A member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team says a fellow soccer player didn’t make the team because of her stance on homosexuality.
U.S. women’s team goalie Ashlyn Harris on Tuesday criticized Jaelene Hinkle, a soccer player for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League who has been outspoken about her Christian faith.
In 2017, Hinkle declined a spot on the U.S. women’s national soccer team because the team was requiring players to wear LGBTQ Pride Month jerseys. Her Twitter bio lists a Bible verse, Colossians 3:22. Her Instagram bio says she’s a “Daughter of Christ.”
Although Hinkle received an invitation to the 2017 team, she did not make this year’s team that won the World Cup. Hinkle hasn’t commented on her absence, but Harris nevertheless took to Twitter to speak out by referencing a tweet from an unrelated person, Obianuju Ekeocha, who tweeted that the U.S. team “is not a very welcoming place for Christians” because of its exclusion of Hinkle.
Jaelene Hinkle, is the 26-year-old American footballer who gave up the opportunity to be in the USWNT.
— Obianuju Ekeocha (@obianuju) July 14, 2019
I was very curious to know what happened so I went in search of her interview with CBN.
Apparently, the US women’s Football team is not a very welcoming place for Christians. pic.twitter.com/iWXrG4Dkcw
“Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together,” wrote Harris, who is engaged to women’s soccer player Ali Krieger.
Hinkle, our team is about inclusion. Your religion was never the problem. The problem is your intolerance and you are homophobic. You don’t belong in a sport that aims to unite and bring people together. You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. https://t.co/XmzKIB88UV
— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) July 15, 2019
“You would never fit into our pack or what this team stands for. Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians’. You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team. S[h]ame on you.”
Don’t you dare say our team is ‘not a welcoming place for Christians’. You weren’t around long enough to know what this team stood for. This is actually an insult to the Christians on our team. Same on you.
— Ashlyn Harris (@Ashlyn_Harris) July 15, 2019
Ekeocha referenced a CBN interview in which Hinkle said the LGBTQ Pride jerseys conflicted with her Christian faith.
Hinkle sensed God telling her to decline the spot on the 2017 team, she said.
“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn't my job to wear this jersey,” she told CBN. “I gave myself three days to just seek and pray and determine what He [God] was asking me to do in this situation.”
Playing on the national team, she said, was a life-long goal. Declining a spot was difficult but the right decision, she said.
“I don’t question [God’s] goodness,” she said. “I know He’s faithful. If I never get a national team call-up again, that’s just part of his plan, and that’s OK. And maybe this was why you were meant to play soccer – just to show the believers to be obedient.”
Hinkle’s Courage team won the National Women's Soccer League championship in 2018.
Related:
Did Jaelene Hinkle's Christian Beliefs Prevent USA’s Best Left Back from Playing in the World Cup?
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Mike Lawrie/Staff
