Reconciling Works

National Weekend of Prayer for Transgender Justice (March 24-26, 2017)

Posted on: March 1, 2017 by:

As part of your community's identity as Reconciling in Christ (RIC) specifically extending a welcome to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, ReconcilingWorks urges you to participate in the National Weekend of Prayer for Transgender Justice (www.NationalWeekendofPrayer.org), March 24-26, 2017. The event was initially designed to be a time to pray for Gavin Grimm, the transgender student arguing for the right to use the restroom which matches his gender identity. All that changed on March 6, 2017, when the Supreme Court decided it would no longer hear the case in response to the executive branch's decision to remove Title IX guidance clarifying protection for transgender students. We hold Gavin Grimm in love and prayer, as no teenager should be asked to shoulder the burden that he has taken on, and we also recognize that the suffering of transgender people, particularly those who are women, people of color, youth, elders, disabled, and undocumented, goes unnoticed by the mainstream.
 
We also know victims of anti-transgender violence are overwhelmingly women of color, who live at the dangerous intersections of transphobia, racism, sexism, and criminalization which often lead to high rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. Eight transgender people in the United States have been killed so far in 2017. All are women of color.
  • Alphonza Watson (38 years old) killed on March 22 in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Ciara McElveen (18 years old) killed on February 27 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 
  • Chyna Gibson (31 years old) killed on February 25 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 
  • Keke Collier (24 years old) killed on February 21 in Englewood, Chicago. 
  • Jaquarrius Holland (18 years old) killed on February 19 in Monroe, Louisiana.
  • JoJo Striker (23 years old) killed on February 8 in Toledo, Ohio.
  • Mesha Caldwell (41 years old) killed on January 4 in Canton, Mississippi.
  • Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow(28 years old)  killed on January 1 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Supreme Court will not hear Gavin's case this March, but we ask Reconciling in Christ communities around the nation to not wait for the court to act. The current environment of intolerance toward transgender people, implicitly condoned by the top levels of government, directly impacts our transgender neighbors, friends, and family members. Transgender women of color are paying for it with their lives and transgender students are being denied access to basic facilities, even as new anti-LGBTQ bills are sweeping the map. (More info: ReconcilingWorks.org/Advocate)
 
People of faith will not be silent. On March 24-26, ReconcilingWorks stands with Reconciling in Christ communities across the country praying for transgender justice.

We invite you to include one of the prayers below in your Sunday March 26, 2017 worship service:

General prayer

Spirit of life and love that resides within and among us, we enter this moment with all that we are, with an open heart, and with a love for justice.

We hold in love and prayer all transgender people, so many of whom live under the weight of violence, fear, and intolerance. We hold in love and prayer all the ways that transgender people have survived and thrived in a hostile world. We hold in love and prayer all who recognize the significance of gender justice for all people.

We who believe in freedom will not rest until it comes. We pray for the dawn of a new day when the very humanity of trans people is no longer called into question or ignored. We pray that physical, emotional, and spiritual violence will come to an end. We pray that a spirit of compassion and care will fill us to overflowing, that we may have the capacity to listen, learn, and grow not only in our awareness but also in our willingness to act. We pray for teachers, spiritual leaders, social workers, lawyers, and all people who heed the call to support Trans liberation, Trans leadership, and Trans visibility. May they ultimately lean into the Light of truth and justice, offering hope to Trans and gender nonconforming youth and adults.

We pray for Gavin Grimm and his family and friends as they continue to shoulder a legal process that is too often unkind. May he persevere with courage and strength.

On this day, we commit and recommit to creating a world where people of all genders know peace, love, and justice. We commit and recommit to living lives of compassion and care for all of humanity. We commit and recommit to the healing work of relationship-building that will help every person know, no matter their gender or sexuality, that they are loved and valued.

Offered by the Transforming Hearts Collective.

Christian prayer

Loving Creator,

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the heart, and neglect. Then Oh God, let the sun come out and fill the sky with beautiful rainbows. 

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the heart, and neglect. Then Oh God, let the sun come out and fill the sky with beautiful rainbows. 

Let the warmth of the Sun heal us wherever we are broken. Let It burn away the fog so that each of us sees each other clearly. So that we can move beyond labels, beyond accents, gender, sexual orientation, or skin color. Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness. So that we can share the joy and sorrow of our neighbors. And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbors. 

Let the Earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with your beauty, and let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven. Then, Dear God, grant us comfort, give us peace, and allow us strength to enable us to Stand up, Fight for, and be a Voice for Equality. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Offered by Rev. Debra J. Hopkins, Black trans woman, minister at
Sacred Souls Community Church in Charlotte, NC.

 

Jewish prayer

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe.

From the beginning of time, you created diversity in creation and called it good.

Today, we pray for transgender justice, in a world where so many transgender people live under the weight of violence, fear, and intolerance.

We pray for a new day when the diversity of all creation is celebrated and the humanity of transgender people is no longer called into question or ignored.

We pray for an end to all physical, emotional, and spiritual violence.

Bless us as we seek your justice, compassion, and wisdom, that we may grow in empathy, understanding, and willingness to act.

Amen.

Offered by the Religious Institute.