Read on Twitter
CW: Abuse
A week after this tweet, i got my coach’s response (it was 250 pages
). Then we had the hearing on November 11. And tonight, USAU’s decision finally came out - he has a lifetime coaching suspension and a 5-year membership suspension 
1/ https://twitter.com/clownbinch/status/1312743241264107520
A week after this tweet, i got my coach’s response (it was 250 pages
). Then we had the hearing on November 11. And tonight, USAU’s decision finally came out - he has a lifetime coaching suspension and a 5-year membership suspension 1/ https://twitter.com/clownbinch/status/1312743241264107520
Despite this being the expected outcome (I was hoping lifetime for both but it’s okay!), none of this was close to being easy and it’s such a small price to pay. But feeling at peace wasn’t the point. I said the following to the hearing panel as part of my opening statement: 2/
So this is my encouragement to everyone in the ultimate community: help add more people to the list of USAU suspensions. I know that there are a lot of people, from abusive coaches like mine to assaulters to racist harassers, who belong on this list. 3/
i’m sick of being hurt/seeing others get hurt and no one doing anything. I understand if you’re a victim bc these experiences are traumatic, so I’m mostly just saying this to those who are privileged to only be a witness to abuse/misconduct: we NEED you to take a stand 4/
Stop pretending there aren’t people in ultimate who are abusive, racist, sexist, queerphobic, etc. Stop tolerating harmful behavior, regardless if it’s intentional or not. Silence enables violence, silence is violence. Safety is ALWAYS more important than comfort/convenience. 5/
And when you hear someone speak up, it is so important to believe them. It’s just as important to *vocalize* your support. A simple “I hear you and I stand with you” and/or “is there anything I can do to help?” goes a long way. Shout your love and care from the rooftops! 6/
I won’t sugarcoat the USAU complaint process - if you’re the person who is coming forward, it’s going to be hard, time-consuming, and scary. You might want to give up sometimes. That’s okay! I nearly gave up too. But it’s good to ask for help and breaks are helpful too! 7/
Some resources to get you started-
Article X of USAU bylaws: https://www.usaultimate.org/bylaws/
USAU conduct policy: https://www.usaultimate.org/about/usaultimate/governance/conduct.aspx
Coaching ethics code: https://www.usaultimate.org/assets/1/Page/CoachingEthicsCode_rev2017.pdf
8/
Article X of USAU bylaws: https://www.usaultimate.org/bylaws/
USAU conduct policy: https://www.usaultimate.org/about/usaultimate/governance/conduct.aspx
Coaching ethics code: https://www.usaultimate.org/assets/1/Page/CoachingEthicsCode_rev2017.pdf
8/
DMs are open if you want some more insight as to what the complaint process was like before committing to anything. Your experience won’t be the same as mine (especially bc i think USAU is making some policy changes rn) but would still be happy to offer some guidance! 9/
But this isn’t just about going all the way to governing bodies to make ultimate safer. Cut out your racist teammates, fire your abusive coaches, teach your friends why it’s not okay to use ableist language, etc. We can all do things at the team and individual level. 10/
And some shoutouts: huge thanks to @evanfeeney for being my counsel throughout this, he’s amazing. And lots of love to my teammates, friends, and coaches who’ve supported me! Thank you to anyone else who was kind to me these past 3 months, yall made my life easier :,) 11/
I have lots of other thoughts but I’m in the middle of finals. also i’m bad at sharing feelings. so to sum it up: let’s stop making space for hate, fear, and ignorance and instead, start building a community we can all be proud of. 12/fin
