Faith leaders: Silence on LGBTQ+ rights is no longer an option

There are moments in public life when a community must decide who it is—truly, unapologetically, without flinching. The release of Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom by the Lavender Interfaith Collective (LInC) is one of those moments. Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom is a bold, multi-faith statement and call to action affirming the inherent dignity of LGBTIQ+ people and urging communities, leaders, and institutions to defend human rights, expand democratic freedoms, and stand in courageous solidarity against all forms of anti-LGBTIQ+ violence and discrimination. It is not simply a statement; it is a line in the sand drawn by people of faith who refuse to let fear have the final word. I write as one of them.For too long, religion has been used as a weapon against LGBTIQ+ people—especially transgender and nonbinary youth who are being targeted with a cruelty that should break every heart awake to the sacred. Many of us in faith leadership have watched this unfold with grief, anger, and a growing conviction that silence is no longer an option. Silence, after all, is not neutrality. Silence is complicity.Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom rises from that conviction. It is rooted in the simple, ancient truth that every person carries an inherent dignity that no legislature, no pulpit, and no political agenda can erase. But it also names something deeper: our freedom is bound together. When one group is targeted, the whole community is diminished. When one group is protected, the whole community becomes more resilient.This is not abstract theology. It is a lived reality. I have seen queer and trans youth walk into congregations unsure if they will be welcomed or wounded. I have watched parents tremble with fear for their children’s safety. I have listened to elders who survived earlier waves of hatred and now watch history trying to repeat itself. And I have witnessed the courage of communities who refuse to let that happen.That courage is what Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom calls f