Faith in America Releases Ground-Breaking New Report on Harm Caused to LGBT People from Religion-Based Bigotry, Report calls on LGBT community to adopt new messaging in order to achieve goal of full equality.
Hickory, NC. In a ground breaking new report released today, Faith in America is calling upon LGBT organizations and individuals to adopt powerful new messaging and strategies designed to attack religion-based bigotry as the biggest obstacle to achieving full equality. Get the report here: www.faithinamerica.org/report/ .
"For several years, we have researched and tested messaging and strategies to successfully address the harm caused to gay people by the misuse of religious teachings, and how we can truly change hearts and minds and lift people up, said Mitchell Gold, founder of Faith in America. Faith in America defines religion-based bigotry as the attitudes of prejudice, hostility or discrimination that are falsely justified by religious teachings or beliefs.
This report focuses on how to talk about the harms causedespecially to young peopleby anti-gay views that are based on religious teachings or beliefs. While our community has enjoyed success with proven messaging, this new report provides the LGBT community, our friends and allies with additional resources needed to confidently discuss this topic and win difficult equality battles in the near future.
Our quest for equality must be about more than just achieving our adult rights.
The report also provides important information to help LGBT youth who are struggling to deal with religion-based condemnation, as our quest for equality must be about more than just achieving our adult rights.
"We must fight harder for a better life for kids who are bullied and beaten emotionally and physically by fellow students, their parents and their religious leaders for the millions of LGBT youth who suffer depression, and for those who believe they are better off dead than to endure one more painful experience of rejection or humiliation," said Gold.
Gold continued, "Kids should not have to protect themselves from bullying at school. That's an adult's job. That's our job. Kids should not have to protect themselves from bullying at church being called sinners or broken. That's an adult's job. That's our job. Kids should not have to protect themselves from bullying by their parents who believe they are an abomination. That's an adult's job. That's our job."
Not the final word.
"This report is not the final word on this important topic, but it provides powerful and effective messages that will elevate this discussion in a significant way," said Steve Hildebrand, Advisor to Faith in America. "We hope LGBT leaders and activists will take time to read the report, absorb it and use the tools and arguments we are providing to improve the intersection between religion and homosexuality."
The following are core messages from Faith in America's report. We encourage people, especially LGBT organizations to adopt this language when addressing those who espouse religion-based bigotry.
1. Religion-based bigotry causes enormous harm to LGBT people, especially young, vulnerable teens.
More than a million LGBT teens are suffering debilitating depression because their families and religious institutions see them as deviants. Suicide rates amongst LGBT youth are four times higher than those of heterosexual youth.
LGBT people are victims of discrimination and bigotry, which are often justified and promoted by religious teachings that say homosexuality is immoral, sinful or an abomination. If we don't talk about it, no one will know how much hurt and suffering it causes. It is particularly important for those in the religious movable middle to hear this, because no concept is more antithetical to the faith values of love and compassion than causing harm to others.
2. Sexual orientation is a natural part of a human's being whether heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual.
Studies have shown that if a person believes sexual orientation is a choice, they are 70% more likely to be against LGBT equal rights ( 2007 Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs Survey ) . Conversely, if a person believes sexual orientation is part of how you are created, they are 70% more likely to be in favor of LGBT equal rights.
We've learned there is something much deeper here that we need to address. The religious teachings that many people of faith embrace play an important role in whether people see being gay as a choice. Many people of faith believe heterosexuality is the normal and natural expression of sexuality, while homosexuality is a conscious choice to deviate from this norm.
We must educate Americans on the scientific facts about sexual orientation. Homosexuality is not a deliberate choice. It is innate to most people. One's sexual orientation is not a deliberate decision to act against God's will.
3. Religion-based bigotry against LGBT people is wrong…just as it was wrong to use religious teachings to justify discrimination against Native Americans, African Americans, minority religious groups, woman and interracial couples.
Demonstrating a parallel between historical bigotry against other groups and the attitudes of some people today toward homosexuality is one of the most effective ways to educate people about the denial of equal rights to the LGBT community. Getting people to recognize religion-based bigotry as a common denominator in prejudice and discrimination toward minorities is not a shortcut for changing attitudes but Faith in America has found it to be an effective educational tool for bringing awareness and understanding.
Faith in America is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate Americans about the harm caused by religion-based bigotry to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. To schedule interviews with any number of Faith in America experts, contact Brent Childers or Steve Hildebrand at the numbers listed above. More information can be found at www.faithinamerica.org .