I have read all the petitions to Annual Conference for legislative action. And I have to say that there was one that stopped me in my tracks and had me calling my friends. It is Petition # EE-10 | Gender Inclusive Buildings.<\/p>\n
It reads:<\/p>\n
Resolved, the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference and the United Methodist Churches of the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference make the public statement that our Churches and facilities (buildings, gathering spaces and restrooms) are safe places for all regardless of gender identity and that transgender persons may use the restroom consistent with the individual\u2019s gender identity in our churches and affiliated buildings.<\/p>\n
First, a few things about myself:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I am a provisional elder.
\n2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I am a mom.
\n3. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I am deeply involved in and supportive of the LGBTQIA, etc., community.
\n4. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0My son is transgender.
\n5. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0His name is Colin Jon David Stewart and he is 18.<\/p>\n
My first reaction to reading this statement was not one of\u00a0joy<\/strong>, but one of\u00a0concern<\/strong>. A public statement will not guarantee the safety of my son to go into a men\u2019s restroom.<\/p>\n My second reaction, and tempered by discussion with my son, is that\u00a0this is awesome<\/strong>. In high school, we waivered out of our school district into another school district because that most simplest of needs, the need to go to the bathroom, was very difficult to meet. After he transferred to the other school district, he advocated (along with other youth) for an inclusive bathroom policy.\u00a0And actually, Washington State has a law for students in schools that guarantees non-discrimination. The state bathroom policy is:<\/p>\n Should school districts allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice<\/strong>?<\/p>\n Yes. School districts should allow students to use the restroom that is consistent with their gender identity consistently asserted at school. (Source: Prohibiting Discrimination in Washington Public Schools Guidelines for school districts to implement Chapters 28A.640 and 28A.642 RCW and Chapter 392-190 WAC, page 30)<\/p>\n So the question arises, what will guarantee the safety of my son? The answer lies in that most simplest and most complex of questions:<\/p>\n What commandment is first of all?<\/p>\n \u201cThe first is, \u2018Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.\u2019 The second is this, \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019 There is no other commandment greater than these.\u201d (Mark 12:28-31)<\/p>\n If we acted with love towards all, then we would surely at least guarantee their safety. An expectation to be free from insult and harm is very simple.<\/p>\n I, as a mom, would like a guaranteed answer to the question, \u201cDo you love my son?\u201d And if the answer is, \u201cI love him but\u2026,\u201d then we are done talking about safety because it cannot be guaranteed. I need the church to look this mother in the eye and say, \u201cI love your son. He is welcome here. He will be safe.\u201d Can a public statement on behalf of the entire conference do that on behalf of each individual church? No, it cannot. No more than the OSPI document makes a statement that all school bathrooms are free from bullying.\u00a0But it is a step in the right direction<\/strong>. We intend for it to be safe, now, let us work to make it so.<\/p>\n Sometimes, we have to live like the Kingdom of God is here and now<\/strong>. This legislation does that. It makes a basic statement of safety. And while it is not a guarantee, there is little in life that is.<\/p>\n When we think about the rules we have (the Book of Discipline), the rules we have had (the 613 commandments found within Hebrew Scripture), the new rules created in Christian scripture, can we say that any of these rules has guaranteed the safety of anybody? What guarantees safety is seeing one another as beloved by God and as individuals of sacred worth. Truly loving each other so much that, as Wesley said, we do no harm.<\/p>\n Do No Harm. I hope that we can find a way to elevate the conversation around gender identity in such a way that we become consistent with Wesleyan ideals and with the greatest commandment. Maybe this petition will start the conversation. But let\u2019s be clear, it is only the beginning. Ideally, we would embark on a conference wide discussion of gender identity. Educating one another and becoming safe containers for the love that God has planted within each of our hearts. Shalom and Amen!<\/p>\n
\nDo Good of Every Possible Sort.
\nStay in Love with God.
\n~The Three Simple Rules of John Wesley<\/p>\n
\nMy prayer for everyone is that they will consider these issues lovingly.<\/p>\n
\n