Evangelicals and Other Faith Leaders to Convene in Washington to Promote Pro-LGBTQ Policy Agenda

On Friday, December 9th, Rev. Fred Davie, Executive Vice President at Union Theological Seminary in New York, will host a press conference with Evangelical and other faith leaders from around the country to promote a pro-LGBTQ public policy agenda for the Trump Administration and new Congress. Presenters at the event will highlight why they support the LGBTQ community because of their faith, and not in spite of it. The policy agenda will focus on five key areas proposed by faith leaders: LGBTQ basic rights, LGBTQ homeless youth, LGBTQ senior citizens, the transgender community, and global antidiscrimination. 

Support for LGBTQ rights and equality continues to grow among religious Americans - particularly Christians. According to the Pew Research Center, 58% of Catholics and 64% of White Mainline Protestants support marriage equality today, compared to 40% and 38% in 2001, respectively. Support for marriage equality among White Evangelical Christians has more than doubled since 2001, with Black Protestant support increasing by close to one-third during that time. As the culture wars of the past fade away, many faithful Americans - conservative Christians in particular - are increasingly seeing LGBTQ equality as integral to their religious values and their calling to love their neighbors as they do themselves.

The press conference is co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Community of Churches, the Human Rights Campaign, the National LGBTQ Task Force, Auburn Seminary, SAGE, Cathedral of Hope, the Center for African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice at Columbia University, Covenant Baptist UCC, Evangelicals for Marriage Equality and the Tyler Clementi Foundation.