A number of religious leaders and corporations join hands to bring justice for transgender boy Gavin Grimm.
In a surprising but touching move of solidarity, close to 2,000 religious leaders have come forward in support of the transgender boy who has been fighting against his school[/tweetit] to use the boys restroom. Leaders from various churches such as the Episcopalian Church, United Church of Christ, the Metropolitan Community Church and others have expressed their support for the boy’s decision. Besides churches, organizations like the Muslims for Progressive Values, and other Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism organizations have joined in the boy’s protest.
Faith Leaders Sign Support Brief for Gavin Grimm, Transgender Boy[/tweetthis]
Reverend Erin Swenson, a transgender Presbyterian minister, said in all her years as a transgender pastor, she has understood that gender is an expression of an inner spiritual truth that's deeply held. This truth, according to her, is what theologians refer to as the ‘Image of God,’ and anything that binds it can only bring in pain.
According to the Most Reverend Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, “This divine decree proclaims the inherent sacredness, dignity, worth, and equality of every human person. The way of love for God and our neighbor that Jesus taught is the way to honor the sacredness, dignity, worth and equality of each person. For this reason, we work for the equality and dignity of transgender people, who, like the rest of us, are created in God’s image and likeness.”
Gavin Grimm filed a case against his school for not allowing transgenders to use the boys only toilet. The case has now been forwarded to the Supreme Court, thanks to the ACLU. As the case draws closer to the phase of oral arguments in the last week of March, leaders of various faiths are set to come together and pray during a National Weekend of Prayer for Transgender Justice.
“No matter what happens, nobody is going back into the shadows. Nobody is going to stop fighting.” –ACLU attorney Chase Strangio
The leaders have signed a friend-of-the-court brief in Gloucester County School Board v. GG to show their support for Grimm. Apart from the religious leaders, leading companies such as eBay, Amazon, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Airbnb, Yelp, Twitter, Intel, and so on too have signed a brief carried out by the Human Rights Campaign in support of the student.
Nearly 2000 Clergy, Faith Leaders Sign Amicus Brief in Support of Transgender Protections… https://t.co/M8sPrDZShw
— Lynn Conway (@lynnconway) March 3, 2017