Image Credit: Mark MacDonald via SBC Executive Committee / Facebook
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
At their 2023 annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) passed a resolution strongly opposed to “gender affirming care” and all forms of transition intervention, citing Biblical precepts that, “God created humans in His own image as distinctly male and female,” and, “the differences between men and women are complementary, determined at conception, immutable, rooted in God’s design, and most clearly revealed in bodily differences, not in self-defined and ultimately false notions of ‘gender identity’”.
They also condemned corporate medical services that exploit children for profit by promoting “harmful and often irreversible ‘gender transition’ experiments on vulnerable minors and young adults,” along with calling upon state legislatures across the country to take action to protect children from such interventions.
Now, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee (ERLC), the public policy wing of the SBC, is doubling down on this stance as legal cases and liberal criticism intensify.
Opposition has risen in response to the 2023 Tennessee law that forbids any medical procedure or medication for minors that would enable them to identify or live as any gender other than their biological sex.
Critics allege it violates the Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment and “intentionally targets transgender people through sex discrimination and interferes with parents’ ability to make medical decisions for their children.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a suit against the state immediately after the bill was signed into law with the Biden administration soon joining.
The case, United States vs. Skrmetti, has now made its way to the Supreme Court, though no date has yet been set for oral arguments. But the ERLC has remained steadfast in their convictions, even filing an amicus brief supporting the Tennessee law.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood believes the supporting brief could play a key role in the case’s outcome.
He says, “The Supreme Court’s decision will have a monumental impact on the safety and security of children vulnerable to a harmful gender ideology, not just in the state of Tennessee, but across the nation. Harmful procedures like hormone therapy, puberty blockers and surgery impose lifelong, devastating consequences on their well-being. An amicus brief allows the ERLC to put these convictions and arguments in front of our justices and in many cases, can sway the outcome of the case.”
The ERLC’s willingness to remain firm in this stance could have repercussions across the nation as Tennessee remains at the forefront of pending litigation against Republican-led legislation in 25 other states attempting to restrict or prevent “gender affirming” medical processes and procedures for minors.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
