Posted: May 16
Updated: Today at 8:04 PM
Maine Voices: Legislation singles out transgender community for discrimination
Proponents of L.D. 1046 are using irrational fears in an attempt to take away legal protections.
The Rev. Dr. William M. Barter is pastor of St. Ansgar Evangelical Lutheran Church in Portland.
http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/legislation-singles-out-transgender-community-for-discrimination_2011-05-16.html (http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/legislation-singles-out-transgender-community-for-discrimination_2011-05-16.html)
As a pastor, I feel bound to denounce a harmful and destructive piece of legislation, L.D. 1046, now being considered by the Maine Legislature.
This hateful, fear-mongering measure seeks to take from transgender individuals protections that are currently included in Maine's human rights statutes. This legislation unfairly singles out one group of individuals for discrimination.
People claiming to be Christians have no basis in sacred Scripture for using religion to discriminate against transgender individuals.