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The Colectivo de Latinx Ministries of the United Church of Christ has issued a statement in response to a recent Texas Supreme Court decision. The ruling, made on October 24 by nine Republican justices, allows judges in Texas to refuse to marry same-sex couples if doing so conflicts with their “sincerely held” religious beliefs. This reverses a 2015 requirement that judges officiate weddings for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples or neither.
The statement from The Colectivo, signed by Rev. Yinessa Romero and Rev. Dr. Lorraine Ceniceros, expresses support for LGBTQIA+ individuals in Texas. It reads: “every person is created in the image of God and deserves to live with dignity, respect, compassion, and justice.” The group also calls on policymakers, faith leaders, and “all people of goodwill” to make love the foundation for all actions and decisions, stating that failing to do so is “to defy God’s command.”
Rev. Romero told UCC News that the group’s position comes from the Gospel: “compels us to advocate for love rather than discrimination.” She added: “A court decision that legitimizes hatred and chooses prejudice over love is not something we can remain silent about,” said Romero. “True justice is realized only in the absence of exclusion, never through it.”
This issue extends beyond Texas as the U.S. Supreme Court plans to consider a challenge related to same-sex marriage on November 7. The case involves former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis who refused marriage licenses to gay couples after the nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015.
