An attendee is shadowed in opposition to the Convention Middle organ in the course of the Saturday night session of the 191st Semiannual Common Convention of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the Convention Middle in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. The church has supported non-discrimination laws designed to guard LGBTQ and non secular rights throughout the nation. Shafkat Anowar, Deseret Information
A number of rabbis, reverends and Latter-day Saint leaders are a part of a gaggle of over 45 non secular, LGBTQ and academic leaders who signed a joint letter calling for laws in Florida to guard lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender and queer folks from discrimination.
The letter, revealed Sunday in the Miami Herald and on Sept. 1 by the Tampa Bay Instances below the headline “A name for peace,” particularly asks Floridians to help non-discrimination laws to guard “all folks from discrimination in employment, housing and public lodging, whereas additionally defending essential non secular rights.”
“Nobody must be denied these protections based mostly on their sexual orientation or gender identification, and likewise non secular individuals and establishments must be protected in training their religion,” the letter writers stated.
The letter comes 5 months after Florida instituted its “Parental Rights in Schooling” legislation, which restricts classroom instruction about gender identification and sexual orientation in Florida faculties.
The letter launched Thursday referred to as for peaceable dialogue of non-discrimination proposals.
“LGBTQ rights and non secular rights don't have to be in battle,” the letter’s signees wrote. “...Now's the time to put aside political motives, malice and misrepresentations and decide to respectful dialogue and good-faith engagement.”
“As residents and leaders within the state of Florida, we're extraordinarily involved that the continuing conflicts between non secular rights and LGBTQ rights are poisoning our civil discourse, eroding the free train of faith and stopping various folks of fine will from residing collectively in peace and mutual respect,” they stated.
The letter was signed by two space seventies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elders Victor P. Patrick and Daniel P. Amato. The church’s senior management has supported comparable “Equity for All” laws since 2015, when Utah handed a historic anti-discrimination and non secular rights compromise, with the church’s backing, that has been described as “eye-popping.”
Thursday’s letter comes 4 months after an identical letter was revealed by Georgia leaders within the Atlanta Journal-Structure by 54 leaders, together with a Latter-day Saint space seventy, and 6 months after Latter-day Saint leaders introduced help for an Arizona invoice that additionally would supply non secular freedom and LGBT anti-discrimination protections.
Coalitions throughout the nation are in search of non-discrimination protections on the nationwide, state and native ranges. Final yr, 16 North Carolina cities adopted municipal ordinances that NBC Information referred to as “historic LGBTQ nondiscrimination legal guidelines.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints additionally helps the federal Equity for All Act proposed in Congress.
Right here is the total textual content of the Florida letter:
“As residents and leaders within the state of Florida, we're extraordinarily involved that the continuing conflicts between non secular rights and LGBTQ rights are poisoning our civil discourse, eroding the free train of faith and stopping various folks of fine will from residing collectively in peace and mutual respect.
“It's time to assert clearly that we consider within the values of freedom, equality, and equity for all. We be part of a rising variety of religion and neighborhood leaders from across the nation in help of non-discrimination laws that protects all folks from discrimination in employment, housing and public lodging, whereas additionally defending essential non secular rights.
“Nobody must be denied these protections based mostly on their sexual orientation or gender identification, and likewise non secular individuals and establishments must be protected in training their religion. These of us from religion traditions consider that we're all created by a loving God who has commanded us to like one another. We're all additionally People with an extended custom of determining the way to get alongside regardless of deep variations.
“LGBTQ rights and non secular rights don't have to be in battle. The truth is, many LGBTQ individuals are themselves folks of deep religion. Now's the time to put aside political motives, malice and misrepresentations and decide to respectful dialogue and good-faith engagement.
“We consider that the state of Florida is uniquely positioned to come back collectively to guard all folks, unify our communities and assist deliver therapeutic to our nation on what for too lengthy has been a divisive subject. That is probably not simple on this time of polarization, and it'll actually require goodwill and mutual lodging, however it may possibly and have to be finished.
“We respectfully urge all Floridians and leaders at each stage of presidency to affix in help of those widespread values and core rules in a balanced method to supply protections for LGBTQ individuals in addition to folks and establishments of religion.”
The letter was signed by:
- Elder Victor P. Patrick, Space Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Nadine Smith, government director, Equality Florida.
- Barbara Poma, founder, onePULSE Basis.
- Bishop Derrick L. McRae, senior pastor & CEO, The Expertise Christian Middle.
- Rev. Dr.Jenn Stiles-Williams, lead pastor, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.
- Elder Daniel P. Amato, Space Seventy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- The Rev. Dr. Joel C. Hunter, faith-based president, Parable Basis.
- The Rev. Alison P. Harrity, rector, St. Richard’s Episcopal Church within the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida.
- Josh Bell, government director, One Orlando Alliance.
- The Rev. Tracie Barrett, College Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
- Board of administrators, JAM & ALL Interfaith of South Florida.
- Martha Kirby, congregational president, College Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
- Rabbi Joshua Lobel.
- Rhonda Thomas, government director, Religion in Florida.
- Kamran Rouhani, Baha’i Backyard of Ridvan.
- Rabbi Dan Levin, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- Jasbir Bahtia, Sikh Society of Central Florida.
- Rabbi Jessica Spitalnic Mates, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- The Rev. Jad Denmark, minister of Congregational Life.
- Rabbi Elana Rabinshaw, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- The Rev. Melissa Cooper, Minister of Worship.
- Rabbi Greg Weisman, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- Rev. Jeremy Inexperienced, Minister of New Communities.
- Cantor Lori Brock, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- The Rev. Benjamin Collins, Exec. Director, All Saints, District Coordinator, ECD|FLUMC.
- Rabbi Amy Grossblatt Pessah, The Clergy of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.
- The Rev. Madeline Luzinski, clergy, United Methodist Church — Florida UM Kids’s Residence.
- Rabbi David Baum, Congregation Shaarei Kodesh Boca Raton.
- Dr. Reuben Romirowsky, CFO, Jack & Lee Rosen Jewish Group Middle.
- Cathy Ostroff, Kol Ami Congregation of Boca Raton.
- Addison Okay. Mitchell, pastor of Park Memorial Missionary Baptist Church — West Cocoa.
- Dr. Barbara Lunde and Rev. Jill Guerra, The Middle for Religious Dwelling Boca Raton.
- The Rev. Esther Rodriguez, Florida Convention of the United Methodist Church.
- Rev. Meghan Killingsworth, co-pastor, First UMC, Sanford.
- Rev. David Killingsworth, co-pastor, First UMC, Sanford.
- Claudia Schippert, abbot, Orlando Zen Middle.
- David Jobin, president & CEO, Our Fund Basis.
- David Kimball, humanist, Cleveland Clinic-Middle.
- Robert Kesten, government director, Stonewall Nationwide Museum & Archives.
- The Rev. Andrew C. Jack Diehl III, pastor emeritus.
- Terry Dyer, government director, World Aids Museum and Academic Middle.
- Carol Ludwig, government director, Middle for Religious Care.
- Dr. James T. Morris, Presiding Elder, Central Florida District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
- Imam Askia Muhammad Aquil.
- The Rev. Fr. Charles T. Myers, rector, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Orlando.
- The Rev. Terri Steed Pierce Sr., pastor of Pleasure Metropolitan Group Church.