

Can you imagine someone telling you to your face, “My religion doesn’t accept people of your race, nationality or ethnic group, so you cannot possibly exist. I am going to ignore you.” Unfortunately, that is exactly that position taken many conservative religious communities towards LGBT people. Case and point, Anoka-Hennepin School District, in Minnesota under pressure from right-wing Christian groups in the community, has for years prohibited teachers and school administrators from discouraging bullying because it would entail acknowledging the very existence of LGBT students. The net result is that the school district has a disproportionately high rate of LGBT teen suicides.

In recent weeks, Republicans and conservative groups have accused the Obama administration of denying the religious freedoms of Catholic and evangelical employers who would not want to provide their employees with medical health insurance coverage that includes contraceptives and reproductive options. In other words, such groups are playing the victim card in their efforts to impose their religious doctrines on others.





Not surprising, Notre Dame University in Indiana has for years refuse to acknowledge that any LGBT students attend the school. School administrators have time and again refused to allow LGBT students and supporters on campus to create student organizations whose very existence would acknowledge that there are LGBT people in the Catholic university’s community. They have also refused to include “sexual orientation” on the list of prohibited causes of discrimination.

“Our religion does recognize you, so you don’t exist.”

The issue is not the fact that the Roman Catholic Church considers homosexuality a sin. The issue is that the Notre Dame University wants to MAKE BELIEVE there are no LGBT students on their campus, as if by not recognizing their presence they will become straight or just go away.

Some Notre Dame students and faculty members have made a video that call attention to the efforts of school administrators to treat LGBT students as invisible.

Video here: