Faith leaders oppose anti-transgender bills in Maine
Debate over transgender athletes in Maine garnered national attention this year after Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn)
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State legislators introduced eight bills to prevent transgender youth from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity or participating in women's sports, as well as to remove gender identity from the Maine Human Rights Act. Oral testimony stretched over 14 hours, and more than 1,200 Mainers submitted written testimony on at least one of the bills. The state legislature ultimately rejected all eight bills in June, largely along party lines.
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A
Maine Monitor
analysis found that roughly 50 clergy members, religious leaders and other representatives of faith-based groups testified individually on the anti-transgender legislation — significantly more than testified on abortion legislation this session. All but four of them opposed the bills, invoking their faith to defend the rights of transgender youth.
'Both Hebrew and Christian scripture are super clear about doing justice,' said Jane Field, a Presbyterian minister who leads the Maine Council of Churches. 'They're also super clear about standing with and for the marginalized, the outcast, the vulnerable, and if there were ever a poster child for someone who's marginalized, outcast and scapegoated, it's a trans youth.'
On the other side, the
Rep. Elizabeth Caruso (R-Caratunk) told
The Maine Monitor
the point of the two bills she sponsored —
'Regardless of religious belief or even political affiliation, the majority of Mainers and Americans clearly see that allowing males to compete in girls' sports is unfair, discriminatory, and denies biological reality,' Caruso wrote in an email.
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A poll from the University of New Hampshire
Faith-based opposition
Many of the religious leaders who submitted testimony opposing the bills focused on human dignity and compassion for marginalized people.
The majority of them were members of the United Church of Christ or the Episcopal Church, or were Unitarian Universalists. The
Field, from the Maine Council of Churches,
One Quaker woman
A retired United Methodist minister
Several rabbis also testified against the bills. Jared Saks, a rabbi in Portland,
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'How we treat others, especially those on the fringes of society, is a reflection of our relationship with God,' Saks wrote.
Testimony in support of the bills
Of the four people affiliated with religious organizations who spoke individually in support of the bills, three were policy advocates with the Christian Civic League of Maine and one was Suzanne Lafreniere, director of public policy for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
Lafreniere
Policies governing athletics and facilities, Lafreniere wrote, should respect biological differences between men and women.
'At its root, this issue is not just political — it is spiritual,' Nick Adolphsen, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine,
He told
The Monitor
that his testimony didn't come from a place of hate for transgender people, but that in his view, affirming transgender people's identities is a mistake.
'For me as a Christian, as a believer in the Gospel, I have this responsibility to advocate for things that I believe are true and right and biblical,' Adolphsen said, 'but I also have a responsibility to do it in a way that is full of love and full of truth. That's not always an easy balance.'
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The Christian Civic League didn't put out a call asking clergy to testify individually, Adolphsen said, which could be part of why fewer religious leaders spoke or wrote in support of the bills. The League's letter, signed by nearly 180 clergy, echoed Adolphsen's argument.
Everyone who testifies speaks from deeply held beliefs, he said, and he expects the cultural conversation to continue even though the legislation was defeated.
Shifting perceptions
Jodi Cohen Hayashida, a Unitarian Universalist minister and director of
Dobbs v. Jackson
.
'It didn't really catch hold until they landed on the issue of trans women in sports,' Hayashida said, 'because that created internal conflict with people who love children, who love women, who believe every life is sacred and that we should all have equal access, and tried to put that in direct conflict with the humanity of trans people.'
In a
In 2022, Pew found that
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R. Marie Griffith, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who studies religion and politics, explained that LGBTQ rights have divided Christian denominations in recent decades. The Anglican Church of North America, for example, was founded in 2009 by former members of the Episcopal Church who disagreed with Episcopalian teachings on social issues including gay marriage.
Conservative churches have generally been more effective at motivating their congregations around social issues, including transgender policies, Griffith said. People on the religious left are less likely to go to weekly services, and that limits pastors' impacts on their beliefs.
'Conservative churches have been much more successful in persuading people this is your community … Mega churches provide all kinds of services for people, and I think it's a haven from the secular world,' Griffith said. 'Whereas people on the religious left, the world is their world.'
For her part, Fry said she found affirmation in scripture after coming out to her congregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2014. The Episcopal Church had updated its canon in 2012 to
When a clergy friend invited Fry to an intimate service the next Sunday, Fry had lost track of the liturgical calendar. She didn't realize until the service began that it centered on the transfiguration, a moment in the Bible when Jesus reveals his full form to several disciples.
'I just sat down in my pew and just started to quietly weep,' Fry said. 'Here I was, going to the church for the first time as Gwen, as my true self, and here's the Gospel reading of Jesus disclosing his true self to the three who went up the mountain with him … In that Gospel, what Jesus told the disciples was 'Get up, do not be afraid.' That has stuck with me ever since.'
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As we all know, Americans do A LOT of weird stuff. While some of it might seem harmless, there are many toxic ideas and behaviors that have become popularized and in some cases, even glorified in the US... That's why when Redditor u/imwith2 asked, "What's something we glorify in American culture that's actually extremely toxic?" thousands of both Americans and non-Americans shared the most bizarre things that have been normalized in the US. Without further ado, here are 17 of their most enlightening examples: "Absurd and excessive consumerism that only serves to represent status." "The notion that everyone's opinion is equally valid." "Perfect attendance, at work or school. Please stay home if you're sick." "At least in the South: Big, intimidating, and expensive weddings. It hurts everyone when something is that expensive, including the people traveling. They have to pay for their hotel bookings, dry cleaning, dog sitters, etc. Just make weddings chill." "Instant gratification. Not many people actually wait and save up for things anymore; instead, they buy on credit and ultimately wind up paying far more in the long run." "Individualism: We have gotten so individualistic that our communities have almost completely fallen apart. Millions of Americans are hostile to the very idea that they even need to get along with others." "Treating political leaders like gods." "Being positive at all times." "Gun ownership culture: I was raised as a hunter and was on the rifle team in college; however, gun culture is out of hand, including the glorification of firearms in movies and media." "Hustle culture: People are more important than money. A person doing an honest day's work should earn enough to have access to a decent life and there should be no need for side hustles, aka second or third jobs." "High school and college athletics: It's extremely toxic that 26 percent of high schoolers' parents want their children to become professional athletes one day, and some greater percent of kids push themselves to play three seasons." "Celebrity obsession.'" "Competition: A little competition is good, fun, and aids productivity. But we Americans take it way too far." "Being prudes about nudity/human bodies." "Cars/car-centric life: You have toxic fumes from the engines, toxic debris from the tires and brakes, and toxic fluids leaking everywhere, as well as the vast amount of concrete and pollution that is associated. All of these issues are known to affect the health of humans nearby. When we got rid of lead in gas, the population at large became less violent." "The obsession with group identity: Democrat, Giants fan, blue collar, college-educated, Christian, etc." "'The American dream.'" Did any of these examples surprise you? What are some other toxic aspects of American culture that have been glorified? Tell us about it in the comments or answer anonymously using the form below!
