Trans Pastors Speak Out Against Hate Crimes

I spent the past three days, with over 200 trans folk in Washington DC for Lobby Days and the Transgender Religious Summit (sponsored by CLGS and NCTE) to help lobby for congress to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Bill (which the house just passed the bill today).

A few of the 50 trans pastors, took time before lobbying to release the first major letter written by an interfaith group of transgender faith leaders. You can read the letter in English or Spanish. These trans pastors gathered in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and to encourage other faith leaders to do the same.

Notably the most prolific charge at the Transgender Religious Summit came from Kate Bornstein. Here are some of my favorite quotes from her keynote:

• "it's time for churches to start having good sex: safe, sane and consensual."
• "everyone here is getting a 'get out of he'll free card'"#trs http://twitpic.com/4266m
• "when we are outsiders we get to be hidden bodhisattvahs... Because no one would expect us to do good work"
• "what does it say that the downfall of humanity (in Genisis) comes from the desire for morality"
• the story of Adam and eve is story of God warning us against the binary
• "you never have to answer either/or questions... Either/or is the language of bullies."
• "I'm a masochist, if I did unto you what I like done to me, you'd rightly put me in jail"