A new generation of faith-based activism for equality

ur nation’s seismic shift away from intolerance and towards full equality for LGBTQ people has been strengthened by voices leant by our nation’s young faithful. A rising collective of Millennials are resoundingly dismantling the view that religion is incompatible with LGBTQ acceptance—embracing equal treatment for all Americans not in spite of, but because of, their faith.

The first openly transgender person to head a mainline Protestant organization, Alex McNeill currently serves as the executive director of More Light Presbyterians. McNeill’s journey to ordination will be chronicled alongside other LGBTQ people of faith in the upcoming film, “Out of Order,” which takes place against the backdrop of the passage of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)’s measure to include same-sex couples in their definition of marriage. McNeill was influential in PCUSA’s vote, and has also organized faith communities in support of Maryland’s same-sex marriage legislation and local ballot measures to promote equal rights for LGBTQ people. Reverend Cameron Partridge, an Episcopal priest, says his transgender status has not hindered, but helped him in his role as one of the first openly transgender chaplains at a major university. Because of his identity, he says, he is able to navigate the diverse intersections of faith and sexuality many students wrestle with. Partridge utilizes his various platforms to foster understanding between congregants and religious leaders in an effort to assimilate transgender people into all forms of ministry.

Matthew Vines, author of “God and The Gay Christian,” is regarded as influential for engaging older, evangelical leaders in the growing acceptance of gay rights. Vines is also president and founder of The Reformation Project, a group that trains clergy, lay leaders, and congregants to provide support for LGBTQ people navigating various aspects of church life. Meanwhile, Justin Massey is encouraging LGBTQ advocacy in another unlikely space: the conservative, evangelical Wheaton College. Feeling isolated as an undergraduate, Massey co-founded Refuge, the first administration-approved campus support group for non-heterosexual or questioning students. In Massey’s words, his sexual identity is “not only compatible with his faith, but absolutely critical.”