One of the resolutions coming before the Diocesan Convention on Nov. 3 is about a topic that Massachusetts voters will also be considering on Election Day: gender identity antidiscrimination.
The proposed Diocesan Convention resolution advocating gender identity antidiscrimination asks the convention to endorse Massachusetts Ballot Question 3 and encourage a "yes" vote to maintain the Massachusetts public accommodations law, adopted in 2016 to add gender identity to the list of prohibited grounds for discrimination in public places such as hotels, stores, restaurants, theaters, sports facilities and hospitals.
Courtesy Photo
The Rev. Chris Wendell with parishioners and others from the Bedford Embraces Diversity coalition, preparing to march for gender equality in the Bedford Day parade.
The Diocesan Convention first took a position on the issue in 2008 when it adopted a measure calling for local, state and federal laws to prohibit gender identity discrimination and to treat physical violence inflicted on the basis of a victim’s gender identity or expression as a hate crime.
The Rev. Chris Wendell, rector of St. Paul’s Church in Bedford, is one of the sponsors of the resolution. He said in an interview that the organizing group for the resolution worked really hard to get a cross section of the diocese involved as resolution sponsors: clergy and lay people, old and young, Democrats and Republicans, and people of different gender identities and expressions.
The Episcopal Church has an established position in support of rights for transgender and non-binary people, including the action of the 2009 General Convention advocating laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. Since then, Episcopalians nationally and locally have continued in their advocacy for the rights of all people regardless of gender identity and expression.
The Diocesan Convention resolution was crafted in part to help get the word out about the Massachusetts ballot referendum and to clarify that a “yes” vote on Question 3 would keep in place the current law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity in places of public accommodation.
Wendell said that he hopes the resolution isn’t controversial because it does not propose a new theological or political stance. “Ten years ago, our convention publicly affirmed our commitment to protecting the dignity and rights of people regardless of gender identity or expression, and called for the very law that Question 3 seeks to protect. Now, at a key moment in the life of our Commonwealth, we have the opportunity to put our faith commitments into civic action in a way that is deeply consistent with stances longheld by our diocese,” Wendell said.
Earlier this year, Athena Edmonds, a community organizer for Freedom for All MA—a bipartisan coalition of families, safety advocates, faith leaders and businesses—contacted her friend, the Very Rev. Amy McCreath, dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, when she was looking for places to hold trainings for people interested in canvassing and hosting phone banks on the issue. Much to her surprise, she said, multiple congregations volunteered to participate. “I didn’t realize that the Episcopal Church had such activism,” Edmonds said in an interview. “It was really impressive and we’re really grateful. Thank you to the Episcopal Church.”
Courtesy Photo
Friends gathered at St. John's in Arlington to go out and canvass for Question 3.
McCreath said she didn’t hesitate to reach out to local parishes for help in supporting this cause. “For me, this is about Christ’s mission and our promise as baptized people to defend human dignity. Moreover, our diocese has pledged in its mission strategy to ‘deepen our relationships with our neighbors in order to work side-by-side for a more just and peaceful world.’ Working with Freedom for All MA and other secular partners on this issue is a great way to do that,” McCreath said.
Among the Episcopal churches that responded to McCreath’s call to host trainings in their churches is St. John’s Church in Arlington. The Rev. Diane Wong, priest-in-charge of St. John’s, said that for her this is a matter of equality and justice and a way of supporting people who are on the margin. “It’s giving the church an opportunity to stand by what we say and for me, what I preach every Sunday.”
Another participating parish is Christ Church in Quincy. The Rev. Clifford Brown, rector of Christ Church, said that he believes that most of the things that people might call “political activism” aren’t so much about being political as they are about being Christian. “Christ Church is well known as being a place for gathering or for educational purposes, so we decided to continue to make sure that we offered a place for people to come and educate themselves before they go out into the wider community to talk about Question 3.”
Through their proposed resolution, sponsors hope to remind the diocese of its already established commitment and to offer a way to take action on that commitment this November.
“In states that have faced these kinds of votes recently, the charge against full gender equality has often been led by other parts of the Christian family,” Wendell said, and that “as people who are part of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, we believe it is important for people to know that our faithfulness calls us to honor the dignity found in all gender identities and expressions, and that there are churches who will advocate for laws that are doing just that.”
--Bridget K. Wood