A couple of weeks ago, there were two news stories that caught my attention. The first was the terrible terrorist attack in Orlando, and the second was the proposed equal rights ordinance submitted to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly. The two events happening within days of each other got me thinking. Can a person be opposed to hatred, violence and unjust discrimination against persons in the LGBT community and at the same time oppose their lifestyle choices? For me, as a Catholic Deacon, the answer must be “yes”.
To paraphrase Pope Benedict XVI, Catholicism is a religion of the “both/and” not the “either/or.” The Catholic Church opposes all hatred, violence and unjust discrimination against all persons, from the womb to the tomb. However, the church also teaches there are certain human behaviors that are contrary to God’s plan for humanity. In the realm of sexuality, those behaviors not only include same sex relationships, but also premarital heterosexual relationships, extramarital relationships, cohabitation, divorce, gender identity confusion and pornography. Whether one agrees with Catholic Church teachings in the area of human sexuality isn’t the issue. The issue is the Church — and all religious organizations — have a constitutionally protected right to express and practice their religious beliefs. The proposed equal rights ordinance now before the CBJ Assembly, No. 2016-23, fails to protect that right.
Under the proposed ordinance, the church would be prohibited in its employment practices from reserving employment to persons of the same faith or persons who adhere to or profess the moral teachings of that faith. The ordinance would also bar the church from reserving the public rental and use of its facilities to persons or organizations whose intended use is consistent with the church’s beliefs and teachings.
The ordinance does contain a token religious exemption, but that exemption is grossly inadequate. I urge the Assembly to broaden the religious exemption to protect the liberties of all religious organizations and ensure their right to express and practice their religious beliefs without the threat of civil action.
• Deacon Michael Monagle is the business manager of the Diocese of Juneau.
