Who Is My Neighbor?

SOME CATHOLICS FIGHT FOR TRANS RIGHTS EVEN WHEN THE CHURCH WON’T

MARCUS PATRICK ELLSWORTH
09/07/2016

As a cradle Catholic, I am tired of seeing the religion I was raised in used to justify curbing people's basic human rights. I know there are many Catholics like me out there who don't find any form of bigotry acceptable. We are Catholics who believe that Christ's teachings on love and social justice are central to how we turn faith into action.

Unfortunately, there are also many with clout, money, and the support of the institution of the church who think otherwise. On August 23, several states and religious groups, including the Franciscan Alliance Catholic hospital network, filed a lawsuit against the federal government to allow refusal of service to transgender patients. Specifically, the plaintiffs in the case want a religious exemption from a regulation in the Affordable Care Act that says such refusals are sex-based discrimination.

Once again, we're seeing a faith-based attack on people's rights predicated on cherry-picked biblical passages.

As appalling as that may be, we often forget that this narrow perspective isn't shared by all members of any given faith. I had to be reminded of this myself, even though I personally identify as both Catholic and an ally to trans and gender-nonconforming people.

http://www.mtv.com/news/2929013/who-is-my-neighbor/