Human Rights Campaign Says Promoting Equality for LGBT People Not at Odds with Christian Faith

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Oct 30, 2015

Human Rights Campaign Says Promoting Equality for LGBT People Not at Odds with Christian Faith

The Human Rights Campaign, one of the leading advocates of the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage, is now pushing for people of faith to support Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO).

The Christian Examiner reports that HERO aims to expand the legal protections afforded to Houston residents, regardless of their sexual or gender identity.

Some churches have come out in support of HERO. Houston Unites, a coalition in support of HERO, has garnered support from 16 congregations around the Houston area. Only four religious organizations are actually partners of the coalition, however.

Justin Davis, Human Rights Campaign religion and faith program assistant has said that faith doesn’t need to be incompatible with supporting rights for LGBT people.

"Quite often, the perception is that supporting equality for LGBT people is incompatible with being a person of faith, but as we have seen in recent years past, this is no longer the case," Davis writes. "As more and more LGBT people come out, their friends, family, co-workers and communities of faith come to see that discrimination and exclusion of their loved ones on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity are incompatible with the ideals of their faith that teach love of neighbor, kindness, and acceptance."

Although the Human Rights Campaign claims that more and more people of faith are supporting equality for LGBT people, there are also some people of faith who are staunchly opposed.

Ed Young Sr., pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, has stated that passage of HERO would be “something that is absolutely godless.”

“You say I'm being political,” Young continued. “Well, no. I speak out on a very serious moral issue," Young told his congregation. "Those of us who believe men should use men's facilities and women should use women's facilities, we will be discriminated against."

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Publication date: October 30, 2015



Human Rights Campaign Says Promoting Equality for LGBT People Not at Odds with Christian Faith