Former Miami cheerleader Kristan Ann Ware says the Dolphins organization discriminated against her when she revealed she was a virgin and saving herself for marriage.
“After being exposed, and having my virginity [cast] in a negative way, I felt so vulnerable,” Ware says.
Ware filed a complaint this week with the Florida Commission on Human Relations this week over religious and gender discrimination.
“I loved my job,” Ware says. “It was great, but after that things just started to change. …It became unbearable.”
Fox News reports Ware was overseas with her squad in 2015 when they started talking about sex. She revealed that she was a virgin and planned to remain so until marriage. Shortly after the conversation, she reapplied for her position, and one of the coaches asked her about sex.
“Let’s talk about your virginity,” one of the coaches reportedly asked.
The coaches then informed her she could no longer talk about her faith-based vow with the team.
“It was like a bus hit me,” Ware told The Washington Post. “I was completely speechless. All that formed on my face were tears.”
Ware left the Dolphins after the 2016 season. The basis of her complaint with the FCHR revolves around male players lauded for their public faith while female cheerleaders are reprimanded. She and her lawyer say the NFL could do more to protect cheerleaders, but instead has ignored them.
She tells the Post: “There is a sense of manipulation, where any time you raised a concern, it was like, ‘All we need is a pretty girl to wear the uniform. You’re completely replaceable, so if you have a problem with it, leave. One hundred other girls want your spot.’ I want to make a positive difference where these girls can have their dreams come true without compromising who they are. The silence needs to end. The intimidation needs to end.”
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