We at the Office
of Public Witness affirm the rights of children to a safe educational
environment and mourn the loss of protections for transgender students
ordered by the Administration that jeopardize that safety. It is a moral
obligation for every school in the U.S. to protect students from bullying and
harassment. We are called to stand with the marginalized and oppressed, and
stand with students who may once again experience fear about going to school
after a brief period of protection from the federal government.
The General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its predecessor churches
have explicitly affirmed the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) people for almost forty years. This includes a call
from the 117th General Assembly (1977) of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States to stand for just treatment of LGBT people regarding their
civil liberties, equal rights, and protection from social and economic
discrimination. We also draw on the General Assembly’s rich history of
education advocacy, particularly a 2010 resolution which “recommit[ted] the PC(USA)
to the principle of equal educational opportunity for all children in the
United States, different as each child may be, and affirms them all as our
children, neighbors in our care.” (Loving Our Neighbors: Equity and Quality
in Public Education (K-12). Approved by the 219th General Assembly of the
PC(USA), 2010.) Support for transgender students is mandated by our
larger charge to advocate for rigorous quality education for students, to
create affirming environments for all learners, and to live into the idea
that children truly are neighbors in our care.
Call the offices of Attorney General Sessions,
Education Secretary DeVos and the White House to share your voice. Make sure
your Members of Congress hear from you and tell them to pass a trans-inclusive
safe schools act. And, advocate at the local level, with your local school
board and administration, calling on them to ensure the safety and equal treatment
of all students in school policies and their implementation.
In Faith We Share,
Rev. Jimmie Ray Hawkins
Director, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office
of Public Witness
