Allies

At many of the meetings that I attend some of our allies at those meeting are Muslim and conservative Jewish groups. Every year CTAC gets a donation from a Jewish group. At hearings for LGBT human rights legislation we have a number of Christians religions write testimony for our bills.

Jews and Muslims defend trans rights
Pink News UK
By Nick Duffy
3rd March 2017

A number of US Jewish and Muslim faith leaders have joined a legal brief defending anti-discrimination protections for transgender kids.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the case of Virginian trans teen Gavin Grimm, whose school ordered him to use a toilet that correspond with his “biological gender”.
[…]
Ahead of the case, a legal brief has been filed on behalf of a number of faith groups defending LGBT rights.

A total of 1800 faith leaders and a string of religious groups joined the brief, including from both Muslim and conservative Jewish groups. Their brief attacks any ‘religious freedom’ justification for allowing discrimination,

In their statement, Muslims for Progressive Values profess a “belief in transgender equality as rooted in our understanding of our faith and the values at the heart of Islam, embodied in the commandment in the Holy Qur’an 5:8 to pursue justice”, interpreting the Qur’an as “having no concept of assigned gender roles, gender-based behavior, or separation of the sexes, deeming any discrimination on such bases as cultural and not to be given any divine mandate”.

The Jewish Theological Seminary, also a signatory, added: “JTS is compelled to act in the face of state and federal actions which undermine the Jewish principle of human dignity (kevod haberiyot) as it relates to our LGBTQ students, teachers, family members, neighbors, and all those targeted in the larger community.

“We are chagrined to find that the rights and security of [trans people] are newly under attack from the very government entities and institutions to which we are all entitled to look for protection.

“We are particularly distressed that the White House and Department of Justice have reversed existing government positions that provided protections to members of the LGBTQ community, in spite of President Trump’s earlier statements supporting LGBTQ rights.

It goes on to say…

“A Justice Department that fails to advocate on behalf of vulnerable minorities subject to discrimination and even violence forfeits the right to be known by that name.”

They added: “Laws such as the one at issue in the Supreme Court case have the effect, if not the purpose, of publicly humiliating transgender students by refusing them access to facilities consistent with their gender identities, and singling them out for discriminatory treatment in full view of their fellow students. As members of the Jewish community, our hearts bleed with theirs from such humiliation.”

Don’t paint the religions with a broad brush there are many that support us. I remember sitting in the hearing room where our non-discrimination bill was being heard and an Episcopal bishop was saying that God loves all his children including trans children and they need the protection of the law.

It is the vocal religious haters, who get all the press coverage. They create controversy that sells ads, a quite mannered Bishop just doesn’t sell papers like someone preaching fire and brimstone against us.