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A women’s soccer coach at Geneva College, a Christian institution in Pennsylvania, was fired in June for posting messages supporting the LGBTQ community on her Instagram page, Religion News Service reported.
The posts, shared in April, that led to her firing read, “Queer people offer precious gifts to the church: Don’t miss out” and “Jesus is radically inclusive.”
The coach, Kelsey Morrison, identifies as gay but was celibate, allowing her to remain within the university’s conduct code, which forbids “sexual immorality” including “homosexual behavior.” She had coached at Geneva for two years.
Her assistant coach, Dave Symmonds, subsequently resigned in protest.
In an interview with Baptist News Global, Morrison said that the university offered her three months’ severance if she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
“I think, unfortunately, money is not that alluring to me. I just couldn’t bear it. People were misinterpreting why I was fired; there were rumors going around,” she said. “Also, I just have a really strong conviction that queer people do add value to these settings. And I knew the situation was really wrong, so I knew it wasn’t for me to sign that form.”
She also said she was unsure whether she would pursue legal action.
In a statement to Baptist Global News, Geneva defended Morrison’s firing.
“In order to maintain its religious character and identity, the college draws its workforce from among those who are willing to model and annually reaffirm their commitment to the truths captured in these documents,” the university said. “The college reserves the right to take appropriate action, up to and including separation from employment, if an employee engages in behavior or expression that contradicts or undermines these views.”
