GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A lawsuit against Calvin University filed by a former professor who claims his civil rights were violated in his firing will soon go before the Michigan Supreme Court.
In 2022, Calvin and its broader denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, were at a crossroads with sexuality.
For Joe Kuilema, it was personal.
That summer, the social work professor was fired from the university for officiating a same-sex wedding. The non-religious, off-campus ceremony had happened a year prior and one of those wed was a former undergraduate student who worked at a research center associated with Calvin.
Two months prior to his departure, the CRC had also codified its belief that same-sex relationships were sinful, a landmark ruling that has since led a number of Grand Rapids churches to disaffiliate from the denomination.
Grand Rapids
'We're a divided culture': Grand Rapids churches leaving the CRC over sexuality
Nearly a year later, Kuilema sued for associational and retaliatory discrimination.
"Calvin wants to position my lawsuit as about doctrine, and I think it's really about discrimination," he said. "The denomination didn't make this a confessional issue until after I was fired."
While a lower court has since allowed the retaliatory claim to be argued, the merit of the associational claim, after an appeal by Kuilema, will now go before the Michigan Supreme Court.
Here, the Kuilema argues he was discriminated against on the basis of sex — a civil right protected by Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act — by way of his association with the same-sex couple whose wedding he officiated.
"I think, at the state level, we have an opportunity to declare that we think LGBTQ rights are human rights," he said. "You can't discriminate on the basis of sex just because you said God told you to do so."
The American Civil Liberties Union Fund of Michigan has also filed an amicus brief in support of Kuilema, with a number of other groups adding their signatures to the document. These include the Michigan Association for Justice, Equality Michigan, the Grand Rapids Pride Center and Affirmations Community Center.
In a statement, Calvin University Director of Communications John Zimmerman commented on the lawsuit's progression to the state's highest court.
"The Calvin University community has been well served throughout its 150-year history by having diverse viewpoints among its faculty," Zimmerman said. "While there is room for personal disagreement with CRC doctrine, the university has clear expectations for employees regarding teaching, scholarship, and personal conduct, and follows established processes to review alleged violations of those expectations and to determine appropriate responses."
Grand Rapids
'We're a divided culture': Grand Rapids churches leaving the CRC over sexuality
Now a professor at Grand Valley State University's School of Social Work, Kuilema says he still loves the Christian Reformed Church, though he believes the denomination's decisions are "squandering a really beautiful tradition."
"There's a debate today about how to disagree with people and whether there's room for disagreement," he said, adding the CRC had "shut the door" on the possibility.
"I think that's an unfortunate position to take."
