Leading religious leaders from across the nation have sent a letter to President Obama welcoming the decision by the Obama Administration to expand Title IX discrimination protections on the basis of "gender identity, including discrimination based on a student's transgender status" to public schools across the country. Over three hundred people of faith have signed on as endorsers of the letter.
“We recognize that this is a confusing and even unsettling issue for many, while for others who have faced discrimination this has been a harmful experience long ignored. From our perspective, however, you have simply taken another step toward creating a nation where the basic civil rights of all are protected,” reads the letter.
Among the prominent religious leaders to sign the letter include: Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, Rev. Dr. Traci D. Blackmon, Sister Simone Campbell, Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, and the Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins.
“Too many LGBTQ youths are lost and abandoned. Many of these young people end up living in poverty and on the streets. None of these children should face discrimination at school or barriers in getting an education. We believe that protecting young people from discrimination is consistent with our faith. Love – not fear – should be our guiding principle. We challenge those who might respond to this decision to open their hearts and listen to the stories, particularly of transgender students, who are so often marginalized,” write the faith leaders.
Text of full letter:
President Obama:
As people of faith with a deep and abiding concern for the welfare of all children, we want to applaud you and your administration for the recent decision to interpret and enforce Title IX — a statute, written in 1972, that prohibits sex discrimination — as also prohibiting discrimination on the basis of "gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender status.”
We recognize that this is a confusing and even unsettling issue for many, while for others who have faced discrimination this has been a harmful experience long ignored. From our perspective, however, you have simply taken another step toward creating a nation where the basic civil rights of all are protected.
Too many LGBTQ youths are lost and abandoned. Many of these young people end up living in poverty and on the streets. None of these children should face discrimination at school or barriers in getting an education. We believe that protecting young people from discrimination is consistent with our faith. Love – not fear – should be our guiding principle. We challenge those who might respond to this decision to open their hearts and listen to the stories, particularly of transgender students, who are so often marginalized.
Thank you for showing us a better path.
Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality & University Chaplain, Pacific University
Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt, President and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible & Theological Education, Chicago Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Traci D. Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ
Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Israel | Portland, Oregon
Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament, Eden Theological Seminary
Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology and President Emerita, Chicago Theological Seminary
Rev. Michael Neuroth, Policy Advocate for International Issues, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Senior Vice-President for Innovations in Public Programs, Union Theological Seminary in New York City
* titles are used for identification purposes only
