It is has been an incredible sixteen
months for LGBTQ people since The Episcopal Church's last General
Convention. We have a same-sexmarriage rite, canon law protecting the
inclusion of transgender and non-binary people in the Church, and a
strong position against bullying in our schools. In the secular world
we have not only seen states like California and New Jersey get the
freedom to marry; we have actually seen DOMA struck down and some of
our brothers and sisters enjoy full federal marriage benefits. With
all of these victories it can sometimes feel like our work is over.
The fact is, though, it isn't.
Nearly 70% of Americans still live in
states without the freedom to marry, with more than half of states
having constitutional amendments banning same gender marriage. LGBTQ
people are still used by many politicians as a wedge issue, vilifying
us to shore up their own political power. At the so-called Values
Voter Summit, former Governor Mike Huckabee was perfectly happy to
attack queer children simply to advance his political goals.
Gay, lesbian, bi, and transgender
people still face poverty at significantly higher rates than
heterosexual people. Violence against LGBTQ people is still a
constant threat for many. In the New York area alone there have been
five anti-gay and trans* murders in past few months.
Within the Church, despite the amazing
steps forward that we have taken, there are still diocese and
parishes where gay and trans* people do not feel fully understood or
welcomed. There are still people within our Church who feel that they
may not be allowed to follow God's call to ministry in their lives
for the simply reason of who they love or their gender identity.
Outside the Church there are many
people, both LGBTQ and straight allies, who can't imagine finding a
home in Christianity because of their fear of homophobia and
transphobia from the Church.
Integrity is continuing to do the work
of the Gospel to stand up against that, to continue helping the
Church move forward towards a Christ-like love and inclusion of all
people. Through our Believe Out Loud workshops we are helping
Episcopalians not only to love LGBTQ people and to welcome them into
their congregational home, but to give Episcopalians the language to
tell their own stories of celebrations and acceptance.
Our Believe Out Loud program gives
parishes the opportunity to announce their love for LGBTQ people to
the world, to invite the people in their neighborhoods to a loving,
welcoming community
Our chapters are doing the work of
addressing local challenges, working on freedom to marry campaigns,
working on LGBTQ nondiscrimination campaigns, working to end
anti-LGBTQ violence in their communities.
And national leaders continue to work
to change Episcopal policy and practice to make the Episcopal Church
a sanctuary for all the people of God.
We are in a time where we see
incredible change. More than that, we see the potential for even
greater change. It is up to us as followers of Christ to see how far
towards the kingdom of God we can push our world. If you agree that
we still have work to do, please consider supporting the Integrity as
we open the Episcopal Church to all of God's beloved. You can simply
visit our donation site at:
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/integrityusaWe
are deeply greatful for anything you can spare to further our
work.
Thank you for your support,
Vivian Taylor
Executive Director, Integrity USA
