Thread by @inlayterms

Tomorrow #SCOTUS is going to hear three cases that will decide if employers can fire LGBTQ people for no other reason than being LGBTQ, or any expression thereof. This is very worrisome.

I don’t think the outlook is good at all. Gorsuch and Kavanagh are partisan ideologues, who do not care about protections for marginalized groups, including #LGBTQ people. So, as I brace myself for a painful hearing and a bad decision, I have to think about what I can do.

This case will hinge on whether people can invoke religion to fire LGBTQ people and cause pain and suffering. The plaintiffs are not ministers. They are doing everyday jobs. But this is going to be a case of “religious freedom” giving a license to discrimination.

The assumption behind this case is that religious freedom is only evoked in an anti-LGBTQ context. As faith leaders, we need to change the narrative.

My own church, the @ELCA, stated in its Social Statement on Human Sexuality that it “supports legislation and policies to protect civil rights and to prohibit discrimination in housing, employment, and public services.” download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resourc…

@ELCA If you are a person of faith, a religious person, and you believe that God created LGBTQ people to live full, abundant lives, you are going to have to speak up. We need to hear you say that your deeply held religious belief is that LGBTQ people should be free from discrimination.

@ELCA If you are aspire to be an ally, now is the time to say something. Not to convince ME that you oppose discrimination, but to tell others that you oppose discrimination. Tell that to your employer. Tell that to your pastor or rabbi or imam. Tell that to your distant relatives.

@ELCA If you are a corporation with a nondiscrim policy, be VERYvocal and public about it. Remind people that businesses do want #LGBTQ employees…and then do the really hard work to provide employment opportunities for the most marginalized within the LGBTQ community (trans folks).

@ELCA Do not assume that #SCOTUS will make the “right” decision (they won’t). We need to change culture and stem the growing tide of discrimination. Make this ruling irrelevant by being vocal, even in the hard places.

@ELCA Tomorrow is going to be a hard day for LGBTQ people, after a hard few years. So we are tired and need someone else to pick up the mantle for us for a bit.

@ELCA We need you to carry the message to the people who need to hear it, and need to change their attitudes and perceptions about the LGBTQ community. So we can all enjoy the freedom that we say we value in the USA. #RiseUpOct8