A lesbian student who married her partner was expelled from
an Oklahoma university one semester shy of her sports
management degree.
Christian Minard, 22, attended Southwestern Christian
University, a school affiliated with the International
Pentecostal Holiness Church in Bethany, Okla. As part of her
admission requirements, she signed a lifestyle covenant that
prohibits “homosexual behavior.”
Minard, who belongs to an Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America congregation in Oklahoma City, is a Christian, but her
decision to marry her partner, Kadyn Parks, put her at odds
with the school’s lifestyle covenant.
The two were married in Albuquerque, N.M., on March 17. On
Wednesday (July 9), a letter addressed to Minard from Brad
Davis, the school’s vice president of student life, arrived at her
parents’ home, telling her she was being expelled.
“I was informed that you recently married someone of the same
sex and saw a few pictures from Facebook,” Davis wrote. “Of
course, this is opposing to our view as an International
Pentecostal Holiness denominational university as well as the
Lifestyle Covenant that all students must agree and sign.”
The expulsion leaves Minard in a difficult position.
“There isn’t a similar program at an area university, so I’d
have to change my program of study,” Minard said. “And,
being one semester from graduation means I have taken all my
electives. I’ll lose all those credits if I transfer.”
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church is
headquartered in Bethany, and the school sits adjacent to the
world headquarters building. The denomination has
consistently opposed homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
The lifestyle covenant states that students may be required to
withdraw for violating certain provisions of the covenant,
including prohibitions on “homosexual behavior,” harassment,
sexual misconduct, pornography, alcohol, tobacco and other
“sins.”
Minard said she is aware that her relationship violates the
covenant, but she is troubled at the inconsistent application of
the rules, saying she believes she was singled out for being a
married lesbian.
“Students violate parts of that covenant all the time, but they
don’t get expelled,” she said. “I didn’t even get a hearing, just
a letter to my parents.”
Connie Sjoberg, provost at the university, declined to comment
on specifics of the situation, citing the Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, a federal law that prohibits
colleges from disclosing information about students, even to
parents.
source: christianheadlines
No comments:
Post a Comment