in defense of lesbians and against the systematic homophobia and heterosexism of sport. Our findings also support the contention that discussions of sexuality preclude discussions of race.

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