Honoring the Humanity of All

“They can try to ban us. They can try to get rid of our health care. They can try to deny us housing, credit and public accommodations. They can try to shame us. They can try all they want to erase us, but at some point, they will realize the trans community is never going away. Trans people are everywhere. Every country, every race, every ethnicity, every religion, every socioeconomic level, every period of human history — we are everywhere. We are natural. You can’t rid of what’s natural. I think they know that, and it terrifies them,” said Charlotte Clymer, former press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. 

Along with Clymer and other transgender activists, Community Renewal Society (CRS) acknowledges attempts to diminish trans rights and dehumanize those in the transgender community. We oppose legislation that threatens to marginalize and strip away the rights of youth and young adults, such as the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, which is currently sponsored by member of the United States House of Representatives Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA 14th District). If passed, this bill would ban transgender youth from accessing gender-affirming care and make it harder for trans adults to get such care. This is because the legislation would ban government insurance programs from paying for gender-affirming care as well as ban medical schools from teaching about it.  

Given the nationwide ban and criminalization of healthcare for transgender youth that this bill would impose, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) deems this legislation as legal discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people.  

“The issues are important to me. I have a bill that would stop transgender surgeries on children, and that bill has been sitting in the Judiciary Committee for quite some time now,” said Greene. “And I would like to see it marked up and taken to the floor for a vote. So that’s an issue I’m pushing.” 

At CRS, this legislation also carries significance. Our commitment to raising awareness and increasing solidarity on LGBTQIA+ issues is rooted in our value of honoring the humanity of all, especially our youth and young adults. We want our youth to know they are seen, heard and affirmed in their full humanity. This is why we do the work we do here at CRS – to gain liberation for all people.

We recognize that gender affirming care for youth almost never includes surgeries. It involves allowing kids to play with the toys they like, wear the clothes they like and use their preferred pronouns. For older teens, it involved reversible puberty blockers and hormone therapy. These tools of gender affirming care have been supported by major medical associations in the United States including the American Medical Association, the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Furthermore, we know that narratives in support of the Protect Children’s Innocence Act such as ones that portray gender affirming care as genital mutilation are false and harmful to our communities.  

There are several ways you can take action to help us create Beloved Community and advance equity, inclusion and justice. We encourage you to invite your congregation to engage in protecting the LGBTQIA+ community. To make an impact:  

• Tell members of Congress to oppose any and all bills that attack transgender people. 

• Send an email to your officials to defend trans rights.  

• Sign a petition from The Human Rights Campaign urging Congress to pass the Equality Act.  

• Sign a petition from the ACLU urging Congress to pass the Equality Act.  

• Check out the recording of Trans 101 to learn about identity and gender affirming care. 

• Let us know that you are interested in getting involved in our LGBTQIA+ Faith, Race and Equity work.  

• Read and share our LGBTQIA+ blog articles and resources.  

• Follow our Facebook and Instagram for updates on LGBTQIA+ issues.