ACTION 9: DIALOGUE ON GENDER IDENTITY AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Former president of the American Jewish World Service, Ruth Messinger, is pictured marching for LGBT rights.

Faith

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 

Galatians 3:28

Fact Sheet

• 28% of LGBTQIA+ students are bullied online because of their sexual orientations.^[1]
• Nearly one in five lesbian, gay or bisexual students has been physically forced to have sexual intercourse, more than three times the rate of their heterosexual peers.^[2]

Reflection and Action

As Christ-followers, members of The Episcopal Church have a legacy of inclusion, aspiring to tell and exemplify God’s love for every human being. Bishops, priests and deacons cooperate as leaders at all levels of our Church. Leadership is a gift from God and can be expressed by all people in our Church, regardless of gender, sexual identity or sexual orientation.

Globally, LGBTQ people face discrimination based solely on their identities. Our partners in Brazil and Honduras, Serviçio Anglicano de Diaconio e Desenvolvimento and Siloe, challenge hate crimes and other forms of discrimination against LGBTQ populations. Episcopal Relief & Development has maintained a cooperative relationship on LGBTQ issues with American Jewish World Service, one of the largest and most significant funders of and leaders in LGBTQ advocacy around the world.

Watch the ECF Vital Practices webinar “Discipleship from the Margins” on the transformative power of transgender youth leadership in The Episcopal Church. 

Recommended Reading

Austen Hartke’s “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians” (2018)

Footnotes

^[1] https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm
^[2] http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6509a1