A Place of Worship in Maryland reported stolen BLM and Pride flags, a Mormon church in Utah placed restrictions on trans members, and the DNC championed LGBTQ candidates.
Place of Worship Reports Stolen BLM, Pride Flags
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Salisbury (UUFS) reported that a Black Lives Matter flag and a pride flag were stolen from their property.
The UUFS said in a statement that it will replace the flags to act “not with fear, not with anger, but with love.”
Executive Director Mark DeLancey called the theft a hate crime, according to WMDT.
“Find out who they are, their names, and obviously prosecute to the utmost part of the law of what needs to be done when it comes to hate crimes, because this is considered a hate crime,” DeLancey said.
The local sheriff’s office said the theft is being investigated as stolen property, not a hate crime.
Mormon Church Places Restrictions on Trans Members
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A Mormon church in Salt Lake City implemented multiple new policies that targeted transgender members, according to NBC News.
The policies bar trans members from working with members and serving as priests or teachers. The church placed further restrictions on a rule that bans trans people from being baptized.
Trans people will also be subjected to annotations on their membership records that identify them alongside churchgoers who have committed incest, predatory behavior, sexual violence against children and embezzlement of church funds.
“Church leaders counsel against pursuing surgical, medical or social transition away from one’s biological sex at birth,” the church’s handbook reads. “Leaders advise that taking these actions will result in some Church membership restrictions.”
DNC Champions LGBTQ Candidates
Senator Sarah McBride. Photo via sarahmcbride.com.
Many LGBTQ candidates running for office are ready to smash barriers in November, according to Roll Call.
The Democratic National Convention has highlighted people like Julie Johnson, who would be the first openly LGBTQ person elected to congress representing Texas, and Sarah McBride, who would be the first openly transgender person elected to congress.
In her speech, McBride said the possibility of achieving that benchmark is moving.
“I am so moved by today," McBride said. “If you could have told my 10-year-old self that there would be a room full of amazing Democrats chanting my chosen name, I never would have believed it.”
Johnson’s message was clear in a speech she gave on Aug. 21: Hiding who you are hinders your connection with others.
“My message was, ‘I’m gay. … I’m gay all day,’” Johnson said. “If you’re a candidate, be yourself. Don’t hide from your truth, own it. Campaign on it. People value it. They understand who we are. They will vote for you.’’
The Democratic embracement of LGBTQ candidates is a stark contrast to the GOP’s consistent anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
