_________________ is an equal opportunity employer. It is the College's policy to evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, physical and/or mental disability, age, religion, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by institutional policy or state, local, or federal law.
You ask "why should we care about gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation of our players?" Because we live in 2017 and how we treat players, how they see and treat each other, and how communities respect each other matters.
We had a medical 'Grand Rounds' discussing affirming and respectful treatment of patients, recognizing differing gender identities, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Why should coaches care? We care for young people, some of whom are in the LGBTQ community.
The CDC recognizes the high prevalence of violence against LGB youth. "‘Violence’ can include behaviors such as bullying, teasing, harassment, and physical assault."
We want our players protected from all forms of violence and teach that all forms of violence toward others (including those above) are unacceptable.
Violence against transgender people is common. 2016 set the record for murders of transgender Americans, soon to be eclipsed in 2017.
Suicides and suicide attempts are overrepresented in the LGBT community. Some of this links to bullying. Bullying (sometimes in the form of hazing) is common according to Coach's Guide to Bullying in Sports. "A recent survey of 22,000 high school students across the U.S. found that 48 percent of the respondents had been targets of hazing--a form of bullying in which kids are humiliated or required to take part in dangerous activities." Bullying can result in lowered self-esteem, impaired sport and school performance, suicide attempts and suicides. The article suggests how athletes, parents, and coaches should respond. Coaches should make it clear that there is zero tolerance and that bullying/hazing results in benching and that bullying impacts the entire team.
Hazing also is real as are the punishments to both players and coaches. It happens in all sports, including basketball. "The team participated in an activity they called “racking in” before the Gatlinburg incident. They said upperclassmen would turn out the lights in the locker room, grab a freshman and punch him from the neck down, without the intent to cause injury."
And affluent communities are not immune. "We constantly hear how important hazing is to building camaraderie on a team or in a fraternity. Would someone please explain to me how forcing someone to eat a semen-covered cookie, having one teammate flee the school, and having nine members of the team either suspended or expelled builds camaraderie?"
Coaches are teachers, helping young people navigate the difficult transition of adolescence. We may believe, "that doesn't happen with my players in my school." Are we sure? Teaching respect, common sense, and boundaries is part of our job, unpleasant or not.