An Important Message from Bishop Gruss
PLEASE CONTACT OUR SENATORS
You may have heard about a legislative proposal called the Equality Act that will soon be before the United States Senate. While a date has not yet been set, it will be soon be brought forward for debate and a vote. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on February 25th.
The proposed Equality Act of 2021 (H.R. 5) forces Americans to conform to government-mandated beliefs about human sexuality that are contrary to Catholic social teaching and pose a great threat to religious freedom.
The Equality Act claims to ban discrimination based on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” However, it actually codifies discrimination against anyone with a different belief about human sexuality and forces them to conform to government-mandated beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity under threat of criminal and financial penalties.
If the Equality Act is signed into law, the Catholic Church’s social teaching on human sexuality will be effectively outlawed as discriminatory and many of the Church’s institutions and faithful could be accused of violating this law. The Equality Act purports to protect people experiencing same-sex attraction or gender discordance from discrimination. But instead, the bill represents the imposition by Congress of novel and divisive viewpoints regarding “gender” on individuals and organizations. This includes dismissing sexual difference and falsely presenting “gender” as only a social construct.
Tragically, this Act can also be construed to include an abortion mandate, a violation of precious rights to life and conscience. Rather than affirm human dignity in ways that meaningfully exceed existing practical protections, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.
If passed, this legislation would:
- punish faith-based charities such as shelters and foster care agencies, and in turn their thousands of beneficiaries, simply because of their beliefs on marriage and sexuality (§§ 3, 6);
- force both people and organizations in many everyday life and work settings to speak or act in support of “gender transitions,” including health care workers and licensed counselors, even when it’s against their professional judgment (§§ 3, 6, 7);
- risk mandating taxpayers to pay for abortions, and health care workers with conscience objections to perform them, ultimately ending more human lives (§§ 3, 6, 9);
This bill would also:
- force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in school sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who claim to identify as women (§§ 6, 9);
- expand the government’s definition of public places into numerous settings, even forcing religiously operated spaces, such as some church halls and equivalent facilities owned by synagogues or mosques, to either host functions that violate their beliefs or close their doors to their broader communities (§ 3);
- exclude people from the careers and livelihoods that they love, just for maintaining the truth of their beliefs on marriage and sexuality (§ 3); and
- discriminate against individuals and religious organizations based on their different beliefs by partially repealing the bipartisan Religious Freedom Restoration Act, an unprecedented departure from that law and one of America’s founding principles (§ 9).
The Equality Act does not promote human dignity and equality, rather it divides our country and codifies discrimination against Catholic faithful, religious communities, and others with different beliefs on human sexuality and marriage. It is imperative that Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs, especially Catholics, contact their U.S. Senators to vote against the Equality Act H.R. 5. The future of America’s first and most sacred right depends on it.
As lawmakers consider the measure and their vote, share your opposition to the so-called Equality Act: https://www.votervoice.net/USCCB/Campaigns/80967/Respond
The Person and Identity Project provides formation, resources and pastoral guidance on issues of faith, “gender” and sexual identity: https://personandidentity.com/