Betty Baxter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952 (age 71–72) |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta |
| Occupation(s) | athlete, activist and politician |
| Known for | CIAU coach of the year; Canadian national volleyball team coach |
Betty Baxter (born 1952)[1] is a Canadian athlete, activist and politician. Baxter was once a school trustee for the Sunshine Coast District 46 in British Columbia.
Baxter was a member of the women's national volleyball team at the 1976 Summer Olympics,[1] and was later named the team's head coach in 1979.[2] Prior to being named coach of the national team, Baxter was a women's volleyball coach at the University of Ottawa,[2] and was named the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union's coach of the year.
However, she was fired from that role in 1982 for a variety of reasons, one of which was speculation about her sexuality after the media began to report rumours that she was lesbian.[3][4] Baxter was not actually out as lesbian at the time, but subsequently came out and served as a board member of the 1990 Gay Games in Vancouver.[5] She also cofounded the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and the National Coaching School for Women. Baxter subsequently worked as a professional volleyball coach.
Baxter ran as a New Democratic Party candidate in Vancouver Centre in the 1993 federal election,[6] in a high-profile race against Prime Minister Kim Campbell, but was not elected. Baxter later was elected as a school trustee in 2011.
Electoral record
| 1993 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Hedy Fry | 19,310 | 31.19 | +8.38 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Kim Campbell | 15,510 | 25.05 | -12.19 | ||||
| Reform | Ian Isbister | 10,808 | 17.46 | +16.08 | ||||
| New Democratic | Betty Baxter | 9,397 | 15.18 | -21.63 | ||||
| National | Thorsten Ewald | 4,949 | 7.99 | – | ||||
| Natural Law | John Cowhig | 643 | 1.04 | – | ||||
| Green | Imtiaz Popat | 586 | 0.95 | +0.14 | ||||
| Christian Heritage | Darren Lowe | 242 | 0.39 | – | ||||
| Libertarian | Tunya Audain | 220 | 0.36 | +0.11 | ||||
| Independent | Brian Godzilla Gnu Salmi | 114 | 0.18 | – | ||||
| Independent | Scott Adams | 83 | 0.13 | -0.07 | ||||
| Commonwealth of Canada | Lucille Boikoff | 25 | 0.04 | – | ||||
| Independent | Peter C. Nuthall | 24 | 0.04 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 61,911 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | +10.28 | ||||||
References
- 1 2 "A matter of pride; Firing for being gay, Betty Baxter turned political; now she's out to win B.C. riding for federal NDP". Montreal Gazette, August 17, 1992.
- 1 2 "Sports roundup: Volleyball". The Globe and Mail, November 27, 1979.
- ↑ "Gay sports figures discuss homophobia ; 'What I do in my bedroom is my business'". Toronto Star, June 22, 1999.
- ↑ Zeigler, Cyd (2011-08-30). "Moment #34: Canadian volleyball coach Betty Baxter fired amidst rumors she is a lesbian". Outsports. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- ↑ "Vancouver hosts the third and largest Gay Games". The Globe and Mail, August 6, 1990.
- ↑ "Lesbian candidate for the NDP [Betty Baxter acclaimed in June as federal NDP candidate for Vancouver Centre". Perceptions. July 29, 1992.