James Finley, the women’s volleyball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, was laid off by the school despite delivering a 25-6 winning season. Now Finley, 52, says he got his walking papers because he’s gay and he’s filed a complaint with the school’s Office for Institutional Equity.
On November 19, Finley was told by athletic director Ed McLaughlin that his contract, which expired December 31, would not be renewed—but that it had nothing to do with his win-loss record. “For 
[someone to] meet with me for the first time and to tell me I’m not a good representative of the university—somebody that doesn’t even know me because he’s never made an effort to get to know me—there’s no other conclusion that I can come to other than that he just doesn’t want a gay person representing his athletic department,” Finley told the AP.
In a statement to the press, McLaughlin said: “I came to VCU because of how the university embraces diversity and inclusive excellence and fosters a community where differences are valued and respected. It is unfortunate that Mr. Finley feels the decision not to renew his contract was based on anything other than previously stated concerns about the volleyball program.”
But Finley says McLaughlin, who joined the staff in August 2012, had given him the cold shoulder since Day One—not acknowledging greetings and walking away whenever Finley joined a conversation. “We would take our team to watch men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey and Ed would be down on the bench, he would be high-fiving the kids, interacting with them,” Finley recalled. “He knew them by name… He didn’t come to our games, he never introduced himself to our girls, didn’t participate with us.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Aside from McLaughlin, Finley praises VCU for its commitment to diversity and for embracing him, his husband and their three children. At the end of the day, he just wants his job back: “You always want to be judged on your work,” says Finley, “not on who you love.”
Mjl-428
I’m not a student at VCU and Like the Gay Pride event here earlier, I hear almost nothing about gay Richmond unless someone tells me about it. with the younger crowd, it’s growing more more accepting, more specifically to me in the shockhoe bottom, fan, downtown, VCU area,…… yeah I think I’ve got it all. I’m mainly saying this because I know how badly you guys trash everything.
As far as this issue looks, VCU just needs to get rid of Mclaughlin. It mostly has nothing to do with anyone else if this crap never started until when Mclaughlin came around. I will definitely be looking for info on this
Guillermo3
If he was fired for being gay:OUTRAGEOUS!/CRIMINAL!/
Ridiculously IRONIC!!!:I was an undergrad at R.P.I.[Richmond
Professional Institute] from 1965-69_graduated just before it
became V.C.U.During that time[and before and after] the area
around the school was considered the Greenwich Village of
Richmond,the school derisively referred to as”That Queer school”
and many bad jokes.among them:”Fairy Trails can come true,
they can happen to you,at R.P.I.” and,based on a Lucky Strike
commercial/jingle, “How do they separate
the men from the boys at R.P.I.? With crowbars!”
Great Art School,exciting arena of the Counter-culture,scene
of radical political action in the Viet Nam/Johnson/Nixon era.
Totally mind-boggling and disgusting that V.C.U.
would persecute queers!!