Belmont University: It's Christian To Fire Gay People From Their Jobs?

It's been less than a week since Belmont University, a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, made headlines for allegedly removing a well-respected women's soccer coach because the coach wanted to start a family with her same-sex partner. Current students at the school, as well as several graduates, have come together to take the university to task for removing a coach who was beloved by her players, solely because of her sexual orientation. And though the University has allowed students to demonstrate and speak up on behalf of the terminated coach, university officials remain adamant that firing an employee because of her/his sexual orientation fits their definition of Christian values.

How sad.

This past weekend, despite cold temperatures and a time in the semester when students are usually distracted by finals, folks gathered on a busy street corner to demand justice for the coach who was fired, and a change at Belmont University to truly value LGBT students and employees. The demonstration was organized by a 2009 graduate, Guy Farmer.

"Belmont will say they didn't fire her. They'll say she resigned, but it wasn't mutual and we all know that," said Farmer. "She was fired because she was a lesbian, and that's a human rights violation. I don't want to be part of a university that does that. I want to be part of university that can grow from that."

And that's probably the most inspiring thing to come out of this fracas. Instead of condoning the actions of Belmont University -- which had already made waves earlier this year by refusing to allow a gay Christian group to meet on campus, and going so far as to call gay Christians "disruptive" -- students, community members and graduates have been out in droves blasting the school for taking Christianity and making it synonymous with discrimination.

The Nashville Scene also brings us some wise words (courtesy of the Chronicle of Higher Education), where a local Christian woman takes the school to task for firing an employee with a baby on the way. How is that something that reflects not only the spirit of 'loving your neighbor,' but also the spirit of Christmas?

"When I saw this headline on the news yesterday morning my heart just sank for that poor woman who has wrongly lost her job at Belmont just when she and her partner are expecting a baby, needing to buy everything you need for a baby, and it’s just before Christmas," the commenter wrote. "It seems to me that these people at Belmont have lost sight of what Jesus stood for."

Seriously, there is something tragically ironic about removing a beloved coach during the holidays, when she's expecting a baby and getting ready to raise a family. It's like a 21st century version of "No room at the inn."

Here at Change.org, more than 1,000 people have emailed Belmont University, taking them to task for this decision. The national reputation that Belmont is cultivating, at least as an administration, does not look good. You've got administrators trying to hide gay students by not welcoming them to the table of campus groups, and now you've got administrators removing a soccer coach -- a coach who helped the team win a championship in 2009 -- because they don't like the person she decided to start a family with.

Bravo to the students, graduates and community members who have spoken out about Belmont's gaffes. Can the University change? Well, 'tis the season for miracles, as they say. Keep the pressure going.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons