![]() Ironically, many of the arguments conservative evangelicals are making to oppose LGBTQI+ rights are the same arguments that many opponents to the church make to limit religious liberty and discriminate against communities of faith. Regrettably, much of the backlash is driven by the conservative evangelical community of which I am a member and a leader. Unfortunately, Pride month has become a major battle ground in our nation’s ongoing culture wars, wherein traditional religious values concerning sex, sexuality, gender identity and expression are being pitted against a progressive expansion of human rights. In essence, a basic tenet of our society is a shared commitment to the values of fairness, respect and tolerance so that we can live and thrive peacefully with one another without fear of being coerced by big brother type authority into acting in a manner inconsistent with our beliefs and convictions. Human dignity is inalienable - that means it is an essential part of every human being and is an intrinsic quality that can never be separated from other essential aspects of the human person. Human beings have transcendent worth and value that comes from God this dignity is not based on any human quality, legal mandate or individual merit or accomplishment. This understanding of being God's image is the starting point for how we answer questions such as who am I and why do I exist. Imago Dei is our human identity, and it cannot be lost or destroyed. (Carmen Joy Imes, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, Illinois 2023). Every human being is created as God’s image just as they are. Human life is sacred because the human person is the most central and clearest reflection of God among us. From a Christian perspective, human dignity originates from God and is of God because we are made in God’s own image and likeness (Gn 1:26-27). Human dignity is harmed when individuals and groups are marginalized, ignored or devalued, and is enhanced when laws recognize the full place of all individuals and groups. It is enhanced by laws that are sensitive to the needs, capacities and merits of different individuals, taking into account the context underlying their differences. Human dignity is harmed by unfair treatment premised upon personal traits or circumstances that do not relate to individual needs, capacities or merits. ![]() It is concerned with physical and psychological integrity and empowerment. Human dignity means that an individual or group feels self-respect and self-worth. “Pride month” could easily be named “Dignity month” because “dignity” is a term that captures the inherent value of our humanity no matter how one might identify themselves in the LGBTQI+ rainbow.Īs a society, our social contract requires a shared commitment to the preservation of human dignity. “Dignity” is a word often used in speeches and sermons, but not fully understood in its importance and application to the civil society in which we live. This Pride Month, we recognize the valuable contributions of LGBTQI+ individuals across America, and we reaffirm our commitment to standing in solidarity with LGBTQI+ Americans in their ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice.” We are refusing to live in shame any longer.”Īs President Joe Biden explained in 2021, “Pride is both a jubilant communal celebration of visibility and a personal celebration of self-worth and dignity. We are rejecting the lies that have told us we don’t belong, that we are somehow abnormal or sick or sinful. He explains, “We are embracing the reality that we are who we are. This uprising sparked a movement to defend the inherent dignity of those who identify as LGBTQI+ and to secure equality, liberty and justice for communities of people who have been reviled, mistreated, discriminated against, abused and killed.Īccording to Matt Nightingale, the spiritual director for the Christian Closet, when LGBTQIA+ people and their friends, families and allies celebrate Pride month, they are not celebrating pride that is harmful. According to the Library of Congress, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQI+) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan.
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