The letter has received hundreds of signatures from students, alumni, parents, and staff.

Following the walkout protest staged by 50 Valor students on Tuesday afternoon, current and former Valor Christian High School students, parents, and staff have now put together an open letter directed towards Valor Christian Leadership. The letter has received more than 600 signatures thus far.

The walkout protest and open letter are in support of two former coaches—Inoke Tonga and Lauren Benner—who were pressured to resign from the school over their sexual orientation.

The open letter states, "The Valor alumni community is deeply concerned with recent news of the forced resignations of Inoke Tonga and Lauren Benner over their sexual orientation. News of this reprehensible action has been accompanied by an outpouring of testimonies from current and former students about a culture of bullying, harassment, and abuse that has been facilitated and even perpetrated by Valor faculty, staff, and leadership against its LGBTQ+ community.

"After repeated failed efforts by Valor alumni to gain a meeting or even a phone conversation to make our voices heard and open the door for positive change, the Valor alumni community has decided to issue this condemnatory letter to Valor Christian High School. Valor’s actions towards its LGBTQ community do not reflect the love or teachings of Christ, but rather claim the love of Jesus to administer mental and emotional abuse as a means of ‘salvation.’"

Read the entire open letter from Valor Christian students and alumni here.

In a statement obtained by The Denver Post, the school said, "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."

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Kristina Shriver
Associate Director of Our Community Now. When not writing or reading, Kristina likes to dance like no one is watching and enjoys speaking in vague movie references/quotes, which only a select few in her circle truly understand. A huge nerd, she loves attending comic book conventions (in costume, of course!) and engaging in geek-fueled conversations with anyone who is willing to listen to her ramble. She also dedicates her spare time to supporting various mental health organizations.
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