Southern Baptist Convention Says LGBTQ Rights Are Not Civil Rights

MSNBC reports that on Wednesday, the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in New Orleans voted to pass a resolution rejecting the notion that gay rights are civil rights. The resolution adopted by the SBC states that marriage is exclusively between one man and one women, and that opposite-sex marriage is not a social construct but rather an institution established by God. The resolution laments that "homosexual rights activists" have "misappropriated" the language of the civil rights movement. Gays and lesbians, it insists, do not have "distinguishing features of classes entitled to special protections." Same-sex marriage advocacy does not qualify as a civil rights issue because gays and lesbians do not "qualify as a class meriting special protections, like race and gender." Finally, the resolution encourages Southern Baptists to reflect on how they can extend "redemptive ministry" to people who "struggle with homosexuality."

While the resolution condemns "hateful rhetoric" and "hate-incited action," it is anything but affirming of the LGBTQ community. First, the document avoids using words such as "gay" or "lesbian." preferring terms such as "persons who engage in acts of homosexuality" or "those who struggle with homosexuality." In doing so, the SBC defines homosexuality as a pattern of behavior or an unwanted flaw rather than an intrinsic identity. Furthermore, by rejecting the idea that the LGBTQ community is a class deserving special protections, the resolution ignores widespread evidence of discrimination and violence against LGBTQ persons. The SBC's condemnation of hateful speech and actions rings hollow amidst its refusal to acknowledge the struggles of the LGBTQ population.

The SBC also stirred controversy earlier this week when its newly elected president spoke of gays in the same breath as racists and child abusers. Religion News Service reports that on June 19th, the SBC elected Rev. Fred Luter as its first black president. Shortly before the SBC meeting, Luter had ended a pastors' conference with a sermon about how God can supposedly change gays. "Only the word of God can change the heart of a racist. Only the word of God can change the desire of a child molester,” he said. "The word of God can change a lifestyle of a homosexual."

Luter told CNN that Christians are to love everyone, including gays, but stressed that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. ""We're going to embrace [gays] as far as who they are, but we're also going to stand on biblical principles that the word of God has already established." Luter's election and the resolution both sent strong messages about where the SBC stands on LGBTQ issues.

Commentators have condemned the SBC for its anti-gay statement. Writing at Religion Dispatches, Candace Chellew-Hodge called the move "reprehensible" because the resolution is hypocritical and ignores the genuine struggles of LGBTQ people.

 "If a group—or class—of people is being blatantly discriminated against not just by churches, but by federal and state governments, and said group, or class, decides to rebel against that discrimination and claim its rightful place as full, tax-paying citizens of the United States of America, you can damn well bet it is a civil rights movement. Nobody copyrighted the phrase, and nobody can, on one hand say, “Yes, we see that you’re being wronged,” and then say, “but you have no right to work for your civil rights, or to call it a ‘civil rights’ movement.”

But the SBC certainly does want it both ways. They work in their “love the sinner, hate the sin” philosophy by being clear that while gays and lesbians should learn their place on the back of the bus, they certainly don’t want any harm to come to those (terrible, horrible, more sinful than the rest of us) people. The resolution is clear that the SBC abhors “any form or gay-bashing, whether disrespectful attitudes, hateful rhetoric, or hate-incited actions.” Which would be funny, if their resolution were not itself a prime example of gay-bashing, disrespect, and hateful rhetoric ...[T]he SBC can’t seem to understand that these sorts of resolutions are at the very heart of the continuing violence and discrimination against gay and lesbian people."

The SBC's myopia is deeply disappointing. Its actions this week suggest that it refuses to recognize the struggles of the LGBTQ community. The Southern Baptists, it seems, have a long way to go.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Texas Freedom Network Insider: An Anti-Gay Voice from the (Recent) Past at the Southern Baptist Convention

Good As You: Southern Baptist Convention becomes more anti-gay, political, extreme, and alienating

The Root: Southern Baptists' New Leader on Gay Rights

Butterflies and Wheels: No Rights for You