By Pamela K. Taylor
Yesterday saw a victory for what should be no-brainer legislation; a bill that would extend federal hate crimes legislation to include the glbt community passed in the House. The Senate is expected to take the matter up soon, and I urge everyone to call their senators and ask her/him to support this bill.
I also encourage you to talk to both your senators and your representative about legislation that would make workplace discrimination against glbts expressly illegal. This legislation is expected by the end of the year, and is desperately needed as it is still legal in 36 states to fire someone simply because they are gay.
I had the honor to participate two weeks ago in a lobbying effort by religious leaders in support of the bill. Organized by the Human Rights Campaign, the Clergy Call for Justice brought over 225 religious leaders from every major faith tradition (and a few smaller ones) and every state in the union to support the right of members of the glbt community to live in safety, just like any other human being in this country.
The religious right have long tried to impose the notion that if you are a person of faith, you cannot be a liberal. They have tried to claim that the far right has the cornerstone on morality. That Tuesday morning, two weeks ago was a proud day for the religious left. A day where we stand up and said, "No! Our faith teaches us that every human is loved by God. Every human has the same inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That we should want for our brothers and sisters what we want for ourselves, and that is moral. That is just."
If you are a person of faith -- please, please call and let your elected officials know that you are a Christian or a Jew or whatever you are, and that your faith calls for equality for all
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When not raising a boisterous family and blogging at In This Moment, Pamela participates in The Washington Post/Newsweek On Faith online discussion.
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