Faith

Religion is often used to demonize and persecute lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, just as religion has and continues to be used to justify oppression of other communities. Over the last 30 years, however, some mainstream denominations have made enormous strides in their attitudes, policies and practices concerning LGBT people. For example, the Episcopal Church (USA), Reform Judaism, United Churches of Christ and Unitarian Universalists welcome and affirm participation by LGBT people. Other major denominations — most notably Presbyterians and United Methodists — have hundreds of "welcoming and affirming" congregations and are struggling to determine their denominational views on LGBT people. These shifts have had a profound impact on the way in which Americans view homosexuality and have, in turn, provided the foundation for winning nondiscrimination protections and other rights in some parts of the country. Equally important, millions of LGBT people have been able to find community and exercise their faith in houses of worship.

Why It Matters:

Despite these advances, the use of religion and religious beliefs to oppose equal rights for LGBT people is escalating, not diminishing. For example, the leaders of the nation's largest Christian denominations, Christian fundamentalist congregations and huge evangelical-dominated organizations have joined forces and mobilized to respond to the supposed threat of same-sex marriage. Their organizing capacity is enormous, and spotlights how imperative it is that the LGBT rights advocates work with and within communities of faith to reclaim from the right wing the true meaning of moral values.

What We’re Doing:

• The Task Force organizes, convenes and staffs the National Religious Leadership Roundtable [0](NRLR), a network of leaders from pro-LGBT faith, spiritual and religious organizations, and runs the Institute for Welcoming Resources [0] (IWR), which works with the welcoming church movement in eight mainline Protestant denominations.
• Through the NRLR and the IWR, the Task Force significantly amplifies the voices of faith leaders to counter religiously-based bigotry. We do this in part though press releases, public statements and our Articles of Faith series.
• The Task Force consistently speaks out forcefully [0] against religious-based bigotry.
  

What You Can Do:

• Find a welcoming congregation. [1]
• Support [1] the work of the Task Force.