Team alleges Oakland City women's soccer coach 'forced to resign based on sexuality'
OAKLAND CITY, Ind. — Oakland City University women's soccer coach Katie Harrison resigned Wednesday following back-to-back appearances in the NCCAA national tournament, including a run to the championship match last fall.
Yet, players on the team allege the resignation pertains to institutional policies rather than on-field performance. A statement released via the team's Instagram account claims Harrison is “being forced to resign based on her sexuality.”
Oakland City University, the only General Baptist Church-affiliated college or university in the United States, has a "Life in Community" policy that was adopted in 2021 and includes a “statement on human sexuality.” This is what it says:
“We believe that human beings, male and female, are created in the image of God to flourish in community, and that intimate sexual relations are intended for persons in a marriage relationship between one man and one woman. We expect our university community to maintain relationships that align with this sexual ethic.”
The Life in Community Statement includes a non-discrimination policy but it does not have protections for sexual orientation. OCU is allowed to “prefer employees based on religion” because of exemptions granted in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
OCU women's soccer players claim that's "blatant discrimination."
“Our soccer coach is being forced to resign based on her sexuality," they wrote. "A woman who has caused no problems, been nothing but respectful towards the university, and put her heart, soul, and over a decade into building the soccer program we have today. We are shocked and angry with this new policy as our coaches (sic) has never been a factor regarding her job."
Players from the team declined to comment to the Courier & Press “out of respect for our coach.” Harrison has not responded to requests for comment, though OCU confirmed she resigned. It did not provide a reason.
“The University is not at liberty to discuss employment policies between employer and employee,” an OCU spokesperson wrote. “However, we can confirm that our Women’s Soccer Coach resigned today.”
Harrison had been the head coach since 2016 after spending two years as an assistant at her alma mater. She previously was a distinguished four-year player for the Oaks and was named captain for her senior season. She also played semi-professional soccer in England.
She and her wife, Megan, celebrated the birth of their daughter in January.
The statement released on the team's Instagram accuses OCU of doing “a remarkable job of rejecting their Christian values" and cites Matthew 22:37-39, in which Jesus says, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
"We are beyond thankful for Coach Katie Harrison for being such a huge part of our lives and such an amazing coach," the team wrote. "We will miss her greatly, and the soccer program will not be the same without her."
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Indiana soccer team says coach forced to resign based on her sexuality
