The following testimony was given by a member of Integrity's volunteer team, during a committee hearing on a resolution calling on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
My name is Jonathan York, from the Diocese of North Carolina – here with the Young Adult Festival at General Convention. I am a sophomore at Duke University, and as an out and proud gay man who would one day like to get married, I rise to speak in favor of this resolution.
Presently, the federal government only recognizes marriage between one man and one woman. Because of DOMA, when I get married, though my marriage may be considered perfectly legal by my state, in the eyes of the federal government my husband and I will be treated as total strangers – and over 1100 federal benefits and privileges will be withheld from us. The federal government is openly practicing a system of discrimination in which same-gender couples are treated as second-class citizens,
This Church, as the Body of Christ, has a duty to oppose any system such as DOMA which does not seek and serve the image of Christ in all people. Bishop Gene Robinson once said, “God is calling on you to change a system that tells people they are not worthy of God’s love.” I believe that God is still calling on the Church to stand up for all those who are oppressed - after all, if the Body of Christ is silent in the face of oppression, who can we expect to speak up? So, I ask that this General Convention fulfill our baptismal promise to protect the dignity of every human being, and call for the United States government to change this system of discrimination under the law.
My name is Jonathan York, from the Diocese of North Carolina – here with the Young Adult Festival at General Convention. I am a sophomore at Duke University, and as an out and proud gay man who would one day like to get married, I rise to speak in favor of this resolution.
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| Jonathan York testifies on DOMA repeal |
This Church, as the Body of Christ, has a duty to oppose any system such as DOMA which does not seek and serve the image of Christ in all people. Bishop Gene Robinson once said, “God is calling on you to change a system that tells people they are not worthy of God’s love.” I believe that God is still calling on the Church to stand up for all those who are oppressed - after all, if the Body of Christ is silent in the face of oppression, who can we expect to speak up? So, I ask that this General Convention fulfill our baptismal promise to protect the dignity of every human being, and call for the United States government to change this system of discrimination under the law.
Wonderful, wonderful testimony Jonathan.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Woodall+