Southwestern Christian University in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma has expelled a female student because she
married another woman.
Christian Minard, 22, and Kadyn Parks
married on March 17 in New Mexico, one of the 19 states, in addition
to the District of Columbia, where gay couples are allowed to marry.
Southwestern's lifestyle covenant
forbids “homosexual behavior.”
“Students violate parts of [the
school's] covenant all the time, but they don't get expelled,”
Minard told Religious
News Service. “I didn't even get a hearing, just a letter to
my parents.”
“As an American and a Christian, I do
respect your choice,” Brad Davis, vice president of student life,
wrote in the letter dated June 9. “[But] I have to uphold the
Lifestyle Covenant at SCU and confront you with our position. Due to
this recent event, you will not be able to attend SCU in the future.”
Minard was one semester away from
graduating with a degree in sports management from Southwestern,
which is affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness
Church.
“I have a strong faith in God,”
Minard, a Lutheran, told
CNN. “And I believe you can still have faith in God and live a
gay lifestyle.”
The expulsion forces Minard to change
her plans, she told Religious News Service.
“There isn't a similar program at an
area university, so I'd have to change my program of study. And
being one semester from graduation means I have taken all my
electives. I'll lose all those credits if I transfer.”