Faith leaders from the religious organizations that underwrite and sponsor many WCRIS school groups are urging its school boosters to contact U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, to ask them to oppose the Equality Act (H.R. 5), which is intended to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.”

In February, the bill passed in the US House and is now being considered by the Senate. Both Senators have strong beliefs in this area of the law and likely won’t change their minds, however by reaching out you may help temper their zeal and you can inform them about how seriously this will affect their constituents.This advocacy can have an enormous influence on how they lobby their Senate leaders to schedule the bill for a vote, or whether a vigorous filibuster is waged. If they detect strong opposition from the folks back home, they may be more likely to allow their leaders to leave the bill in committee.

Religious leaders stress that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. They also point out that the Act, in many ways, does the opposite. Instead of respecting differences in beliefs about marriage and sexuality, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith.

The Equality Act would:

  • punish faith-based organizations, such as charities and schools who serve everyone in their communities, simply because of their beliefs;
  • force girls and women to compete against boys and men for limited opportunities in sports, and to share locker rooms and shower spaces with biological males who identify as women;
  • force people in everyday life, and especially health care workers, to support gender transition;
  • and expand what the government considers a “public” place, forcing even some church halls to host functions that conflict with the sponsoring church’s beliefs.

Please urge Senators Baldwin and Johnson to oppose it. You can email Senators Baldwin and Johnson through the contact forms on their individual websites.

Or, you can use this quick advocacy link provided by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). They are the only religious school group with a quick link to email the senators, and they invite you to use it, even if you are not Catholic.

If you want to see what your jurisdiction says about the Equality Act, you can get more information at:

For ACSI schools:
https://www.acsi.org/advocacy/legislative-action-center/topics-to-follow/equality-act
For Lutheran Church Missouri Synod schools:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2021/lcms-presidents-statement-on-the-equality-act/
For WELS Lutheran schools:
https://wels.net/faq/equality-act/
For Seventh Day Adventist schools:
https://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story16044-adventist-church-continues-to-advocate-for-religious-protections-in-lgbt-civil-rights-legislation