March 12, 2021
EQUALITY ACT NEEDS YOUR HELP
The Equality Act is making history for LGBTQ+ Americans: it will establish in law protections against discrimination in employment and housing that were set in place as executive orders during the Obama Administration, but revoked by President Trump. The law faces an uphill battle in the narrowly divided Senate, however. Remember: if the Senate doesn't approve this law, the next administration can overturn President Biden's executive orders. We urge members of Open and Affirming churches to contact their Senators to urge them to vote for the Act: be sure to frame your message based on your faith as a Christian.
ANTI-TRANSGENDER CAMPAIGNS
Laws proposed in many states are designed to deprive transgender youth of life-saving medical treatment, and threaten to undermine the rights of parents of transgender children. These proposed laws are the opening salvo of a broader campaign to overthrow hard-won rights for the LGBTQ+ community, and set the stage for a legal strategy that based on the hope that ex-President Trump's appointment of 234 Federal judges has tipped the balance of power in the Federal judiciary. Learn more about the anti-trans campaign on the Coalition website. Below is a link to a recent article in Witness for Justice by Mike Schuenemeyer putting the campaign into perspective.
ONA CALENDAR
Taizé Morning Prayer for the ONA Family
Monday through Friday, 9 and 11 am EST
Taizé Night Prayer for the ONA Family
Sunday, 10 pm EST
Webinar: Bisexuality/Pansexuality
Thursday, March 18, 7 pm EST
Webinar: ONA 201
Thursday, March 25, 7 pm EST
Transgender Day of Visibility
Wednesday, March 31
HELP THE ONA MOVEMENT GROW!
The ONA Coalition serves the largest and fastest-growing LGBTQ-affirming church movement in the world! But this mission depends on financial support from ONA churches and individuals. The Coalition is an independent non-profit: we're not part of the UCC's national office, and national funding accounts for less than five percent of our budget. Will you help us reach our goal: a church that isn't just 33% but 100% Open and Affirming? Help us help the ONA movement grow! Your safe online contribution is tax-deductible.
WINTER WEBINAR UPDATE
To those who were registered participants in our Winter-Spring webinar series, we apologize that video recordings were delayed for technical reasons. So far, we've emailed links to video recordings for the National ONA Event along with ONA 101, ONA and the Bible and Beyond Binary webinars. We'll email the remainder this week. If you registered for the Michigan Conference ONA Event or webinars, and haven't received the video links from us, contact Kimi Floyd Reisch at ona@openandaffirming.org.