Foul: Church Rejects Lesbian Softball Coach

A women's softball team in Memphis, Tenn., was barred from a church league because its coach is a lesbian.

Jana Jacobson told The Commercial Appeal newspaper that officials at Bellevue Baptist Church rejected her "deviant" lifestyle, therefore making her team ineligible to compete. The team was seeking opportunities to play more games and noticed that Bellevue had a league that did not require teams to be affiliated with the church. She was called into an additional meeting after registering, paying an entry fee, and attending an organizational meeting.

The team has both lesbian and straight players.

Jim Barnwell, Bellevue's director of communications, told the newspaper that the church had "no plans to comment" on the matter.

Jacobson said she was not demanding that the church apologize, nor would she participate in the league.