LGBTQ+ Americans deserve the same rights and protections as every American. We love and value our LGBTQ+ members and followers and affirm them as our brothers and sisters in Christ. A democratic government should not have any input on theological viewpoints, and even as religious arguments concerning the LGBTQ community will go on for years to come, that argument should be within churches and one’s spiritual belief on a personal level, not acted on in legislation that allows discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The LGBTQ+ community should have our protection from discrimination in every way. There is much propaganda stating that the goal of the LGBTQ+ rights movement is to take away freedom of religion and that is just not the case. We would not support any legislation that limits freedom to preach whatever people want to preach and write whatever they want to write.  This is our First Amendment right, even if what they are preaching and writing is harmful to the true cause of Christ, and harmful to our witness as Christians of loving your neighbor, and hurts fellow LGBTQ Christians. “Religious Freedom” does not mean freedom to discriminate unlawfully in business, it is freedom to express your views.

As Christians, we are commanded to love, treat with respect and defend the LGBTQ community and any other marginalized group. This we know as absolute: Jesus said that if we commit hate in our heart we have committed murder and judge not lest we be judged – thus, we should take discrimination, hate-talk and the bullying of the LGBTQ community very seriously.

For more information on this topic and the affirming church theology, we recommend our friends at Freedhearts.org and 1946theMovie.com