Church leaders are being asked to show support for the LGBTQ community “in your pews” as anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeps the nation.
Religious leaders and advocates are being asked to show support for the LGBTQ community as anti-LGBTQ legislation sweeps the nation.
“This is something that the church, I think, often is too reticent to do — to speak out in support of legislation that addresses historical discrimination against the LGBTQ community,” Rev. Cedric A. Harmon told reported in late March that more than 230 bills that would limit the rights of the community have been proposed this year.
“This is a moment for church members who may have a trans member of their family to actually speak out about their love and concern for that member and bring that to their pastor or religious leader,” Harmon maintained.
A virtual panel convened last week, in which Harmon participated, noted the history of violence against Black transgender people — particularly women. The Human Rights Campaign, which tracks anti-trans violence, contends that there have been at least six transgender people fatally shot or killed by other violent means.
“There’s still an inordinate amount of shame and stigma within the Black community as it relates to LGBTQ-identified folks,” Harmon told NBC News in a phone interview, adding that he reminds religious leaders: “We’re not talking about issues. We’re talking about people, and we’re talking about people that actually sit in your pews.”
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