January 30, 2017
The Honorable Joe Straus Speaker of the House
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, Texas 78768

Dear Speaker Straus:

Thank you for your stand against Senate Bill 6. As the presiding officers of the Episcopal Church, we are firmly opposed to this legislation and condemn its discriminatory intent."

It is now a form of malevolent discrimination to separate the sexes.

"We reject the notion that transgender people do not deserve equal civil rights and protection under the law."

Going to any potty of your choice is now a civil right.

"We affirm the dignity of all of God's people, for we are all equally children of God, as the prophet Malachi declared when he wrote: "Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us?" (Mal. 2:10)"

There goes the Episcopal 1979 Baptismal Covenant argument again, and here I go again repeating what I have said before: "The meaning of 'dignity' has become so perverted that today when any of our selfish desires is denied, it amounts to an attack on our dignity. If a man says he is a woman and you say 'No, you are a man', you guilty of not respecting his dignity."

"As you are no doubt aware, this is not the first time that the segregation of bathrooms and public facilities has been used to stigmatize minority groups. 'Bathroom bills,' as they are sometimes called, were passed during the Jim Crow era, and the bogus rationale advanced then is the same bogus rationale being advanced now: the safety of women and children who are no way under threat."

There is no comparison between racial segregation and separation of the sexes, but that won't stop the strawman from being built.

"The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church has stood against fear and in support of God's love by passing a resolution that reaffirms the church's support of local, state and federal laws that prevent discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression."

In case you missed it, an accusation of fear mongering is hidden in that statement and is a common tactic used by the radical left to paint conservatives as mean-spirited and hateful creatures.

"The resolution also states our opposition to any legislation that seeks to deny the dignity, equality, and civil rights of transgender people."

The same argument they used earlier except with the addition of "equality". How is the law to treat someone who one day can ask for equal treatment as a male and on the next day can demand equal treatment as a female? Prisons are facing that problem with men asking to be transferred to the women's prison because of a change in their gender identity.

"The need for voices of conscience is urgent at this moment, because laws like the one proposed in Texas target some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. In a 2011 survey, 78 percent of transgender people said that they had been bullied or harassed in childhood;"

"Cis-gendered" children and teens also report being bullied. I have seen numbers as high as 83 percent of girls, and 79 percent of boys reporting being bullied either in school or online. I think it all depends on what considers being bullied. These days, in our hypersensitive age, creating a "microaggression" is considered an act of bullying.

"41 percent said they had attempted suicide; 35 percent had been assaulted and 12 percent had suffered a sexual assault. Almost half of transgender people who responded to the survey said they had suffered job discrimination, and almost a fifth had lost housing or been denied health care due to their gender identity or expression."

Curry and Jennings are implying that people who support separate restrooms for men and women might be guilty of causing the untimely deaths of transgender people.

"For us, as Episcopalians, the proposed Texas law is of particular concern. We are currently scheduled to hold our triennial General Convention--a nine-day event that includes as many as 10,000 people--in Austin in July 2018. Our church is proudly diverse: racially, economically, and in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity. At our conventions, we are duty-bound to ensure that all of our people are treated with respect, that their safety is guaranteed, and that our investment in the local economy of our host city reflects our values.

In 1955 we were forced to move a General Convention from Houston to another state because Texas laws prohibited black and white Episcopalians from being treated equally. We would not stand then for Episcopalians to be discriminated against, and we cannot countenance it now. We would be deeply grieved if Senate Bill 6 presented us with the same difficult choice that church leaders faced more than sixty years ago."

It would be no loss to the state of Texas if the Episcopal General Convention cancels its plans. In fact, it might be better for the spiritual health of all Texans if that triennial affront to the Gospel is sent to another state.

"We urge you to remain steadfast in your opposition to Senate Bill 6 and any similar bill that might be introduced in the Texas House, and we thank you for your commitment to keeping Texas a welcoming state for all of God's children."

Texas welcomes all but kindly asks them to use the facilities that correspond to their biological parts.

"Faithfully,
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop
The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President, House of Deputies"

I am sure they have faith in something, but it is not shared by the vast majority of faithful Anglicans.

All this leaves me wondering if Curry and Jennings have enough faith to share the bathroom with each other?

END