Tag Archives: Christian College

Good news – Expelled Student Christian Minard is Accepted to Another School

An honor-roll student – Christian Minard was expelled from Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma after she married her partner woman is now enrolled at a different university in the same state.

Minard said in a post to Facebook Tuesday,

“Finally got into classes!! In the end this will all have worked out for the best! I now get to attend a university that is more than happy to have me there and has been extremely helpful towards me! Excited for this new beginning!”

Christian Minard

Adrienne Nobles, assistant vice president for university relations at the University of Central Oklahoma, confirmed Minard is enrolled in fall classes at the school in Edmond.

In a statement, Nobles said an adviser to her school’s Students Alliance for Equality organization

“We reached out to Ms. Minard via Facebook after reading (news coverage of Minard’s expulsion) to offer support and encouragement as a fellow lesbian who recently married her partner.”

Adrienne Nobles, Assistant Vice President, University of Central Oklahoma

Earlier this month, an administrator at Southwestern Christian University noted that he’d been told of Minard’s same-sex marriage and saw pictures of it posted to Facebook. Such a union is in apparent conflict with the “lifestyle covenant” of the university “that all students must agree and sign,” he added.

“As an American and a Christian, I do respect your choice. (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.”

Administrator, Southwestern Christian University

In an interview with CNN, Minard said she had received mixed reactions from the public, but said many people reached out to share their own stories.

“The LGBTQ community greatly reached out to me. Many of them had also attended religious universities and experienced problems. They connected with me and tried to help me in anyway they could.

The support I received from everyone was incredible and pushed me to move forward! The most important thing I’ve learned is to always stand up for what you believe in. 

It’s okay to not be accepted somewhere, there is somewhere else out there that will accept you and encourage you to be who you are.”

Christian Minard

Student Expelled from Christian College for Marrying her Female Partner

Christian Minard, a 22-year-old student has been expelled from an Oklahoma Christian college, because she broke the school’s “lifestyle covenant” by marrying her female partner.

RNS-STUDENT-EXPELLEDMinard attended Southwestern Christian University, which is affiliated with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. However, when an administrator saw the wedding pictures on Facebook of her marriage to her same-sex partner Kadyn Park earlier this year, the school initiated disciplinary proceedings.

Minard has now received a letter informing her she has been expelled from the college for breaking the school’s “lifestyle covenant”, which prohibits “homosexual behaviour”.

The letter from Brad Davis, the school’s vice president of student life, reads:

“I was informed that you recently married someone of the same sex and saw a few pictures from Facebook… 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. 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.”

Brad Davis, Vice President of Student Life

In response,  Minard told CNN:

“Students violate parts of that covenant all the time, but they don’t get expelled… I didn’t even get a hearing, just a letter to my parents. 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. Once I graduated, I was willing to go wherever life took me. I have a strong faith in God. And I believe you can still have faith in God and live a gay lifestyle.”

Christian Minard