Church broadens defense of human rights

The United Methodist Church now proclaims its support “for the equal rights, liberties, and protections of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

During the morning plenary, General Conference delegates approved that statement as part of the first batch of Revised Social Principles to come before the body.

The United Methodist Church and its predecessors have long taken public stands on issues of the world going back to the 1908 Social Creed, which called for “equal rights and complete justice for all men in all stations of life.”

But this marks the first time that the denomination is calling for human rights no matter a person’s gender identity. By that, the Social Principle means people should be treated with basic human dignity regardless of whether they are male, female, intersexual, transgender or nonbinary.

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