In many congregations, members who bring attention to a need or concern often are put in charge of meeting that need or addressing that concern! After all, we’re all responsible in a spiritual community for the welfare of our members and the outreach of our congregations. That’s how I happened into this assignment. I was disappointed that “gender identity” had been dropped from the list of protected categories in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007 before Congress, however temporarily. Voicing my opinion, I was met with HRC’s commitment to grassroots education in religious communities to support an ENDA that includes gender identity when it again comes up for a vote. This required gaining the support of the constituencies of elected officials; thus the need for this curriculum. Many voters do not yet understand gender identity and the transgender experience, let alone recognize how important a justice issue it is. People of faith have a vital role to play in this movement just as they do in other quests for justice.
