Centre Daily Times:

    For the fourth time in 18 months, Penn State is the target of a federal discrimination case filed by a professor.
    Attorneys for Constance R. Matthews, 51, filed the newest civil lawsuit on Monday. A former assistant professor in the College of Education, Matthews has claimed that her gender, her open homosexuality or her vocal advocacy on equity issues prevented her from receiving a promotion and tenure.
    All three factors may have played a part in the rejection, she alleged in the suit.

    …snip…

    Among Matthews’ claims:

  • An internal climate assessment several years ago found that the college hosted an offensive, hostile or intimidating environment for women and sexual minorities.
  • From 1998 to 2004, the college hired three tenured men to be faculty members in the counselor-education program, but it hired no tenured women to teach in the program.
  • Matthews openly opposed such an environment, including an attempt to teach students that “conversion therapy” can be clinically appropriate. (“Conversion therapy” attempts to convert sexual minorities to heterosexuality.)

Matthews began her career at Penn State in 1998. At the time she applied for tenure in 2004, she had 20 publications (in print and forthcoming) to her name, many of which concerned counseling around sexual orientation and gender issues. She had also received an award from her state’s counseling association.