You would think a 24-year-old rising American soccer player would be jumping at the chance to show the US women’s national team coaches what she can do.
That’s what made defender Jaelene Hinkle’s decision to pull herself from the roster for the team’s two international friendlies this week so startling. Hinkle cited “personal reasons” for withdrawing, US Soccer announced in a press release Tuesday, but many have since speculated the federation’s plans to honor LGBTQ month with specially designed rainbow-numbered jerseys played a part in her exit.
Hinkle, who plays for the National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage, has not shied away from expressing her staunch conservative and religious views. Hours after the Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 ruling in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide, the Denver, Colo., native hinted at her disapproval in a tweet showcasing her Christian beliefs.
Hinkle made her feelings against same-sex marriage clearer in a separate social media message that day.
“I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true,” she wrote in the Instagram caption alongside an image of a cross. “It’s not a fictional book. It’s not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don’t. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.
“My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving. That through our love, the lost, rejected, and abandoned find Christ. The rainbow was a convent made between God and all his creation that never again would the world be flooded as it was when He destroyed the world during Noah’s time.”
US Soccer announced in May it would recognize the LGBTQ community in the month of June by customizing jerseys for its men’s and women’s national teams to wear during their respective friendlies. The American women will sport the shirts, which feature rainbow-colored numbers and the word “Pride” in place of the players’ last names, against Sweden on Thursday and Norway on Sunday.
Hinkle has made eight appearances with the senior national team with her first call-up coming in 2015 against Brazil. Head coach Jill Ellis is not planning to replace Hinkle on the roster since her withdrawal came just two days before the team’s first game.
Hinkle’s teammate, talented 24-year-old forward Lynn Williams, was called up on Friday to fill in for Alex Morgan, who is sidelined with an injury along with midfielder Morgan Brian.
