An Open Letter from Religious Leaders, December 15, 2017

Dear Friends:

As leaders of various communities of faith throughout the United States, many of us came together in the past to affirm our commitment to marriage as the union of one man and one woman and as the foundation of society. We reiterate that natural marriage continues to be invaluable to American society.

We come together to join our voices on a more fundamental precept of our shared existence, namely, that human beings are male or female and that the socio-cultural reality of gender cannot be separated from one’s sex as male or female.

We acknowledge and affirm that all human beings are created by God and thereby have an inherent dignity. We also believe that God created each person male or female; therefore, sexual difference is not an accident or a flaw—it is a gift from God that helps draw us closer to each other and to God. What God has created is good. “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27).

A person’s discomfort with his or her sex, or the desire to be identified as the other sex, is a complicated reality that needs to be addressed with sensitivity and truth. Each person deserves to be heard and treated with respect; it is our responsibility to respond to their concerns with compassion, mercy and honesty. As religious leaders, we express our commitment to urge the members of our communities to also respond to those wrestling with this challenge with patience and love.

Children especially are harmed when they are told that they can “change” their sex or, further, given hormones that will affect their development and possibly render them infertile as adults. Parents deserve better guidance on these important decisions, and we urge our medical institutions to honor the basic medical principle of “first, do no harm.” Gender ideology harms individuals and societies by sowing confusion and self-doubt. The state itself has a compelling interest, therefore, in maintaining policies that uphold the scientific fact of human biology and supporting the social institutions and norms that surround it.

The movement today to enforce the false idea—that a man can be or become a woman or vice versa—is deeply troubling. It compels people to either go against reason—that is, to agree with something that is not true—or face ridicule, marginalization, and other forms of retaliation.

We desire the health and happiness of all men, women, and children. Therefore, we call for policies that uphold the truth of a person’s sexual identity as male or female, and the privacy and safety of all. We hope for renewed appreciation of the beauty of sexual difference in our culture and for authentic support of those who experience conflict with their God-given sexual identity.

Sincerely Yours:

Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera

Bishop of Scranton

Chairman

USCCB Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs

The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach

Archbishop and Primate

Anglican Church in North America

The Rt. Rev. Eric V. Menees

Bishop of San Joaquin

Anglican Church in North America

Rev. Eugene F. Rivers, III

Founder and Director

Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies

Church of God in Christ

The Rev. John F. Bradosky

Bishop

North American Lutheran Church

Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz, PhD

Executive Director

The Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty

Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Philadelphia

Chairman

USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth

The Rev. Paull Spring

Bishop Emeritus

The North American Lutheran Church

Most Rev. James D. Conley

Bishop of Lincoln

Chairman

USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and

Defense of Marriage

Rev. Tony Suarez

Executive Vice President

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

The Rt. Rev. John A. M. Guernsey

Bishop, Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

Anglican Church in North America

Very Rev. Nathanael Symeonides

Ecumenical Officer

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison

President

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

The Rev. Dr. L. Roy Taylor

Stated Clerk of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church in America

Imam Faizal Khan

Founder and Leader

Islamic Society of the Washington Area

Andrew Walker

Director of Policy Studies

Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz

Archbishop of Louisville

Chairman

USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty

The Rev. Dr. David Wendel

Assistant to the Bishop for Ministry and Ecumenism

The North American Lutheran Church

Melchisedek

Archbishop of Pittsburgh

Orthodox Church in America

Paul Winter

Elder

Bruderhof