Last month, the Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision guaranteeing marriage equality in the United States. Those of us who are same-gender loving couples would be hurt by such an action. We want to remind the Southern Baptists of the Golden Rule by showing them that playing with people’s lives and families is harmful and demoralizing.
The Southern Baptist Convention, an influential body within the Christian community, wishes to dismantle the progress we’ve made towards marriage equality. This decision could threaten to dismantle families and invalidate the love and commitment between same-gender couples who have legally married and built their lives together. These proposals do not respect the dignity and rights of all citizens, and they completely overlook the core Christian teaching of love and inclusion.
Marriage equality is not an abstract legal concept; it is the legal acknowledgment of our love and commitment. In response to the Southern Baptists, I immediately rallied my fellow bishops of the Global Justice Institute to respond, and we did, by inviting the LGBTQ+ community to pass a resolution demanding the annulment of all Southern Baptist marriages. The point of the counter-resolution was to emphasize the hypocrisy inherent in dismissing the validity of any loving union.
If Southern Baptists wish to deny our marriages, they too must recognize the impact of such discrimination. You may still sign on to this resolution of the queer community, pushing back against religious homophobia posing as virtue. The resolution stands as a symbolic demand, challenging the Southern Baptist Convention to reconsider the resolutions it passes and the actual harm they cause.
It is a call to action, asking you to sign this petition and support a reminder to these religious leaders about the principles of fairness, compassion, and equality, and the importance of upholding the rights of all people, regardless of who they love. Please join us in this important cause and sign the resolution today. You can find it at sunshinecathedral.org
