OEF Council Statement of Support for and Solidarity with our Transgender and Intersex Siblings and Communities

Dear siblings, and all friends of our little Order of Ecumenical Franciscans,

There is joy in remembering how we have been called together, to celebrate the Divine presence and grace in everything, and to follow the Poor Christ in lives of mutual care and accountability. For many of us, this calling has also been healing. We have known well the sting of exclusion, bigotry, discrimination, and violence. What a difference to find a community where we can receive one another as gifts, where we can welcome, include, and learn with and from one another! And in learning to love each other more honestly and fully, we find we are also drawn more deeply into the love of God.

But this joy is often mixed with grief, and today we especially acknowledge the hatred aimed at transgender and intersex people. Bullying, abuse, assault, murder, and suicide are all too common, especially for those who are Black, Brown, or Indigenous. Discrimination in health care, education, housing, religious institutions, and employment are everyday experiences. And each year, we brace ourselves for the next round of legislation that will be proposed to further legalize discrimination.

This year has brought new highs of such legislation. In 2021, at least 117 bills in 33 states have been introduced that are aimed at discriminating against transgender people, especially youth. While many of these bills will not become law, Arkansas has already outlawed providing gender-affirming treatment to minors. And even proposing these bills is an attempt to normalize discrimination against an already vulnerable population.

Christ’s love compels us to proclaim, in the face of such discrimination and harm, that not only “Trans Rights are Human Rights,” but that transgender, nonbinary, gender-expansive, gender nonconforming, and intersex people are children of God who bear the Divine image. In our General Rule of Life, we joyfully and wholeheartedly affirm that: “Members are … inclusive of all gender identifications and sexual orientations.” In this spirit, we urge all people to work together to oppose all anti-trans legislation and to bring about full and equal inclusion of transgender and intersex people in all areas of life.

In the love and grace of Jesus, and in the little way of Saints Francis and Clare,

Your Servant Council