Posts Tagged ‘Religious Exemptions’
Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley: LGBT Church Worker Firings “Need to be Rectified”
In a one-to-one conversation following a public speaking engagement, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the firing of church workers because of LGBT issues is a situation that “needs to be rectified,” becoming the first prelate to speak against this trend. Earlier in the evening, the cardinal publicly spoke positively of the need to include and minister to the…
Read MoreA Catholic Lesbian Mother’s Reaction To The Discriminatory ‘Inclusion Act’
Sometimes the personal truly is political. Today, I read a letter sent by three Catholic bishops to U.S. lawmakers. The letter endorses a bill that would allow publicly funded child welfare agencies to refuse to place children for foster care and adoption with same-sex couples due to “their religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The letter…
Read MoreThe Catholic Case Against Religious Exemptions
In post-Hobby Lobby America, the question of whether religious exemptions should be included in laws prohibiting employment discrimination against LGBT people has increased in complexity. It used to be that religious leaders and lawmakers could strike a comfortable balance of protecting faith groups’ rights to self-determination and LGBT people’s rights to equal opportunity. But the Supreme…
Read MoreOperating Like Jesus: Discrimination Is Not A Christian Value
It’s no wonder that my LGBT friends have often questioned my sanity when I have talked about my Christian faith. They were even more surprised when I eventually decided to go to seminary. Why would I want to be part of a religion that has caused LGBT people so much pain, and that has contributed…
Read MoreWalking With God: Meeting My Hipster Pastor On The Streets Of Brooklyn
I went for a long walk recently. I woke up early, and I was all ready to be idle in front of the computer for hours when I heard a voice say, “Get out, it’s beautiful.” This winter was brutal, and I could’ve paid my rent for a few months if I had a dollar…
Read MoreIs Religious Freedom For Everyone?
Tony Perkins (above), president of the Family Research Council and frequently-booked anti-LGBT extremist pundit, recently announced that unless you are an orthodox Christian, then you are not entitled to religious freedom. Furthermore, he claims that you can only be considered an orthodox Christian if you do not believe in LGBT equality. So, in short, religious freedom…
Read MoreWhen ‘Non-Denominational’ Really Means ‘Homophobic’
Because I didn’t know how to tell her, my mother was one of the last people I came out to, but it’s funny—she’s always been the first to have my back. My mother would never let anyone shame her son—even her own church. Not now, not ever. That unwavering support was demonstrated yet again last…
Read MoreCatholic School Contracts Are Unfair To LGBT Community
About a century ago, Catholic job-seekers were routinely confronted with signs reading, “No Catholics need apply.” Now, it seems administrators in some Catholic schools are prepared to post signs that say, “No gay people need apply.” LGBT people have worked for the Catholic Church probably for as long as the church has been around. For…
Read MoreBanned: A Prayer For St. Patrick’s Day
By now many of you will have heard that the organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston and New York have banned LGBTQ folks from marching “openly” in the event. I’m not sure if this would please Patrick one bit. When he brought the Irish nation to Christ, I do not remember any reference…
Read MoreSilent No More: Denouncing “Christian” Voices Of Hate
When I read that President Museveni had signed the hateful anti-LGBTQ law in Uganda, the first words that came to mind were from the opening song in “Les Misérables.” It’s called “Work Song.” Prisoners in a work camp are expressing their hope and their despair. One sings, “I’ve done no wrong, sweet Jesus hear my…
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