Gay soccer coach vowed to follow college's stance on homosexuality. She was fired anyway.

BEAVER FALLS — Kelsey Morrison took over a historically subpar women's soccer program at Geneva College in 2021 with the hope of growing the roster and guiding the team to a winning season.

In her first year, the team made the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoffs for the first time in the program's 10-year NCAA Division III history. By her second season, Morrison, 25, had expanded the Golden Tornadoes' roster from 18 players to 30 through more aggressive recruiting. And when three of her players received PAC postseason honors late last fall, the college said in a press release that the "selections highlight the improvements being made in the program under" Morrison.

All of Morrison's success would unravel, though, on June 2, when the conservative Christian college in western Pennsylvania fired Morrison for allegedly violating its strict standards of conduct for sharing Instagram memes with quotes about Christianity, inclusivity and the LGBTQ community.

"It was a complete shock," said Morrison, who is gay.

Now, Morrison is looking for a new college coaching gig and is exploring legal action against Geneva College.

'They require people to think'

Several weeks before her firing, Morrison shared on her personal Instagram page a black and white meme that includes a rainbow and a quote: "Queer people offer precious gifts to the church. Don't miss out."

Another post was a similar-looking image. In white lettering against a black box, the typed quote reads: "Feeling an extra burden today regarding how Christian community can carelessly limit the inclusivity of Jesus and the gospel... The gospel is ultimately offensive for who it lets in, not who it keeps out." The center of the image reads, in large font, "Jesus is radically inclusive."

Morrison never gave much thought to posting the memes to a private audience, which she said purposely excludes Geneva College students, including players. The memes, she thought, weren't offensive or controversial. No one said anything to her about the posts, either, until the day she was fired.

The posts were, she assumes, sent to Geneva College's human resources department by one of only a handful of fellow employees who follow her on her private social media account.

During her meeting with Human Resources Director Jerry Miller, Vice President of Business and Finance Tim Baird and, via video conference, Athletic Director Van Zanic, Morrison said she was told that certain social media posts were in conflict with Geneva College's beliefs.

"I didn't know what they were referring to that I shared, so I asked them," Morrison told the USA Today Network. "They pulled out printed copies of those two Instagram stories. Those Instagram stories are not against the Biblical values of the school. I think they require people to think and consider how we care for people and how we value them as human beings."

In a statement to the USA Today Network, Geneva College officials noted that the school's mission and Biblical views are rooted in documents adopted when the Presbyterian Church was formed in the U.S. in 1788, as well as the testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, and other policies adopted by the Synod of the RPCNA and the college itself.

"In order to maintain its religious character and identity, (Geneva) 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 statement says. "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."

The college did not respond to several other questions about Morrison's firing, including whether Morrison was fired because of her sexual orientation.

Tenure at Geneva College

Morrison grew up in Eastern Maryland and went to college at the University of Valley Forge, a Christian college outside of Philadelphia. After her collegiate playing career, she rejoined the team as a graduate coaching assistant as she pursued a master's degree in organizational leadership. At the same time, Morrison worked as the women's discipleship coordinator at a nonprofit, Project Purpose, a faith-based ministry that works with low-income, at-risk youth in Pottstown.

Before being hired at Geneva College, Morrison spent a season as an assistant coach at Nicholls State University in southern Louisiana.

When the Geneva College coaching gig opened up, Morrison was eager to apply.

"My faith is super important to me," Morrison said. "Being at a school that values that is definitely a big positive. To work at Geneva you actually have to have a Statement of Faith. You quote unquote 'are required' to be a Christian in order to be employed there. Knowing that like everyone I was working with had a shared faith, it definitely made for a unique environment."

Geneva College was founded and is operated by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. Its 55-acre campus is 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and only a 15-minute drive from the Ohio border. It was founded in 1848 in Northwood, Ohio, southeast of Toledo. It's been located in Beaver Falls in Beaver County since 1880.

Not only does the college require employees and students to sign a seven-point Statement of Faith as Morrison noted, but it also requires that they adhere to a Statement of Conduct. The latter requires students to be "biblically principled," "abide by the wisdom of Scripture" and "avoid behavior that is in conflict with its teachings."

Among the specific acts forbidden under the Statement of Conduct are "sexual sins," including "premarital sex, cohabitation with a member of the opposite sex, rape, adultery and homosexual behavior."

Morrison, 25, has known she was gay since she was 12 or 13 years old. She came out to a friend during her freshman year of college. She's told her parents and other family members and close friends over the years, about 15 to 20 people in all. Two weeks ago, following her firing, Morrison came out on social media to everyone.

A 'Side-B Christian'

Morrison said her story is "incredibly personal," even apart from her firing, because it not only involves her sexual orientation but her faith.

"This is where I have to justify myself because it's difficult for people to wrap their minds around sometimes," she said.

Morrison considers herself a "Side B" Christian, a term that arose in the 1990s on a website where people discussed the morality of same-sex relationships. The term refers to people who acknowledge their gay identity but hold traditional religious beliefs that are non-affirming of same-sex relationships. On the other hand, "Side A" Christians hold religious views that homosexuality is not a sin and that God intentionally created queer people.

Morrison was "super aware" of Geneva College's stance on homosexuality and LGBTQ issues, she said.

"I was aware of that during the hiring process," Morrison said. "I was aware of that when I was offered the job and I was contemplating taking it. I was just really, really aware of that. Their statement on that is non-supportive of same-sex marriage. It's kind of like your conservative Christian statement that you would expect. This is where, unfortunately, this story is just incredibly personal.

"As a gay Christian, I believe that my relational path forward is pursuing singleness," she said. "I'm passionate about it. It is something, in my interpretation of scripture, that is challenging but I agree with. I knew that coming to Geneva I was in agreeance with that code of conduct piece. It's challenging for me. I'm not perfect, but I knew that I could live up to that."

Morrison said she told an assistant coach about her sexual orientation, but few others at the college. When one of her players approached that assistant to ask him if Morrison was gay, the assistant told the player to ask Morrison directly. She did. Not only did Morrison confirm that she was gay, but she also explained her religious beliefs on the issue. After that meeting, Morrison told Athletic Director Van Zanic, who then apparently notified Geneva College President Calvin L. Troup. That was last August. No one brought to Morrison any concerns until June.

The only other issue that came up, Morrison said, was when she requested permission from human resources to move in with two male colleagues who were looking for a roommate. Morrison, too, wanted a roommate to save money. She asked for an exception to the college's prohibition on people of the opposite sex cohabitating, explaining that she was gay and that there was nothing more than friendship between her and the two men she wanted to move in with. The college denied her request.

She thought the housing matter was over. She had accepted the decision. It wasn't long after that when Morrison received a meeting request from human resources titled "follow up."

That's when college administrators "blindsided" her with the two Instagram posts and fired her.

Morrison 'changed direction' of club

Assistant coach Dave Symmonds, 44, met Morrison when he interviewed for the job and accepted her offer because their coaching styles seemed to align.

"She did a great job and it was wonderful to coach with her," he said. "She has a good working knowledge of soccer. I think one of the things that makes her most effective as a coach, which I really appreciated, is she just does a great job of caring about players. That's such a big part of coaching and I think it's sometimes overlooked. We instantly hit it off in that regard."

Morrison appeared to be well-liked by both players, other students and colleagues, Symmonds said. Plus, she was a good coach.

"I feel like we really changed the direction of the club and Kelsey was certainly a huge part of that," he said. That's what makes it so challenging for me and I think a lot of other people. She put everything she had into that program and caring for those people."

Symmonds said Morrison confided in him about her sexuality and the challenges that the college's conduct policy posed. Both decided, though, that agreeing to work for Geneva College also meant agreeing to live by its rules.

Symmonds said there was never anything that raised a red flag about Morrison, either on or off the field.

There were a lot of aspects that Symmonds loved about working at Geneva College, including the students. However, if the college doesn't value LGBTQ people like Morrison it should say so, he said.

"My desire is that they will publicly stand behind what they're doing privately," Symmonds said.

Symmonds fielded calls from Morrison and the college within minutes of the June 2 meeting. Administrators asked him to remain with the program and help see it through the transition to a new head coach.

But a week later, after learning more about the reasons for Morrison's firing, Symmonds resigned.

"One of the biggest challenges I think for Kelsey certainly and other people that have also had to navigate this is the lack of people who will stand up for them," he said. "In private, a lot of people are like, 'Oh, that was terrible,' or 'We'll pray for you,' but in public when it's time to stand against those people or stand in a public forum and be like, 'This is not how Jesus would've treated people, this isn't right' people won't. They won't do that because they'll get fired. They'll get shamed. They'll get told their faith isn't strong. I knew for me that it would be disingenuous to who I was and to who I encouraged my players to be, to take that road and keep my job at the expense of not supporting somebody."

'Beloved Arise'

Morrison's firing is yet another example of a revived anti-LGBTQ movement sweeping the country in recent years. Groups like Moms for Liberty, which last month was deemed an "extremist" group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and other right-wing organizations have been protesting displays of pride flags in schools, banning LGBTQ-themed books, among others, from school libraries, and pushing for bans against trans-student athletes participating in sports programs that align with their preferred gender.

It's also an example of the thin line that Morrison and others have to toe being both devout in their faith and a member of the LGBTQ community.

Previous controversy: Not a joke: Incident at local college prompts conversation about racial terms

The Instagram posts that led to Morrison's firing from Geneva College include the handle for a group called Beloved Arise (@beloved_arise), which is a youth organization that "celebrates and empowers queer youth of faith."

Based in Seattle, Beloved Arise was launched on Feb. 14, 2020.

Founder Jun Love Young said that he stayed in the closet for decades because of the conservative Christian environment he grew up in.

Five years ago, Young, then 45, came out as gay.

"I decided I would no longer allow my religious beliefs to keep me from being honest with myself and with God and so I came out," Young told the USA Today Network. "When I did, I was faced with a lot of opposition from my faith communities. I was actually expelled from an organization, so I can relate a little bit to what Kelsey might be going through. I was told I was no longer qualified to serve as a leader in an organization, and that was a shock to me."

When Young left his church he became a lightning rod for others who had similar experiences, including students from his church. That's what inspired him to launch the national organization.

"It's one thing to marginalize adults like me, but I'm a grownup," Young said. " I have resources. I have communities. I can choose to move to a different church, but young people, in their teens, that's not easy to do."

The group provides programs, including one on leadership development, and scholarships for LGBTQ youth of faith. The aim is to amplify their voices so that the religious spaces they've been shunned from "do something different," he said.

"As we hear more and more young people speak up and embrace all of who they are I believe that churches will then realize that, 'Wait, we need to pay attention to this,' because, let's face it, religion in America is in trouble."

It's not just about filling churches, mosques, temples and other religious spaces, Young said.

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"People like Kelsey — I don't know her — but people like her who create space for conversation, for mutual respect are gifts to the world," Young said. "And I'd hate for Geneva to miss out on this gift or anyone else that they might kick out because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression."

Matthew Rink can be reached at mrink@timesnews.com or on Twitter at @ETNRink.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: PA Christian college fires gay coach for memes on valuing queer people