LGBTQ+ Rights and Religion

A Tennessee county commission on Tuesday turned down voting on a resolution asking God to spare the county from divine wrath sparked by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling legalizing gay marriage.

The Blount County Commission voted 10-5 to reject an agenda that included the resolution and adjourned without debate. Onlookers crowding the meeting room, most dressed in red in support of same-sex marriage, yelled in frustration, and one shouted "cowards" at the commissioners.

Commissioner Karen Miller, who introduced the resolution, said she had no idea that the agenda would be turned down.

"I was totally in the dark," she told reporters. Miller said she was "very disappointed, because people have a right to speak."

Miller said she likely would reintroduce her resolution. Maryville is a town of some 27,000 people about 15 miles south of Knoxville.

Her "resolution condemning judicial tyranny and petitioning God's mercy" called on the state to join Blount County in fighting against the Supreme Court's June ruling legalizing gay marriage.

The text requests that God "pass us by in His Coming Wrath and not destroy our County as He did Sodom and Gomorrah."

A similar resolution without the appeal to God's mercy was passed last month in nearby Greene County. A bill in Tennessee's legislature introduced two weeks ago calls on the state to nullify the Supreme Court ruling.

In the neighboring state of Kentucky, county clerk Kim Davis has gained national attention for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples because of her religious beliefs.

Protesters from the Tennessee Equality Project, a gay rights group, filled most of the meeting room and about 100 outside the building were unable to enter. Many had been protesting throughout the day.

"I respect others' opinions. I don't agree with those opinions, but I feel like when it comes down to it, religion has no place at all in government," said Ashley Abbott, a Blount County resident and TEP member.

Khristrine Weick, protesting against gay marriage outside the commission building, said she backed Miller's resolution.

"I believe if we continue to spit God in the face, we're going to get it," she said.

Its home page states, “Your vote no on Houston Proposition 1 protects women’s and children’s right to privacy in public restrooms, showers and locker rooms.”

The largest Jewish group in North America adopted a broad transgender rights policy on Thursday, not only stating its own commitment to equality, but also urging synagogues and other Jewish groups to be advocates for transgender rights and to take steps like training their staffs on accommodating transgender people.

“We have a longstanding commitment to bringing in people who have heretofore been on the margins of society,” said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism. “For us, this is not just political correctness, but opening possibilities theologically.”

The new stance was not particularly controversial within a group with a long history of recognizing the rights of gay and transgender people; it approved the resolution on a voice vote, without opposition, at its biennial conference this week in Orlando, Fla.

A handful of religious denominations have stated some degree of support for transgender rights, “but I don’t think we’ve seen anything as comprehensive as this from any other faith communities,” said Michael Toumayan, the Religion and Faith Program manager at the Human Rights Campaign.

The policy calls on Reform congregations, and organizations like camps and schools, to welcome people of all gender identities and refer to them by their chosen names, genders and pronouns, to provide gender-neutral restrooms where possible, and to work with transgender rights groups “to spread awareness and increase knowledge of issues related to gender identity,” possibly including “cultural competency training” for religious school employees.

It also calls for changing to gender-neutral language, even if it means altering the wording of traditional prayers, though in reality, Reform Judaism has been making such changes for years. And the resolution urges governments to adopt transgender rights measures.

Both Reform and Conservative Judaism had already adopted policies against discrimination based on gender identity, as have a few Christian denominations, including the Episcopal Church, Mr. Toumayan said.

Reform Judaism is especially prominent in the United States and Canada, where it claims 1.5 million adherents in almost 900 congregations. It is the most liberal of the religion’s major wings, and emphasizes adaptability to the modern world, rather than strict adherence to ancient rules.

Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional wing, and the Conservative, or Masorti, movement lies between them.