All In: UAlbany soccer goalie finds her voice advocating for LGBTQ – Times Union

Her family and the Catholic Church acknowledge Alana Chen participated in seven years of “pastoral counseling” from a priest, according to the foundation’s website and news reports. The family blames conversion therapy and religious abuse for her death. 

The Chens, from Colorado, are thankful for the years of support from the UAlbany women’s soccer and athletic department family. The team held two fundraisers — called the Run for Alana — to support the foundation. 

Head coach Leigh Howard was instrumental in organizing the benefit run, which in May also included athletes from other women’s soccer teams and universities, including Temple University in Philadelphia and Marist College, Howard’s previous team before joining UAlbany as head coach in 2020. The event raised $3,500 for the organization. 

“Huge kudos to my coach because it was hard for me to even want to do anything,” Chen said. “It turned out to be a very big event and it really showed all the love in my community and all the love in my life.” 

Chen says she and her family members have mixed feelings speaking publicly about their sister’s death, struggling with imposter syndrome and being “too showy” on social media.  But whenever they learn the foundation has helped LGBTQ  people with struggles related to their sexual identities, the mission proves its worthiness. 

“I think it really has helped a lot of people I know come to terms with their own sexuality and also my own as well. My story is very eye-opening for many,” Sophia Chen said.

The foundation also is an extension of Alana Chen’s life dedicated to helping others. She was a youth group leader who led Bible studies and helped those experiencing homelessness in the Boulder area. As a writer who kept journals and a poet, Chen described her depression and her desire to help others who faced similar battles. She expressed a desire to be a therapist. 

The Catholic Church in Colorado denies the priest used conversion therapy on her sister. But the website details her story: Alana Chen was extremely active in her church and told her family she “confessed” to a trusted priest when she was 14 years old that she thought she was attracted to women. 

That priest told Alana that being gay, having “impure thoughts,” and acting out on those desires were “mortal sins,” the foundation website states. In the Catholic Church, a mortal sin is telling someone they would go to hell. News reports cite Catholic Church authorities acknowledging the priest’s relationship with the young girl in an email. The priest described homosexual acts as mortal sins in a post on his personal blog in August, the Denver Post reported. 

The priest told her not to tell her parents or anyone else that she was attracted to women because if she did, her family would accept her and she then wouldn’t have an incentive to change, her mother, Joyce Calvo-Chen, told the Post. The priest is still in good standing, the Post reported in January of 2020, and is pursuing life as a diocesan hermit, a non-parish assignment. 

“People in my life, hearing my sister’s story, they are like, ‘Wow,’ said Chen. “And I think one thing that I kind of forget sometimes is that it’s still really recent for me. I forget that I still need to take care of myself.” 

The Pride game Sunday against America East rival Maine will be held at 2 p.m. at Casey Stadium. The Pride activities are an extension of the America East program called Spread Respect, a series of conversations about diversity and inclusion. Cleats worn on Sunday will be adorned with rainbow shoelaces. The school’s LGBTQ support organizations are invited to attend the game and provide information booths. 

“Our goal is to use our platform in a variety of ways to show support for the cause and continue the conversations we’ve already started,” said Howard. “We are putting together a video to show why certain members of our program play with Pride. Whether it’s they themselves who are part of the Pride community or they play for a family member. We do this to tell the story of Alana and the stories of many, many others whose lives are impacted by the pressures of our society and the feeling as though they don’t belong.”

In an Instagram chat during Pride month in June, Chen specifically talked about the struggles faced by trans women as a result of legislation barring young trans girls from athletic competition.

“It’s important to include the “T” in LGBTQ in our activism and we have to focus on the community that is getting hurt the most,” she said. “It’s important that we show our support for them right now because they are the ones that need it the most right now.” 

Chen used her fifth year of eligibility to return to UAlbany for a final semester. She majored in human biology and is “figuring out what to do next.” She’s not ready at this point for intense medical study, which was her original plan. “I’m going to live my younger 20s and explore life,” she said, adding that she is especially glad she took a Chinese language course this year. 

“I know I’m really wanting to travel, who knows I may end up in Asia,” she said, adding that her grandmother is fluent in Chinese. She also said working and living in California is high on her list of possible future destinations. 

But she has one last soccer season to finish. Sophia has now started 33 games in goal for UAlbany.  Her best year statistically was in 2019 when she played in 15 games, all starts, as a junior with a 1.14 goals-against average and 64 saves. This season her playing time has been limited recently, but as captain she has a vital role in helping get the squad back on track. The team’s rough nonconference schedule has prepared it to make a bid to qualify for the America East conference tournament. The team is 1-5-4 overall and 0-1-2 in conference play, coming off ties with New Hampshire and Hartford, earning some crucial conference points. The team has played three straight double-overtime ties (Siena, New Hampshire, Hartford).

“I have full confidence that we can turn this around,” Chen said. “Coach stresses to us a lot that we’ve grown together during COVID and have learned to overcome disappointments. This team has it in them to rise above these losses starting the season.” 

One thing is for sure, no matter what happens, Chen has found a second family as a Great Dane.

“I think back to my freshman year and getting out of my car and thinking, what is this place?” she said of UAlbany. “I’ve grown to like it a lot. I’ve met some amazing people through this experience and I’m glad I stuck it out here. The school and the America East conference are always willing to stand up for people and social justice. You don’t find that everywhere so it’s been extremely awesome for me.”

“For me personally, my teammates and coaches have always had my back,” she said. “My sister always said you have a powerful and beautiful voice. And it’s important to use it.”

She’s learned to use that voice. 

Joyceb10bassett@gmail.com • @joyceb10bassett • timesunion.com/author/joyce-bassett

#womenworthwatching


* This column is sponsored by Times Union Women@Work, the Capital Region’s network of business and professional women. Join today at: https://womenatworkny.com