Former Calvin professor sues university under Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act

By Lauren Edwards

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    GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (WXYZ) — In August 2022, social work professor Joseph Kuilema packed up his belongings and walked off of Calvin University’s campus in Grand Rapids.

He had been terminated after officiating an LGBTQ wedding, Kuilema claims.

Tuesday, he filed a lawsuit against the college under the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, stating the university violated his civil rights when they let him go.

“I think it’s a big relief to finally be able to talk more openly about what happened between me and Calvin,” Kuilema said during an interview with FOX 17, WXYZ’s Grand Rapids sister station, at the law offices of Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge. “I’ve been working internally at Calvin on issues of discrimination towards students of color and LGBTQ students since 2015. And now that the internal work is becoming a little more public, I’m excited for that.”

Kuilema began working at Calvin University in 2008. In the lawsuit, he said he was repeatedly praised for his teaching and advising of the students in the social work program. He was consistently reappointed and was even recommended for tenure.

Additionally, he fought for inclusivity. The lawsuit states:

“Over the course of his career, Kuilema addressed the CRC’s perspective on certain issues. However, in these situations, Kuilema did not teach the CRC’s perspective in a way which furthered its influence on students. Rather he was bluntly honest and vocal with his students, fellow faculty and fellow Calvin Community members whenever he disagreed with CRC’s position, particularly in regard to its position regarding LGBTQ+ persons.” He believed in inclusivity so much that when a former student asked him to officiate their wedding, he agreed.

“It was a non-religious wedding. I did it on my own time. It had nothing to do with Calvin. It had nothing to do with Christianity,” Kuilema recalled.

It wasn’t a decision he took lightly.

“This was an LGBTQ couple, who reached out to someone they loved and respected and said ‘Hey would you be the one to officiate for us?’ And I thought about that. I consulted with people. I thought about what I would eventually say to my own children about what I had done at this point in history. And there was no way that I was going to say no to them.”

He officiated the wedding in October 2021, he said.

In June 2022, Kuilema was notified by the school that they were not renewing his reappointment to teach, he said. In August of that year, he left and never returned.

“It was heartbreaking,” Kuilema said. “I’m a Calvin (alumnus). I went to Calvin. I worked there for 14 years. I’ve grown up in that community. To have that community say ‘No, you don’t belong here’ was tremendously painful.”

Kuilema said he believes that Calvin violated his civil rights. The lawsuit states:

“Kuilema’s decision to officiate a civil marriage ceremony was not contrary to the official position of the CRC, because the report on human sexuality about confessional status concerned sex, not marriage. Further the topic of sex between persons of the same gender had not even been voted on by the Synod yet.” During the summer of 2022, the Synod, the school’s governing body, voted to codify homosexual sex as a sin. It was thus deemed intolerable in their church’s eyes.

This March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer voted to expand the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to include LGBTQ protections.

After filing the lawsuit, Kuilema ultimately hopes the university will be held accountable and become inclusive of its LGBTQ students, faculty and staff.

“I have a lot of former colleagues doing great work there. A lot of them actually agree with me about these issues,” Kuilema said. “I got caught sort of practicing what we preach, walking the talk. They did not. But I hope that that work will continue at Calvin. I really do.”

FOX 17 reached out to Calvin University and was provided this statement:

“The Calvin University community has been well served throughout its 150-year history by having diverse viewpoints among its faculty. The university’s denomination, the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), has recognized and supported this diversity of viewpoints, endorsing the university’s approach to confessional commitment and academic freedom. 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. We are confident those processes were followed in this case and plan to defend this lawsuit in court. At this time, the university has no further comment on active litigation.”

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