EqualityMaine, the largest and oldest LGBTQ+ organization in Maine, and the Maine Council of Churches, an ecumenical coalition of seven mainline Protestant member denominations, put out the following joint statement by their executive directors:
[Our organizations] respect and honor the right to exercise freedom of religion. Both organizations also condemn discrimination against vulnerable marginalized members of our community under any guise. We adamantly reject two Maine Christian schools’ argument that they shouldn’t have to follow Maine’s anti-discrimination law in order to receive public funding.
Crosspoint Church and St. Dominic Academy sued the state in 2023 claiming that Maine’s anti-discrimination law violates the schools’ rights to religious freedom; we believe that religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights are not mutually exclusive.
Most mainstream religious denominations support LGBTQ+ equality, and in fact, nearly three-quarters of American Roman Catholics support LGBTQ+ equality. In recent decades, many denominations have had policies of inclusion, including ordaining LGBTQ+ people, performing weddings for same-sex couples, and advocating for LGBTQ+ equality under the law. Almost half of LGBTQ+ Americans are religious, and a majority of all people of faith support protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people.
Said Gia Drew, Executive Director of EqualityMaine: “As a person who was raised Catholic, I often found my queer identities in conflict with the church’s teachings, so I kept those important parts of who I am a secret from members of my family, especially my devout parents, thinking they wouldn’t love me anymore. I was wrong.
“After coming out to my parents, they sought guidance from their pastor, and while I was expecting a strong rebuke, the message my parents received was about love. I’d like to think that most religious and spiritual people believe in fairness, love, and compassion, and while I know folks may disagree and/or disapprove of my queer identities, that doesn’t give people permission to cause harm to others.”
Said Rev. Jane Field, Executive Director of the Maine Council of Churches: “In a world where policies and rhetoric are increasingly aimed at erasing the existence of transgender and nonbinary people, the Maine Council of Churches stands resolute in its commitment to affirming the dignity, worth, and sacredness of every individual. Denying the existence of trans and nonbinary Mainers is not only a legal and political assault but a moral and spiritual one.
“It challenges the very fabric of what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves. As people of faith, we are called to stand against systems of oppression and to live out the radical, inclusive love of God. Our faith teaches us that all people are created in the image of God—beautiful, diverse, and worthy of love. Denying someone’s identity is denying the divine imprint on their lives.”
When anyone believes that another’s existence infringes on their religious beliefs and wishes to deny LGBTQ+ students their rights, their dignity, and their existence, they are actively hurting LGBTQ+ youth. EqualityMaine and Maine Council of Churches are committed to the protection of human rights and resist attempts to redefine religious liberty as a license to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.
— from a joint statement by Equality Maine and Maine Council of Churches
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