US government policies designed to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity pose a significant threat to freedom of religion, major US evangelicals have claimed.
The policies, known as SOGI, "threaten basic freedoms of religion, conscience, speech, and association; violate privacy rights; and expose citizens to significant legal and financial liability for practicing their beliefs in the public square", according to a statement signed by prominent US evangelicals.
An initiative of the Charles Colson Center, the statement entitled 'Preserve Freedom, Reject Coercion' takes aim at SOGI legislation and was signed by more than 75 "prominent religious and thought leaders". Signatories include Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, D A Carson, chairman of The Gospel Coalition, Most Rev Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, Franklin Graham and Al Mohler.
The statement says that "every individual is created in the image of God and as such should be treated with love, compassion, and respect". However, it says that "people are created male and female, that this complementarity is the basis for the family centered on the marital union of a man and a woman, and that the family is the wellspring of human flourishing".
It says SOGI laws are "used by the government in an attempt to compel citizens to sacrifice their deepest convictions on marriage and what it means to be male and female – people who serve everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, but who cannot promote messages, engage in expression, or participate in events that contradict their beliefs or their organization's guiding values".
Referencing high-profile cases where actions have been brought under anti-discrimination laws against conservative Christians who have refused to provide services for LGBT people, the statement says that "people of good will can face personal and professional ruin, fines, and even jail time, and organizations face the loss of accreditation, licensing, grants, contracts, and tax-exemption".
It calls for the rejection of SOGI laws at federal, state and local levels.
Supporters of SOGI laws point out that without them homosexual and transgender people are vulnerable to discrimination and hate crimes.
