I'm just back from The Interfaith Alliance National Leadership Gathering in Denver, Colorado. I led a workshop for TIA folks from around the United States on how and why sexual justice issues should be part of their interfaith work.
I am pleased to report that despite Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar's (pictured on the left) exhortation to the group in his plenary speech to put what he called "personal piety issues" to the side as being potentially divisive , the folks I talked to understood that sexual justice must be part of a progressive interfaith agenda. In fact, many of them were surprised and even angry to learn that when Rev. Edgar, of the National Council of Churches of Christ, said put aside "personal piety issues" he meant them to not discuss reproductive justice and GLBTQQIA rights.
But, I am pleased to report that Rev. Welton Gaddy, President of TIA, (pictured on the right) had no such hesitancy to embrace these issues in his addresses. From the rally we did on hate crimes on the steps of the Denver city office building to his state of belief presentation at Saturday's lunch, he freely talked about the rights of lesbian, gay, and transgender persons and women's rights, including women's moral agency. It was great to hear this Baptist minister "get" that sexual justice is part of social justice.
More on some of my learnings from the conference tomorrow
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