Letter Submitted to The Salem News in Support of Transgender Equality and Yes on 3
As the board of First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, we are moved to speak out in favor of Question 3, supporting our transgender family in our faith and our communities. Our faith calls us to value the inherent worth and dignity of each person, so our position is clear: all people should be able to safely access public spaces.
When the Public Accommodations Transgender Non-Discrimination bill was passed by a strong bipartisan vote and signed into law by Governor Baker in 2016, it was a victory for the Commonwealth and for all of us living here. We are committed to creating a climate that is safe for transgender people through the practice of our shared values of justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, and our reverence for the unique possibilities contained in each human life. We have brought these values to life in our state, and in the two years since the law’s passage, all of us in Massachusetts, especially transgender and gender non-conforming residents, have been safer because of it.
Next month, we are being asked to vote on whether to take away rights from transgender people. It is sorrowful even to have such a question on the ballot. But by endorsing and voting Yes on 3, the First Parish board seeks to recognize what an essential set of protections we have in place for transgender people in this state. Though the outcome of this vote may not appear to directly impact many of our lives, our values ask us to recognize the interdependent web of existence wherein if one of us is at risk, we all are. Overturning this necessary law would put our transgender and gender non-conforming community members at great risk.
On election day, our congregation will be speaking out for Yes on Three. It is a matter of justice, of dignity, of safety, of rights. We hope you join us.
First Parish Church Board
Rev. Kelly Weisman Asprooth-Jackson: Yes on 3!
Listen to Rev. Kelly discuss why he supports “Yes” on Question 3: