Petition Text: 20260-CS-NonDis-O

Around the world, political and religious groups attempt to mandate discrimination against gay and lesbian persons through local and national legislative initiatives. We feel called as Christians to reconfirm our resistance to the strategies and intent of such groups. These groups falsely portray the basic human rights of equal opportunity, access to redress for harm, and justice as "special rights" in the case of gay and lesbian persons.

This legal, systemic attack results in persecution and suffering. The legislative initiatives effectively limit freedom of speech, freedom of inquiry, and access to health care for persons with HIV+/AIDS. This endeavor to isolate and discriminate against gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons as a group within our society hurts them and diminishes the rights of all. It must be stopped now.

It is particularly disturbing when religious values are used as a foundation for persecution of select groups of people. This process has characterized some of the church's bleakest history: the Crusades, Inquisition, Pogroms, Slavery, and the Holocaust. It is crucially important that Christians insist that all people are God's children who deserve the protection of their human and civil rights.

The Social Principles statement of the United Methodist Book of Discipline gives us clear direction in the matter:

"We insist that all persons, regardless of age, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation, are entitled to have their human and civil rights ensured." (¶71.F)

"The rights and privileges a society bestows upon or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. We therefore work toward societies in which each person's value is recognized, maintained, and strengthened." (¶72)

Therefore, all United Methodists are called upon:

1. To refrain from signing petitions and to vote against measures which advocate the denial of basic human and civil rights to anyone;

2. To educate congregation and community alike about the position of the United Methodist Discipline on civil rights and its broad applications;

3. To stand against any political or physical acts that deny human and civil rights and the sacred worth of all persons.

We do this as part of our Christian witness and ministry. Never let it be said that United Methodists were silent during this attack on the rights of all.

General Conference Index | PETS Index | Petition Information Index

General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn

Petition Text: 20260-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference