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As Christians across the country celebrated Holy Week, a group of LGBTQ+ faith leaders gathered outside the Capitol to reject President Donald Trump’s “anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.” And one religious leader told Fox News Digital that the Trump administration is “the most hostile administration to religion in recent memory.”
Monday attendees at The Collective of Queer Christian Leaders event claimed that Trump not only targeted the LGBTQ+ community, but also religious leaders.
“We’ve seen a series of attacks on faith leaders,” Guthrie Graves, the appointed Baptist butler, told Nicholas Barasy of Fox News Digital. “For example, Bishop Marian Budd, bishop of the Washington Church, spoke about the mercy of LGBTQ people and immigrants during his first prayer service. And even a very humble plea for mercy, President Trump became fierce on her.”
In the Social Post of Truth, Trump called Bud “the radical left hardline Trump hatred” and accused him of politicizing his first prayer service by asking “scary” LGBTQ+ children to “have mercy.”
Trump exceses the bishop as “radical left hardline Trump hatred” after politically accused prayer service
A group of LGBTQ+ Christian leaders gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to protest the Trump administration. (Fox News Digital)
“As a group of queer Christian leaders, our message today was to let the LGBTQ+ community and individuals know they’re not alone. We’re not alone. We’re together. We wanted to oppose the executive orders coming out of this current administration today.”
LGBTQ Christians evoke “right anger” in Capitol during Holy Week
On his first day back in his oval office, Trump issued an executive order establishing only two genders, male and female.
Trump Attorney General Pam Bondy announced a lawsuit against Maine on Wednesday over allowing transgender women to continue playing women’s sports.
Democrat Maine Gov. Janet Mills refused to follow Trump’s executive orders restricting biological men from playing girls and women’s sports. Almost two months ago, Trump and Mills sparred during a governor’s meeting at the White House. Meanwhile, Trump promised that Mills would see her “in court.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills left, while President Donald Trump swapped barbs at a governor’s meeting at the White House. Trump promised Mills that he would see her “in court.” (Getty Images)
Many attendees told Fox News Digital that trans people, especially those who are “being under attack.” And Haley Warner of The Belbing Collective, an LGBTQ+ comprehensive church, defended “a perfect embrace from the church from the arms of God” and defended his opposition to “what is being done by the far right in the name of God.”
“We must fight in courts, in the faith community, on the streets, to ensure that our trans brothers are especially uplifted at this point,” said Sun Chandi, senior adviser to Democracy Forward, a legal organisation defending democratic progress through policy engagement.
“What’s very clear is that we are in the midst of a certain level of unprecedented attack on the LGBTQ+ community. The rights my ancestors have fought hard are now under attack, but are actively rewind.”
Sunu Chandy, a senior advisor to Democracy Forward, attended Monday’s gathering of LGBTQ+ Christian leaders at the U.S. Capitol. (Fox News Digital)
Another attendee, Jan Lawrence, executive director of the Reconciliation Ministries Network, an LGBTQ+ judicial organisation within the United Methodist Church, emphasized the importance of unified faith leaders during this “critical time.”
“We have a collective voice that is greater than any of us,” Lawrence said.
While the Trump administration was called “the most hostile administration in recent memory” during the event on Monday, Trump’s new White House Faith Office has announced a robust Holy Week schedule to celebrate Easter.
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The White House did not respond to requests for comment due to Fox News Digital’s deadline.
Last year, President Joe Biden declared on March 31st. This fell on Easter Sunday, Transgender Visibility Day, declared, “trans and non-binary Americans should see them, they belong and be treated with dignity and respect.”
Deirdre Heavey is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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