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Welcome everyone kate, the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the side of God you support your basing rights of all persons Equal access to housing education communication employment medical care legal Grievances and physical protection we are committed to supporting those rights and liberties for all persons regardless of sexual orientation These words are from the United Methodist Churches, social principles and they stand as a decoration to society and as needed a reminder to the Church about our basic beliefs of human dignity Justice and essential human rice for us These beliefs are a matter of our Christian fee and met this heritage My name is my friend, Jerry Moore and I served here as staff of the United Methodist Churches Social Justice Agency the General Board of Church in Society on behalf of Society I welcome you to the space this morning We are proud to stand here with you We lift up in prayer this morning, the Equality Act a piece of legislation that would safeguard civil rights for all establishing explicit protections for L G B T Q people and demonstrating the intersectional nature of politics United Methodist Church commits itself to working towards societies in which each person's value is maintain and strengthen There is no time like the President or this work Thank you for joining us this morning Peace and blessings let's. Turn it over now to Reverend Naomi Washington leaker Thank you very more more, such a gracious welcome, and for being so hospitable to us being in solidarity with us this morning as more Santa will be Washington Pardon in the Faith Walk director at the National Task Force I'm, honored to be here It's a freshman We're here this morning to pray We gathered together just a few dozen feet away from the halls of politics the halls of power not to protest so many of us have and do protests on a regular basis Not breach No many of us have and do preach on a regular braces We are here to pray why prayer somebody ask Wouldn't protest. Be more powerful would be preaching Be more powerful throughout my own spiritual journey. I've learned that prayer is it's own power I believe that parents power, not because we use it to change Other fair is not the way I deploy the divine to bully other folks to do and be what I think they should do and be where It's not the way of course God into doing what I think should be done Rarely has power because it has the capacity to transform me The person who is braved the posture of Invites us to be vulnerable to admit that need help. We need guidance We need energy. We need comfort We encourage the words of prayer, take us outside of ourselves to praise for the collective humanity So lift up other people's pain Other people's parted to god's fear to hope that God will be generous with us that God will delight and empowering us to own and three That is the spirit with which we are gathered to pray this morning We pray because prayer compels us to be our best selves, our fullest selves when we dare to meditate on what is holy what is transcendent What is righteous We are people of different faiths different spiritual paths We believe that we can pray for a more just world and that our fairs will be answered so us to our We are lunch today, especially we need those kinds of answered prayers because I work Are empowered to live out loud Many of us will not hide our life and choose to live in truth about our sexual orientation I bought dinner purpose pride lives even when we are called minority when we are called nominations when we are called dangerous Yet what I've noticed is that the more empowered we are, the war visible be off and More visible we are more unsafe we are We are insane because I current laws do not fully protect us from discrimination and from the harm. Just nomination causes So the person who might finally be able to experience the joy of relaxing into possibility of truth and connection and love in public must also experience the possibility of rejection and the mile in public when despite Fact, that we that they are saying to themselves perhaps because they are saying yes to themselves the business owner says. No the housing office says no the hotel does no the employer says no so we're here this morning to pray the French of those who need balls, god's evidence, dodge generosity and our work and our work Today is to make sure that the Equality Act is supported and passed so that all people wherever they are whenever they are wherever they are have. The protection of our work is to make sure that belongs impossible for me a black queer Christian women to be all of lion all the time So I believe that the creator makes us free to ensure that others are free from political harmful material of my arm and we pray today that our actions will match god's intent for all of humanity I'm delighted now to introduce leaders of faith and moral courage who pray with power or just kinds of freedom We'll hear from Rabbi Jonah Pez Ner who is the director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism You're from Sisters mount chemo exactly director of war with your from arun shah director of international to health and rights programs and able to struggle with your forever micro complete the out to be to entrepreneur of programs manager at the later in the personal association with you to remember end of plan this in faster so the spring in the starts your someone pear sim sign associate minister a better about a leg touch your investment obc thank you for Done it was the That is huge Good Morning let's just celebrate the beauty and diversity of the traditions that have come together today in quality to Justice let's celebrate i am का section of the bar just announced impress womens institution lights are not be part of my in your family and my most men sister i stand with you today and everything so i hope for my prayer celebrating thankful to god that takes lots of the courage of our fellow leaders of introduce the equality act the congress which will be put it on this Week this Friday or this Thursday, and so, my prayer is a prayer of Thanksgiving and a fullness and my prayer is rounded in the Torah in the very first book the Genesis in the very first chapter in the very first versus but we are told in a suit and a verse that echos across eternity God created that first human in god's own image. God created that first two men and that has implications for us that every human regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity is godly enough is And it goes on keep reading that verse because it goes on to say so far God treated them with maleness and female. Miss the rabbis for centuries. Read that passage and understood at least six different categories of gender of gender fluidity for centuries. We have interpret that first understands that people don't fit into an easy box of gender identity or expression. And so all those were discriminated against because of their gender identity or gender expression or because of their sexual orientation all of them We stand with, we are them and we earn for legal protections without those legal protections, not only our ethics and morals violated. But my own various Judaism is violating and so also to say that as people of faith many of us commit to religious freedom to religious liberty, but let's be clear Religious freedom must be balanced must be appropriately placed in synergy with other civil rights protections The Equality Act strives to bring the balance between religious freedom True equality for Cbc folk This act should balance the exemptions for houses of worship and other references from the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So that our synagogues our mosques in our churches and our institutions can thrive as we protect and defend Our youth family now is the time to pass the Equality Act Despite the progress of 50 years since the Civil Rights Act was signed into law we must prohibit discrimination in the United States and the family still faces so much discrimination in every area of life for too long Kim Congregants, neighbors and community members have lived in fear or singled out for discrimination and violence We are reminded of the Torres Command not to stand Idly by our Nbc family We are a family call to us to pass this act Nine Melissa Blessed are you Oh God Bull Ray at a dom you have created all of humanity in the divine image With maleness with female illness with gender fluidity God you created all of us in your image S I don't know if a blooding prayers appropriate definitely deserves a mad I'm Sister Simone Campbell is the executive director of Network lobby for Catholic Social Justice and so honored to stand with you today and I've also known for being the leader of nuns on the bus and in 2014 we were on the bus in Colorado Springs, Colorado and I was doing trying to turn people out phone engage folks who haven't voted in a prior election make sure they were registered in the woman who organized our door knocking and I got talking and she told me about her story Her story was that she grew up in Missouri She came out Family as the last year and it was thrown out of that the only way they would accept her backless if she did D programming their in Colorado Springs because of love because of her love for her family she put herself in that position to do that but then felt like she was being torn apart and ran away when she ran away She ran away on her own without connections frightened about what her future would do It is anguish that means it would have to experience that sort of choice and what my faith teaches me is that It's love is at the heart of all the love and welcome are at the Center of what we care about is. People of faith Love is what rates room the division in the fear and then she told me about what happened to her in the three years that she grabbed her she felt She was looking forward to getting married and they had a two year old who was the joy of her life in a permanent commitment It was love that rescued her in that moment And so what I know is a person of faith and the Christian tradition We look to the vast and 50 cases who says love love one another that where God is off and all love is how Together and so today, let us pray let us pray that the fear in hatred that divides us me in that the equal protection under the law might become more of a reality in our nation by the passage of the Equality Act But most of all let us pray for all of the needs in our world who suffer the rejection a English and may we all find in this capacity to love Biggest gift to protect liberty and Justice or lettuce In Jesus, name in the name of all that is holy in the name of every name that we can possibly conceive of the Divine Act let us put our trust in sipping Amen Like he's, be upon you my name is Marsha and I work at advocates for you I'm a wearable slamming immigrants women from Pakistan This is the holy Month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset during the during this month we are particularly mindful of nourishing our spirits by seeking to be closer to finding solid Unfortunately in our communities and engaging and absolutely I'm grateful for the opportunity to be speaking here today at this during this holy month of Ramadan at advocates for you incredible privilege of working with the National forward of TV of some activists for working on the intersections of racial Justice rights factual and reproductive health and rights and addressing Islamophobia I have seen firsthand how giving a behave intersections can be exhausting and heartbreaking I do need to be Muslims often have a hard time turning your own families and cultural institutions for support when it comes to mainstream Muslims, many communities to maintain rigid cultural norms around issues of sexuality and gender, regardless of emerging feminist and particularly Muslims, turning to mainstream organizations for support finding spaces mostly ignorant ignorant or for needs where Muslims continue to experience a significant level of misunderstanding the notification and the song via and often primaries presenting for ourselves पर आपने किसी muslim space for we are discrimination for assessment support i am pursuing personally choose between my religious suddenly and my period any never be able to people only my capable to live with joy thinking it and specially the day when burning up most the everyday and also if you hate is ah from Highest office in this is my support for the Quality Act by people of faith and so necessary equality. Apple provide consistent and explicit nondiscrimination protections to people across areas of life because of leaders like the ones gathered here today, supporting the Equality Act Cool babe no longer have to choose between a religious identity after activity this false choice leave isolation, self stigma and feeling as if you're the only one like you in the world a feeling under M The Muslim, my connection for a lot a beautiful reminder that regardless of the discrimination that I saved I dignity for many are not And this understanding helps ticket especially hard pretty supportive quality access to support a nondiscrimination movements that You're finally provides with the comprehensive protections that it will be on the federal level It is what people have been waiting for a long time That's praying for the Quality Act sets S you change your best fully पता तो सबकी chandra tax validity national award for demotivation starts Sadly, I was not always a unitarian universalist I grew up in a big tradition Stop to my existence by evangelical Christian roots taught me that the way I moved in the way I love with antithetical to the God who loved me and move inside me As result, I learned to lie I learned to hide I learned to pretend in the name of God that I was not different than anyone else would be fired from my job This mess from my church Spanish to my spiritual family because of how I love and who I love in the name of God I learned to lie so I would not be discharged from the Air Force in the name of God I learned to love So that I would not be expelled for my Christian College These are lies. I learned in Church a church that taught me that God hated my same gender love and despise my black, queer body This lie is the reason we of many faiths are day This religious lie We as leaders, are calling on Congress to pass the Equality Act because the same religion that taught me to lie about my sexuality high, five x validity to be all that ice is the same religion used to justify discrimination against healthy We are gathered here today to discuss the live got community people of faith. We are gathered here today for the homeless gay E forced to lie about his sexuality last the show night three in the name of God style home and pick them out people of faith. We are gathered here today For the trend the trend fiction your fear, they will be expelled from school Name of a God US now transit period People of faith, we are gathered here today with a lesbian refuses to marry her lover or fear that she will be fired from her job in the name of God style thirsting gender love as people affected gather here today to expel the lie that God is hostile to equality as people faith we're here today to dispel a lot of faith in its medical to love in all its forms and to preach this People of all gender identity and expression to the discrimination in school S Universalist Christian Minister I am here to dispel the lie to God is hostile to my existence approach. The truth of the Equality Act people call tenders six qualities races classes and National Oregon gorgeous deserve access to employment housing credit education public spaces services federally funded programs in jewelry service yes as people Gathered here today we believe not in the God who loves inside of our Virginia infect your reality We believe in a God who loves us because of our gender sexuality We believe in God was Dallas for our line I liberties and I pursuit of happiness As people of faith we call on Congress to pass the Equality Act made the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts Be acceptable I mean S Good Morning my name is Reverend Angela Flanagan, and I have the privilege of serving as lead pastor of Silver Spring headed at this church I am appear ordained pastor serving in a nomination that has recently made the front page of newspapers for decision to strengthen its discriminatory policies against Acc plus person one of the important protections the Equality Act would enact regards nondiscrimination in employment I don't come here To speak to the Equality Act as a neutral third party I come here to speak for the Equality Act as someone who's own job and credentials are in danger because of who I am and who I'm engaged to marry While the Equality Act does not unfortunately apply to churches I know what it is like to fear for your job because of your sexual orientation We are in the closet. What will happen if I'm found out and we are out of the closet? Will I lose my job for being no one should To lap in such fear, simply for being they are and the Equality Act protected from living in this constant fear I don't come here to speak for the Apology Act in spite of or apart from my fit I support the Equality Act because of my Christian I believe in the God whose love knows no Yes Jesus said that he came that we might have life and have it in abundance I believe it is incumbent upon those of us who seek to follow Jesus Christ that we work for systems policies and an environment in which everyone has access to that abundance access to basic services. A fair chance at employment the freedom to be one 's full self, an ability to live without fear of losing one 's job or housing for simply being who we are lovingly Stay with me Got up to abundant life and love and make your spirits move among us as we seek to embody the Justice, peace and love of your agenda begins with the day when all your children can live without fear may live, authentically may love fully even as we seek to change laws and policies. We ask that you continue to empower us to change hearts and minds so that together we can work to become the beloved community you call us to be in your We pray Amen Peter Simmons Metropolitan Church even believe that it gets powers abilities and spiritual wickedness in high places and believe we believe that prayer is walk So right now we're going to worry man and then pray with me God about we ree years go volunteers thou who has brought us thus far on the way now who has by thy might led us into the night He turned a spirit author of all Exist The creator of Humanity created each of us with individual distinct Though we may have similar characteristics by your wisdom no to individuals are completely unlike authentically In our individual return, the spirit. I come asking me to help us honor, and Expect the diversity of humanity we all come in different colors We have different preferences We have different identities and there is no one better than or worse than anyone else Eternal spirit. I comment have experienced discrimination for being black neighborhoods, where I am Hugh as it treats and my It's automatically in danger because of the color of my skin there are some places where my spouse, Brian and I are not welcome because we have openly committed our of in life to each other eternal spirit I knew you are always on the side of your breast so become a upon you to help us reach the powers that be spirit I believe that you have the politics With power and privilege come them realize that human life is precious and all humanity should be equally treated How us to successfully pass the Equality Act come those who believe that this movement only keep our involves energy T clubs rights come to their senses This fight If the human rights it turn a spirit My faith tradition teaches that whatever we bind on Earth will be bound in heaven and whatsoever. We lose on Earth will be lost in heaven with the authority given to us by you we buy the White general sexual normative patriarchal supremacy Well we boned up California we Bank of Transformers we Bank a racist authorities We come against that, which divides us with him Turn the spirit while telling all those evil strongholds we lose love Yes Released a moral revival We thank you now these things for we believe whatever we ask in prayer believing that we have received it It will be ours in the name of the one who was is in his Amen Good Morning my name is Mason Don I'm Proud to be here as a transgender we're Jewish advocate with Kesha working nationally Where V Q Quality Jewish life There are those who might have you believe that my gender identity and sexual orientation and Judaism exist in conflict with one another The opposite is true My identities as trans as queer and as a chew, exist together in beautiful and harmonious situation Tradition calls on me to stand before God our communities in authenticity as truth that includes the authenticity of my gender identity and sexual orientation My Jewish tradition teaches me to love as I do myself and to honor each person's dignity But most importantly to our work together today as a Jew I am called to stand up in the face of injustice and fight for equality in Judaism The concept of tuna law teaches us that it is our duty to repair what is broken in our world and to heal what causes Pain or suffering to others the Torah tells US Justice Justice Charlie. You Jewish tradition reminds us over and over again That is our responsibility and moral inspired in pursue Justice It is with those teachings of mine today that I stand before you I Jewish identity lifting up trans and queer identities and calling me to speak out for equality for me and All of us here today the Equality Act is another safe My prayer today is for love for Justice an authentic truth to call on all of us and most importantly be Curtis Walls of Congress to support a qualified hands We're so grateful again to war and to the General Board or Church and Society of the United Methodist Church for hosting us we're grateful for these courageous ones behind me dare to be vulnerable in us and also thank you for joining us and hope that your journey with us right after we're finished here to make our prayer Kansas able we will be During this statement signed by five thousands people of faith from around the country who sounds and people support this vehicle so we'll be delivering this to members of Congress in just a few moments ahead of the boat that will take place. Later, this hangout Stuch resist together over to the congressional building As we feel I wanna say the bins of powerful prayer against our skin that us share in one final moment of prayer and contemplation and I hope you can still let you repeat these words All source of light nice encourage We gather as human siblings and neighbors siblings Neighbors United by our shared faith into mid floors You draw the strength we need for the work ahead Grant us beautiful when hope is hard to find this hard to remind us that our demands for equality Will not be in an extend your loving and brace sander loving in race to those who so urgently need our protection So early exception accompany us As we speak truth he's featured to those with position and give us the energy to continue Beyond this, we pray in the name of all that we hold sick Oh totally righteous good just intrude guess We're gonna. Hear from our colleague Emily from











