CNP Board Responds to Federal Government Actions Affecting Trans and Non-binary Persons, Calls for PCUSA Action

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The Board of Directors of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians offers the following call in response to the federal government’s actions of the past three weeks as they affect transgender and non-binary people:

In an historic, unanimous vote in 2018, the 223rd General Assembly said: 

“ Standing in the conviction that all people are created in the image of God and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for all people, the 223rd General Assembly (2018) affirms its commitment to the full welcome, acceptance, and inclusion of transgender people, people who identify as gender non-binary, and people of all gender identities within the full life of the church and the world. The assembly affirms the full dignity and the full humanity of transgender people, their full inclusion in all human rights, and their giftedness for service. The assembly affirms the church’s obligation to stand for the right of people of all gender identities to live free from discrimination, violence, and every form of injustice” (emphasis added). [1]”

Among other things, this action gave specific direction to the Stated Clerk and the Office of Public Witness (Washington Office) to speak up for particular rights of transgender and non-binary people and to confront specific injustices that might occur:

“Accordingly, the General Assembly empowers, authorizes, and directs the Stated Clerk and the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through its Office of Public Witness, to advocate for the rights of transgender people and for legal protections to ensure and protect the full humanity and dignity of people of all gender identities. Specifically, the Stated Clerk and the Presbyterian Mission Agency (Office of Public Witness) are authorized to support the right of transgender individuals to

*serve in the military, and every type of government and public service;
*full access to public accommodations, including gender-inclusive restrooms;
*full legal protection against discrimination, particularly with regard to employment, housing, education, and health care;
*title IX protections for transgender students against violence and bullying;
*other legal protections that guarantee and safeguard the full rights of transgender individuals.”

In the first three weeks of the current presidential administration, executive orders have sought to undermine, minimize, reverse or defy federal laws and regulations related to almost every one of the points of emphasis listed. One order declares there to be only two sexes, immutable and assigned at birth. Department of Defense actions threaten to oust transgender people from the military. Programs offering education and seeking safety for people of diverse gender identities have been scrapped. Reference to gender identity in anti-discrimination efforts has been prohibited, to the extent that efforts to fight discrimination and promote equity continue at all. The rights of transgender and non-binary persons that had been understood by the prior administration as emanating from Title IX in education and school sports have already been dismissed by the new administration, and the government’s prior intervention in legal cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the rights of transgender people has now been withdrawn.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), through its clear and unanimous resolution in 2018, has already explicitly condemned all of these actions, and the Covenant Network of Presbyterians wholeheartedly affirms that this denomination must continue—today more than ever before—to stand up for the rights and dignity of people of all gender identities.

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians calls on the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and the Office of Public Witness (Washington Office) to speak an unequivocal and prophetic word confronting the federal government’s actions as they affect transgender and non-binary people. We hope for the implementation of this clear directive of the church’s highest council for the benefit of children of God who are being hurt every day by the federal government’s actions. 

Every synod, presbytery and congregational leader should likewise be stating these truths and intensifying their own efforts to extend a full and affirming welcome to people of all gender identities. The Covenant Network of Presbyterians stands ready to support all congregations, councils and agencies of the church in these efforts. [2]

As the 2018 Assembly declared, “The image of God expansively and specifically includes people of all gender identities including transgender, cisgender, gender non-binary people, and people of all gender expressions.” May all of our Church, and most especially its leaders, act on our convictions for the well-being of our gender-diverse siblings, the integrity of our church’s witness, and the proclamation of the gospel to the world. 

The members of the Board of Directors of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians are:

The Rev. TJ Remaley, Co-Moderator
Southminster Presbyterian Church, Boise, Idaho

Slats Toole, Co-Moderator
Minneapolis, Minn.

The Rev. Nick Carson
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Greenville, S.C.

Douglas L. Chial
World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland

Ruling Elder Christopher Dahlke
Corpus Christi, Texas

The Rev. Lucy Forster-Smith
Wellesley, Mass.

The Rev. Matt Gaventa
University Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas

The Rev. Marci Auld Glass
Calvary Presbyterian Church, San Francisco, Calif.

The Rev. Alexandra Hendrickson
Lafayette College, Easton, Penn.

The Rev. Chad Andrew Herring
Village Presbyterian Church, Prairie Village, Kansas

Ruling Elder Daniel Herron
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Wash.

The Rev. Joanna Hipp
Plymouth Presbyterian Church, Plymouth, Minn.

The Rev. Karla Ann Koll
Latin American Biblical University, San Jose, Costa Rica

The Rev. Jenny McDevitt
Shandon Presbyterian Church, Columbia, S.C.

The Rev. Carol M. McDonald
Northminster Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Ind.

The Rev. Pepa Paniagua
Grace Presbytery, Irving, Texas

Ruling Elder Vince Patton
Central Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Ky.

The Rev. Omar Rouchon
St. Philip Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas

The Rev. Lucy Strong
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Ga.

Elder Susan Young Thornton
Presbytery of Los Ranchos, Anaheim, Calif.

The Rev. Alex Vaiz
Sierra Vista Community Church, Sacramento, Calif.

The Rev. Laura Viau
First & Central Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, Del.

The Rev. Julia Watkins
Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.

The Rev. Landon Whitsitt
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Rev. Brian Ellison, Executive Director
Covenant Network of Presbyterians, Kansas City, Mo.

1]  All quotations are from the 223rd General Assembly (2018), Item 11-12, “On Affirming and Celebrating the Full Dignity and Hunanity of People of All Gender Identities,” accessible here: https://www.pc-biz.org/search/3000312

[2] Numerous resources are available from the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. These include events, sermons, presentations, liturgies, a list of member congregations, and information on proposed amendments to the Book of Order, all of which can be accessed under the Resources tab at www.covnetpres.org. Staff and board members are also available for consultation about resources or educational visits (virtual or in-person) to congregations and councils; contact executive director Brian Ellison at brian@covnetpres.org.