Rev. Kent H. Little: LGBT bill has nothing to do with religion

House Bill 2323 adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, to protect the rights of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters. This amending language provides for safety, access, equality and employment protection for those who at the current time can be discriminated against simply because of who they are.

I was honored to speak last week in support of this bill and testified that this is not a religious issue. Even though I am a faith leader, I believe our founders, both national and state, grounded our governance on equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

However, even if it were about religious freedom, good, faithful, committed, loving Christians and all religious persons who are LGBT should have their religious freedom protected as well. No citizen should live under threat of discrimination and loss of livelihood and happiness based solely on who we all are as children of the Creator.

The testimonies in opposition quickly took a religious-freedom bent, even though this issue, this bill, this amending language has nothing to do with religion (Jan. 15 Eagle). I was disheartened by the misinformation, misleading testimony and at times blatant dishonesty about not only LGBT persons but also the so-called religious implications of this language, purported both by some of our state leaders and so-called legal experts from outside the state representing Christian-based organizations.

I am more deeply disturbed and troubled than I have ever been as I watch not only our state but our nation lift up a religious form that is defined by fearmongering, discrimination, hatred and suspicion – a religious form that is defined by whom it can exclude and shut out rather than a nation founded on freedom for all and a religious expression grounded in the unconditional love and grace of the Creator.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” said the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. I suspect that the kind of peaceable and just world we long for will continue to be a long time coming.

But there is a light shining in the distance. The journey toward that light is our task, so those who come behind us will know we were a part of why it shines, when it finally immerses us in the warmth of justice, compassion, welcome and love.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Rev. Kent H. Little: LGBT bill has nothing to do with religion."