Former Oberlin College women's lacrosse coach Kim Russell is standing by her belief that biological males should not compete in women's sports despite backlash from her former employer.
"A natural-born male should not be competing with biological females," Russell told The Spectator. "There are too many biological and physical advantages for biological males."
The controversy began in March 2022 when Russell reshared a post that declared female athlete Emma Weyant the real winner of the NCAA's women's 500-yard freestyle event, despite the organization listing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas as the official victor.
In her first year coaching for Oberlin, Russell considered leaving her post after three players on the team engaged in suicidal behaviors. Instead of leaving, she became determined to help the young women and came to think of many of them as her children. She took issue with the idea these players could be denied opportunities because of biological males competing.
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"It's already been proven when you look at all the sports where it's happening. The males are winning," Russell said.
However, some players felt hurt by Russell's position on transgender athletes. She said that she had no idea some of the young women were upset until she received a letter from the Oberlin athletic director asking her to write apology letters to individual team members and the department.
"I don't blame or hold anything against any of the students who spoke out and who were angry, because I believe that's the way society is right now," Russell said. "That's what they know. And nobody is taught anymore to have real conversations where it's listening — to try and understand the other."
Russell was asked to attend a meeting with her team and three administrators the following week, where she recorded what transpired.
"Unfortunately, you fall into a category of people that are kind of filled with hate in the world," Associate Vice President of Athletics Natalie Winkelfoos told Russell.
The coach said that players continued to trust and confide in her after the administration's intervention.
"She really cared about the player as a whole," Oberlin player Katie McMorris said. "If you were behind in school, you could take off practices without any repercussions, even midseason. I think that's one thing that really sets her apart. Kim and the assistant coach would allow you to take the day off for a mental health day, also without any repercussions."
After a player who reported her to the athletic director came down with a serious injury, Russell said the young women turned to her for support. She also agreed to serve as a job reference for the player.
After finishing the spring 2022 season, the athletic director took action against Russell.
"So, apparently, I was good enough to keep coaching for the rest of the season, but then they gave me the letter saying I had to change my behavior immediately," Russell said.
Russell asked the school to explain what policy was broken and reveal whether she would be fired. Oberlin allegedly denied Russell's invitation.
Russell broke her silence in 2023, publishing an op-ed in the New York Post, creating mini-documentaries with the Independent Women's Forum and appearing on several cable news channels, including Fox News.
Oberlin reassigned Russell to the "Employees Wellness Project Manager" role in September 2023, where she could not interact with students. She quit the position one month later.
"She sensationalized a series of events that were more than a year in the past, violating her players' trust in an irreparable way," Oberlin spokeswoman Andrea Simakis said. "This breach of trust is the reason she was removed from her coaching duties."
"Oberlin strives to be a community where people can hold different opinions, and are free to share them in ways that are collegial and constructive… It is regrettable that Kim was unable to find a path to this kind of dialogue," Simakis added.
