ONA Proposed Op-Ed Article

Russ Ware
16 minutes ago
3 min read

Plymouth’s Open and Affirming Committee has submitted an opinion article that they would like to issue in the name of Plymouth Church to local news outlets like the Lawrence Times and Lawrence Journal World.

Review and potential approval of this statement is on the agenda for the December 16 Church Council meeting. Please send any comments on the article directly to me at rbireta@gmail.com Your comments will be shared with the other members of the Council. All comments are welcome!

Here is the proposed article:

Have you ever been made fun of for wearing glasses? Maybe it was braces. Or having red hair, or curly hair. Were you too tall, too short, too thin, too large? Perhaps it was that you were too smart, or not smart enough; too nerdy, too much of a theater kid, too artsy.

If you are one of the billions of people who, for some reason, just never seemed to fit in, what did you do about it? Did you beg your parents for contacts? Straighten your hair? Go to the gym to bulk up or to lose weight? Hide your books or your drawings? Not talk about your passion?

Do you remember what that feels like? Some of you who are reading this don’t have to remember, because you’re still doing it. But whether it is your daily reality or something you are grateful to have left behind, please, sit for just one minute and allow yourself to feel. Feel what it is to be told that the reason why you don’t belong, is because you are you.

At Plymouth Congregational Church, we believe that no one should ever be made to feel as if they cannot be accepted and loved as they are. Every one of us is God’s child, born with the inherent dignity, value, and worth bestowed by God’s unshakable love. We also recognize that the church has sinned, in this area as in many others, by what we have done and what we have left undone. For much of our history, Christians have been guilty of trying to exclude marginalized communities.

For this reason, Plymouth strives to be a safe harbor for everyone, but especially for communities that are in the cross hairs of harmful legislation. Laws are meant to protect, to safeguard, to help. Yet in many states across this country, laws that target the transgender population have been passed that create two distinct classes of citizens: those who are able to be themselves, to be called by their name, to access healthcare, to use a public restroom, to serve in the military, to have families, and those who are not deemed worthy of such basic human rights. These laws are frequently celebrated, touted as victories for Americans. The reality is that they are contrary to the teachings of Jesus.

As people of faith, we condemn these laws and the chilling effect that they have had on the lives of vulnerable communities. Jesus did not turn people away, he welcomed everyone. He embraced social pariahs, ate with outcasts, and preached a religion of kindness, care, respect, and belonging. As his followers, we are called to do the same. In his name, we stand with LGBTQIA+ community in fighting harmful legislation and work to build a world in which everyone is enough, just as they are.

Plymouth Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, affirms that members of the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community share with all others the worth associated with being unique individuals created by God. Considering the struggles they currently face, we especially welcome and affirm the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming youth community. This congregation joyfully and unequivocally welcomes the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community to share in the life, leadership, and blessings of participation in our community of faith. We also commit ourselves to the work of creating not only a world in which transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people are safe but also a world in which they thrive.

Rich Bireta

Moderator