At the start of Pride Month, as a fellow traveler with my queer siblings, I say it’s time to move beyond tolerance and inclusion and adopt a paradigm of ruthlessly punishing golden rule violators at the polls and sending them home to learn some manners.Imagine a 30-second spot this fall, airing in swing districts and states. That means races where any House or Senate candidate can win. The commercial would feature the smiling faces of teenagers at play and these words, read by Allison Janney (a guy can dream!):
“Our society has a lot to learn about trans people in sports.
“But right now, we can protect everyone’s rights without our government being cruel to our precious teenagers.
“Trump and his friends in Congress claim they’re Christians.
“Tell them to follow Jesus’s golden rule.
“Tell them to stop torturing our children.”
In Matthew 7:12, Jesus said, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” He didn’t invent it, but he died on the cross and rose from the grave to prove it. It wouldn’t solve all of our public policy problems. But it requires those in power to do all they can for the largest number of our people. It also rules out cruelty for cruelty’s sake, such as Trump’s sadistic policies toward trans and non-binary people, which put their health and very lives at risk.
The All-Faith Democratic Union, as I call it, would represent the 140 million Americans who follow a religion or philosophy based on the golden rule. No valid argument about the separation of church and state exists to keep such an organization from forming a PAC and airing issue ads. People of faith have a First Amendment right to call out an unholy abomination when they see it.
My ad wouldn’t work everywhere. But Trump’s pullback on ICE raids shows the vulnerability of his empire of cruelty and death. He knows that racist crackdowns and the murder of peaceful demonstrators offended millions of voters, including some hardliners on immigration. A tough line on any issue can still leave room for humanity and decency.
It’s time to raise high the sword and shield of the love of the living Christ. The golden rule is the law of the universe. It governs the planets in their courses, you, and me. It’s time to find a vocabulary for applying it to Trump, Putin, and Chi. TransEpiscopal
[Photo: Transgender athlete Rebekah Bruesehoff speaking in Washington in 2023; Getty Images]