A professor at Calvin University was fired for officiating a queer wedding. Now teaching at Grand Valley State University, his civil rights lawsuit against Calvin awaits the Michigan Supreme Court.
Joseph Kuilema grew up in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). Naturally, he went to Calvin, just as his parents had. His siblings and future wife attended, and his father worked at the school.
When he returned to Calvin as a social work professor in 2008, the provost assured him his differing views on LGBTQ+ matters wouldn’t be an issue. According to Kuilema, Calvin at the time was a left-of-center space for discourse, a place he hoped to return to with his own education and experiences. While the CRC had considered homosexuality “incompatible” since 1973, Kuilema thought Calvin may become a Christian institution that affirmed queer people. Instead, the church and university experienced a hardline evangelical shift that upended the community and saw Kuilema terminated.
“That was not the Calvin (University) I grew up with,” Kuilema said.
In the 14 years Kuilema taught at Calvin, he came to be respected by students and colleagues, even being named Professor of the Year in 2019. However, Kuilema’s views frequently clashed with some, and a growing rift emerged between him and the Board of Trustees. A since-removed guest column in Calvin’s student newspaper about institutional racism landed Kuilema on Turning Point USA’s Professor Watchlist, and he argues his refusal to show a racist film resulted in retaliation from the university. He was denied tenure in 2018, and was instead placed on a series of two-year contracts.
In 2021, Kuilema officiated the wedding of Cole Sweda to long-time partner Annica. Sweda was a former undergraduate student working at a research center associated with the university. Kuilema believed the wedding would be a non-issue, as it was a secular ceremony done in his own time. Calvin University viewed things differently.
An unknown person sent photos of the wedding to the provost, and Kuilema was subsequently fired. Sweda was also summoned by the provost and questioned about the wedding, but was not fired. Later, the university announced it was severing ties with the research center as a whole.
The CRC elevated its position on same-sex relationships to a confessional issue during Synod 2022, the CRC’s annual decision-making meeting. Churches and office-bearers were told to either repent or leave the denomination. Many of Kuilema’s colleagues left the university following this and Calvin’s previous decisions.
Kuilema sued the university in 2023 for associational and retaliatory discrimination in violation of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA). Calvin asked to have the case resolved without a full trial, but was denied. Following a split decision in the Michigan Court of Appeals, Kuilema’s retaliation claim will wait until the Michigan Supreme Court reaches a decision on his associational discrimination claim. The Court could hear oral arguments as early as April.
Calvin reaffirmed their stance in a statement provided to the Lanthorn.
“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,” said Calvin Director of Communications John Zimmerman.
Calvin is being assisted by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, famous for representing Hobby Lobby in the landmark Supreme Court case which exempted corporations from covering contraceptives if they religiously objected.
Calvin argues they have First Amendment rights as a religious institution under the Ecclesiastical Abstention Doctrine that would bar Kuilema from suing. The appeals court sided with Calvin on this claim and further argued the ELCRA only has language barring discrimination because of sex, not because of association with others based on sex. However, Kuilema questions how religious protections can apply to secular activities.
“The question here is, do religious organizations have a blank check to discriminate or are religious organizations under the law?” Kuilema asked.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan argued in an amicus brief that the broad language of the law is the exact reason the ELCRA protects from associational discrimination, because it never specifies the individual. They further argue that the appeals court’s decision is in contradiction of itself, as previous rulings have protected against associational discrimination in cases involving interracial marriage. Kuilema hopes his case will hold sex-based discrimination to the same precedent.
“Calvin wants to make it about differences in religious beliefs, but at the end of the day, we exist in a nation with laws that are meant to protect vulnerable people,” Kuilema said.
Kuilema was hired by GVSU in 2022, and is now an assistant professor. He said it has been a refreshing change of pace, and expressed thanks that LGBTQ+ faculty and students are supported with campus resources.
“I have LGBTQ+ colleagues, something that cannot happen at Calvin, which I appreciate,” Kuilema said.
Kuilema and his family now attend a disaffiliated church, and he continues to support the LGBTQ+ community. He is disheartened by what he views as an increasing use of religion for ideological and political reasons, and asks religious institutions to be more transparent and welcoming. Addressing young queer people in West Michigan facing this environment, he stressed that no one should have to choose between faith and identity when considering an institution.
