By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
An order by the Obama administration that public schools and universities permit transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to the gender identity of their choosing has drawn opposition from many Louisiana Baptists.
Issued on Friday, the order signed by Department of Education and Justice officials threaten to pull federal funding for schools that do not comply.
A letter on the matter was sent to all school districts in the U.S.
“Schools have a responsibility to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, including transgender students,” the letter said. “Harassment that targets a student based on gender identity, transgender status, or gender transition is harassment based on sex, and the Departments enforce Title IX accordingly. If sex-based harassment creates a hostile environment, the school must take prompt and effective steps to end the harassment, prevent its recurrence, and, as appropriate, remedy its effects. A school’s failure to treat students consistent with their gender identity may create or contribute to a hostile environment in violation of Title IX.”
The letter said a school can provide separate facilities based on the gender, but transgender students must have access to those facilities for which sex they identify. “A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so,” the letter said. “A school may, however, make individual-user options available to all students who voluntarily seek additional privacy.”
Faith-based community takes action
Addressed by pastors of both large and small churches throughout the state, their message was loud and clear – the directive puts innocent school children in danger and the faith community should unite in this battle.
Waylon Bailey
Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Church in Covington, said in an e-mail to the Baptist Message that he and pastors of two other large Protestant congregations in his community were deeply saddened about the mandate. Bailey, James Mitchell of St. Timothy on the Northshore and Steve Robinson of Church of the King recently released a joint statement on this issue.
“This is a common sense issue,” Bailey told the Message. “We are further concerned this will open doors in the future which cannot be closed. We fear grave and unseen consequences.”
Bailey feels the directive is deeply concerning and potentially dangerous to women and children.
“We empathize with adults, parents, and children who are struggling with gender identity issues,” he said. “We want to remind you that we will demonstrate our faith as we seek to ‘speak the truth in love.’ Simon Peter encouraged us to always be ready to give an account for the reason for our hope but to do so with ‘gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 2:15).
Steve Horn
Steve Horn addressed the issue during his sermon Sunday morning at First Baptist Church Lafayette, where he serves as pastor.
After referencing the biblical character Daniel, who stayed true to his convictions about God and defied the king’s decree not to pray, Horn then asked his congregation to pray for school leaders. First Lafayette posted the excerpt from his message on its Facebook page.
“We need to be praying for school superintendents all over the country tomorrow, that they’ll have the courage to stand up, speak up, show up and say the letter I got last Friday does not apply to this school system,” Horn said. “May it be in these United States of America, and may we as a Christian body in conviction of God’s word stand beside them in this fight against what’s happening today.”
First Baptist Church in Kenner enacted a restroom policy on Friday, soon after news broke about the edict by Obama’s administration.
“The latest issue was the reason we pulled the trigger on it,” Pastor Mike Miller said. “Churches are typically exempt from laws and lawsuits if their stated beliefs would be violated. We are articulating particulars about everything right now.”
The new policy states that because First Baptist holds to the biblical position that gender is determined by God, as referenced in Genesis 1:27, First Baptist Church recognizes only male and female genders.
“Therefore, we do not encourage any expression or self-identity that stands in contradiction to a person’s God-given identity and genetic composition, and we will work with individuals to help them find joy, peace, and contentment in who they are as God created them to be,” the policy says. “Furthermore, we reject the idea that transgenderism or any ‘gender identity’ other than that consistent with one’s biological sex is a valid expression of one’s identity.
“We welcome all people, regardless of their beliefs on these issues, to participate in our corporate activities, and we hope they will be received warmly. Our intent is to extend the love of God to everyone. Therefore, in order to provide the safest and most emotionally healthy environment for everyone involved, we require that all persons use only those restroom facilities that align with their biologically established gender.”
Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pollock, took to social media on Saturday morning, calling the directive a means to make public schools an unsafe environment for children. He called upon Christians to stand together and refuse to comply.
Gunter wrote he believes local school boards, superintendents and principals likely do not agree with the order. Therefore, he cautioned against attacking school leaders and encouraged others to tell them they will do everything possible to oppose Obama’s directive.
“Please do not treat our local schools as if they are the enemy,” he said. “Give them the benefit of the doubt. If we support them, they will probably stand with us.
“We simply cannot allow our public schools to become a place where official policy would enable and give opportunity to those who seek to sexually assault our children,” he continued. “As a community, we must take this stand together – we will not allow our children to attend any school which does not require boys and girls to use separate bathrooms and locker rooms. We expect our schools to refuse to comply with this immoral directive because protecting our children from sexual assault is more important than political correctness.”
