A high school volleyball coach in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, was forced to resign after faculty members found out he was gay.
Inoke Tonga says when faculty at Valor Christian High School found out he was gay through social media, they called him in for a meeting to express their concerns about his sexuality and how it could affect the students.
“I sat in the room being grilled about how being gay is a ‘danger to the school and the kids,” Tonga wrote on Instagram. “That with me ‘identifying as a gay man, they can’t put the kids at risk of having me in front of them.”
“One of them even said, ‘I don’t want to seem like I’m hanging a coaching position over your head to ‘convert’ you, but we just can’t have you in front of the kids if you identify that way.’ The other followed by saying ‘and we will make an email for you to send out and make sure that it states that you are away for personal matters, so that way when you make your decision to accept God and our help, you can come back, and they don’t have to know of your spiritual battle.'”
Tonga was given an ultimatum: either resign or denounce his sexuality.
“I was not going to ‘denounce identifying as a gay man,’ which according to them would lead to me being released as a coach.”
“Yes, I choose not to denounce my sexuality, but they left out the part where they pushed me out,” Tonga said.
After hearing the news, 50 students walked out of the classroom in protest against Tonga’s resignation. Students held pride flags and signs with supportive messages to show their allegiance to the coach.
“I am disappointed and disgusted by this, but not surprised,” Cole Watson, a former Valor Christian High School student, said to The Post.
Tonga is not the only sports coach to be pushed out of the high school. Lauren Benner, a former Lacrosse coach, was removed from her position because of her sexuality. Benner said Tonga inspired her to share her experience.
“It was the most cherished coaching role I ever had,” Benner said. “I can’t tell you the joy those girls and their families brought me.”
“My stomach dropped,” Benner wrote in an Instagram post. I was still on a journey of self-discovery, and so for someone, an employer nonetheless, to spontaneously ask me about my sexuality and dating life felt beyond violating.”
“I was bombarded with ignorant and irrelevant statements like ‘gay marriages don’t last’ and ‘God made man and woman for the sole purpose of procreation,'” Benner wrote. “One of them even compared his belief that acting on same-sex desires is a perversion.”
Valor Christian School issued a statement to The Post in response to Tonga’s claims.
“Valor Christian High School embraces, loves, and respects all students, families, and other participants in our community, regardless of whether or not they agree with Valor’s beliefs. Although Coach Inoke has misrepresented many aspects of this matter, Valor appreciates the contributions he has made to the student-athletes in our volleyball program, and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
“I will NEVER tell an athlete or other student of mine that they can only be an accepted child of God if they deny who God made them be by denouncing their sexuality,” Benner wrote. “God loves every one of his children exactly as they are, and that is true for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
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