This week I talked with Reverend Nicole Garcia about her new role as Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force. Nicole is an ordained minister of Word & Sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She firmly believes that her experience as a transgender & Latina seminarian has prepared her for this new position at the Task Force to help bring all denominations of our community together. This comes at a time when LGBTQ people are under attack with hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills pending across state legislatures & 7 states have passed laws banning transgender women & girls from competing in sports teams consistent with their gender. Just 4 years ago there were 41 expressly anti-LGBTQ bills introduced across the country & today we are dealing with a barrage of over 300 bills rooted in hate. Then there are states like Arizona, Texas & Alabama moving to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Not to mention other states following Florida's lead which passed the "Don't Say Gay" bill & are eyeing restrictions on teaching LGBTQ topics in schools. Though President Biden has stated that the onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans & their families is simply wrong nothing has been done nationally to stop these malicious bills that are spiritually & physically dividing our country by radical rightwing conservative politicians & religious leaders preaching hate from their bully pulpits. I talked to Reverend Garcia about what she hopes to accomplish at The Task Force & her spin on our LGBTQ issues. LISTEN
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