Kelly Bardier and Jaci Pfeiffer were fired last month after their employers became aware of their relationship. The couple both worked at Aloma Methodist Early Childhood Learning Center in Winter Park Florida as daycare workers, Kelly for 8 months and Jaci for almost 2 years.

On March 18, School Director Barbara Twatchman confronted the couple after hearing rumors of their relationship. When the women confessed that they were dating, Twatchman gave them an ultimatum:

“We were called into the director’s office and told that if we chose to continue living a life of sin, we would be terminated but if we decided not to be gay anymore, we could keep our jobs,“ Bardier told me in an email. They had no prior marks against them.

The two didn’t work together in an official capacity, Barier told me. They drove to work together and every now and then assisted in some of the projects in each other’s classroom but that was the extent of their work relationship.

“I said, ‘Can I get fired for this?’ [Barbara Twatchman] said, ‘Yes,’ and I was surprised,” Pfeiffer told the Orlando Sentinel.

But that’s not entirely true.

Yes, it’s legal in 29 states, including Florida, to fire someone on the basis of their sexual orientation. (In 33 states, it’s legal for someone to be fired on the basis of their gender identity.) Yet, while Florida has no state-wide protection on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, Orange County, where Winter Park is located, has a human rights ordinance which does prohibit someone being fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity. This ordinance could allow Pfeiffer and Bardier to file a legal suit, something they are considering.

Successful legal action would depend on how Aloma categorizes themselves to the government. More importantly, if Aloma identifies their employees as “ministers” as many religious schools do. This could allow for Aloma to legally discriminate, even protections under the civil rights laws, on the basis of religious freedom.

Defenders of the school, which is run by Aloma United Methodist Church, argue that religious organizations have the right to dismiss employees who violate their religious doctrines. That right is protected by the First Amendment’s free exercise of religion clause, said Mat Staver.

Staver, of course, has a history of anti-LGBT statements. Most recently he supported breaking the law himself saying there was “no choice” but to disobey a pro marriage equality ruling from the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, we’ll only find out if Aloma can legally justify their employees as “ministers” with a civil suit. If a suit is filed, Aloma will have to argue that their employees are ministerial aids and that their same-sex relationship violated their faith. Something that could be hard to do as the United Methodist Church publicly supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

In an email to the parents of children at Aloma,  Twatchmen said Pfeiffer “has been a wonderful teacher and I have told her that she is very gifted with the children. I am very sad that she is leaving.”

Twatchman’s email to parents leaves unanswered questions. If Pfeiffer was such a wonderful teacher why was she fired? How exactly does Pfeiffer’s sexual orientation conflict with her duties as a daycare worker?

The firing goes directly against a UMC resolution that condemns “actions rooted in homophobia and heterosexism, including violence, threats, ridicule, humiliation, discrimination, isolation, and rejection.”

“We never flaunted it or even held hands at school or anything like that, so they never even knew anything,” Pfeiffer told a local news station. “We didn’t hide it, but we never flaunted.”

As news of their firing has circulated, the United Methodist church released a supportive statement saying they believe any “termination based solely on sexual orientation would violate a person’s civil rights.”

Reconciling Ministries Network, an LGBT affirming organization working within the United Methodist church for full inclusion, has also released a statement. Executive director Matt Berryman called on United Methodists to speak out against this discrimination.

“When others are being harmed in the name of God, our baptismal identities require we speak up, we stand up, and we practice the Gospel values of justice and love. As United Methodists who earnestly strive to honor the sacrament of baptism and its life-long claim on our lives, we ask you to join us in wading into the waters that do not settle for our standing idly by while fellow children of God are discriminated against.”

Pfeiffer and Bardier are Christian women and good daycare workers. They loved their work and were committed to taking care of the children. In fact, what bothers them most is not them losing a job but losing the relationships they built with the kids.

Not only did Aloma discriminate against these women solely on the basis of their sexual orientation but they are also denying the children access to loving daycare workers.

As they’ve prioritized sexuality politics over the care for children — I would say it is the Aloma administration unfit to care for children.

During the investigation of this piece Aloma Early Childhood Learning Center deactivated their Facebook page and twitter accounts. They did not respond to multiple emails and phone calls in request for comment.