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(OPINION) This week the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies, led by Dr. Jacqueline Rivers and Rev. Eugene Rivers, released a statement, “How the Equality Act Harms the Black Church.”
The Equality Act, introduced in the House in February, would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Seymour Institute stated that, while the Black Church has historically - and continues - to act as “the central institution in the life of the African American community... the Equality Act poses a threat to the ability of the Church to continue to play this role.”
According to the Seymour Institute, over 90% of Black congregations provide services for youth, over 70% provide supplemental nutrition for their communities, almost two thirds of Black churches offer voter registration opportunities and over 80% offer financial assistance to families in need. The Seymour Institute emphasizes the pivotal role Black faith communities have played during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: “Congregations have provided emotional and practical support for the most vulnerable; clergy have mobilized resources to address vaccine hesitancy; churches have served as vaccination sites, in collaboration with government at all levels.” However, the Seymour Institute argues, the Black Church’s capacity to serve vulnerable members of the community would be put at risk by the Equality Act.
Dr. Jacqueline Rivers, in a recent panel discussion, elaborated on the specific and disproportionate harms Black faith-based organizations could face if the Equality Act became law: “This has implications for the Black Church because we are definitely a group that is very conservative in terms of our understanding of the Bible. But in addition to that, it puts us in a position where if a Black faith-based organization is taken to court which is acting in a way which is seen as contrary to the Equality Act, we have to defend ourselves. Most Black churches and Black faith-based institutions are extremely tight strapped. We don’t have the kind of resources it would take to defend ourselves. So this is very troubling for Black institutions.”
In addition, the Seymour Institute statement affirmed a conservative theological understanding of sexual ethics, marriage and family structures. And, at the same time, the Seymour Institute statement affirmed support for “all necessary legislative steps” that protect LGBT individuals from unjust treatment “while guaranteeing the religious and conscience protections provided in the constitution for people of faith and for those who adhere to no faith.”
The Seymour Institute’s statement emphasized that the Civil Rights Act was enacted specifically “to address the legacy of slavery and the historical pattern of discrimination on the basis of race.” It also expressed concern over the Equality Act’s “[false] insinuation that sexual orientation and gender identity are analogous to race... This comparison implies, incorrectly, a historical and existential equivalence between the experience of African Americans, who suffered the unique horrors of white supremacy, slavery, rape, terrorism and apartheid in the U.S. and the harm that LGBTQ individuals have endured.”
The Seymour Institute joins a growing number of Black faith leaders in recent weeks who have spoken out about the intersections of racial equity, religious freedom and LGBT rights. Earlier in March, the AND Campaign organized a group of almost 60 Black Christian leaders to sign on to a letter addressed to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee expressing concerns about the impacts of the Equality Act on religious communities: “Black and Brown Christians worked too hard for the Civil Rights Act to have it revised in ways that would take away basic rights and funding from our communities. The Equality Act needlessly pits the concerns of diverse communities against each other.”
The signers of the letter also said that they clearly affirmed federal protections for LGBT people against unjust discrimination and that they held to a historic, orthodox Christian sexual ethic. Yet, the letter stated, the Equality Act did not represent a collaborative process necessary to “cultivate a healthy civic process.” These Black faith leaders pointed out that the Equality Act would deny federal funding from thousands of faith-based institutions that hold to a traditional view of sexuality. Particularly, the letter stated that the Equality Act would:
“Revoke federal security, disaster relief, and school lunch money from thousands of
religious schools.
End federal partnerships with thousands of faith-based programs that serve the most vulnerable.
Revoke the Pell Grant and federal loan eligibility for tens of thousands of students that
attend hundreds of religious colleges.
Convert houses of worship and other religious properties into public accommodations,
enmeshing them in constant litigation.”
While the Seymour Institute and the And Campaign recently released public statements upholding the absolute necessity of protecting religious freedom, even while advancing fair treatment for LGBT individuals, others have taken a different approach. Notably, on March 30, progressive public theologian Dr. Cornel West wrote a commentary for Religion News Service, “Black religious leaders, stand with our LGBT community.”
Dr. West called upon Black faith leaders: “We know that we who carry in our DNA the legacy of liberation from oppression must help advance the freedom and equality for our LGBTQ siblings.”
Some faith leaders like Justin Giboney have called for the Black Church community to embrace collaborative solutions such as Fairness for All, which reflect the efforts of some LGBT advocates and religious conservatives working together. However, Dr. West advocates complete rejection of these compromise policies. According to Dr. West, both/and solutions like Fairness for All, which take LGBT rights and religious freedom into account, “would institute modern-day Jim Crow laws that would hurt Black LGBTQ people more than anyone else.”
This article has provided but a brief snapshot of the nuance and complexity of Black faith leaders on the challenging issue of advancing justice for LGBT individuals while upholding racial equity and religious freedom. The Black Church, and the faith voices within it, is certainly not a monolith. Yet, there is a resounding, incarnational theology that holds together seemingly opposing notions in creative tension that we can all learn from. As Dr. Jacqueline Rivers and Rev. Eugene Rivers have stated: “A vital motivation of the Black Church has been the biblical mandate to pursue justice for all people. However, our radical commitment to justice is rooted in our firm belief in the sovereign wisdom and love of our Creator. The freedom to live in accordance with our faith is the core of the Black Church.”
Chelsea Langston Bombino is a believer in sacred communities, a wife, and a mother. She serves as a program officer with the Fetzer Institute and a fellow with the Center for Public Justice.
