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    Columbus Faithful Pray and Walk for LGBT Equality

    “Hear our prayer”

    More than a hundred people braved the cold weather Sunday night to participate in a reflective and at times solemn interfaith prayer walk for LGBT equality. Behind them were two ominous developments in the recent history of the Ohio LGBT movement; the 6th Circuit Court decision, which upheld the state’s refusal to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages, and the assault of Candice Milligan, a transgender woman, on the streets of downtown Toledo last week. Ahead of them stood the Equal Housing and Employment Act, which the walk’s organizers at Broad Street United Methodist Church hope will be passed by the state’s General Assembly.

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    Sunday’s interfaith walk consisted of four prayer stations along Broad Street between the United Methodist Church and the Ohio Statehouse, each station focusing on a different issue facing the LGBT community. Groups of 10 to 15 people were dispatched from United Methodist at about 5 pm and led through all of the stations before finishing the night at Trinity Episcopal Church. Leading one of the groups was Suzy Ujvagi, a statewide organizer from Equality Ohio.

    “I actually had the wonderful opportunity to be a faith leader, so I was able to lead a small group of about 10 people to each of the four stations,” said Ujvagi.

    The first prayer station was dedicated to LGBT discrimination. At this station, group leaders announced, “We gather in this place to pay for the discrimination affecting us and our loved ones.” Leaders read an account of a gay man who faced constant discrimination from his employer, creating an environment of “daily tension and fear.”

    Participants said the names of people they knew who had faced similar discrimination and said, “Almighty, hear our prayer.”

    Outside Capitol University Law School, leaders invoked the 6th Circuit decision and reflected on the likelihood that the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to rule on marriage equality. Participants said the names of the people they knew who have been harmed by being unable to marry. They prayed in silence and said, “Almighty, hear our prayer.”

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    At the Statehouse, faith walkers prayed for LGBT youth, citing a report by the Center for American Progress that there are between 320,000 and 400,000 LGBT youths facing homelessness every year. As LGBT equality advances in the United States, young people believe they can safely come out to their families, but often find themselves thrown out of the home. The groups read the names of young people they knew in similar situations.

    “Almighty, hear our prayer.”

    The groups gathered at one last station outside Trinity Episcopal Church, this one focused on the prevalence of violence against the transgender community. There, the participants reflected on the assault of Candice Milligan by a group of men who, according to the Toledo Blade, shouted, “That’s a dude in a dress” before robbing her and breaking her jaw.

    “Obviously discrimination still exists in Ohio,” said Ujvagi later. “The realities of LGBT youth and trans and gender-nonconforming individuals are they are consistently put into harm’s way and oppressed in many ways. So there, unfortunately, were very easy-to-find instances in Ohio where LGBT youth are facing homelessness and transgender folks are facing discrimination and violence.”

    The interfaith walkers prayed for Milligan and other victims of similar violence before asking, “Almighty, hear our prayer.”

    Faith and Values

    The architect of Sunday’s prayer walk was Josh Culbertson, chair of the Reconciling Ministries Network Board at Broad Street United Methodist. The idea for the walk came out of a brainstorming session as part of raining conducted by the National LGBTQ Task Force.

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    “It came about because while our church does a really good job of being visible and participating during Pride, I feel like throughout the rest of the year, we don’t do enough to support the LGBTQ community,” said Culbertson.

    While participants reflected on issues like violence against transgender people and marriage equality given the recent news on those fronts, the walk was also heavily focused on showing support Equal Housing and Employment Act on the part of Ohio’s faith community.

    Culbertson said the walk was “a way to communicate with our state legislators, our representatives that there are faith people in support of this issue and in favor of equality for all people here in Ohio.”

    “I think that sadly in the world of faith and religion, the voice of those that are not so supportive is the one that’s heard primarily,” continued Culbertson. “I think it’s really important that we as people of faith come out and show that that’s not the only voice that’s out there in the faith community.”

    The faith community has recently found itself in a period of transition with regard to LGBT rights and equality. Christian priests and a Jewish rabbi oversaw the post-walk service at Trinity Episcopal Church and passages from the New and Old Testaments were read as a way of including all three Abrahamic religions. Ujvagi and Equality Ohio has been working to increase the visibility of faith communities who support LGBT rights at a time when people of faith are often associated with LGBT opposition.

    “We’ve been able to host interfaith services, many trainings, prayer vigils as we’ve done today,” said Ujvagi. She and Equality Ohio have also encouraged and helped faith communities “write directly to their legislators to let them know that LGBT people are facing risk and discrimination and as people of faith our values of love and acceptance and the fact that we believe all people have human dignity and worth really does relate to the real harms that are happening with LGBT people today.”

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    Faith in the Future

    The prayer walk Sunday will not be the end of the faith community’s efforts for LGBT equality this week. During services at Trinity Episcopal Church, Ujvagi announced that on Tuesday at 10 am, faith leaders will hold a press conference at the Ohio Statehouse where they will show their support for nondiscrimination legislation.

    “We’ve got close to 130 faith leaders across Ohio who have signed on in support of nondiscrimination and that there should be protections for LGBT people, so we’re showcasing those names and those faith leaders,” said Ujvagi. “Also we’re hearing…their journey and their story of why they believe in this so strongly.”

    After the press conference, attendees and faith leaders will gather for meetings with their representatives to personally express their support for nondiscrimination and LGBT protections.

    Culbertson was pleased with the results of Sunday’s prayer walk.

    “I’m really happy, we had a little over a hundred people here tonight. I’m really impressed given the threat of snow coming later tonight, so I appreciate everyone coming out in the cold and braving the weather to show support for this issue,” said Culbertson. “I think it’s a testament to the fact that the people in Ohio really do care about this issue.”

    He also offered insight into the future of the interfaith prayer walk and the faith community’s involvement not only with LGBT concerns, but also political issues that concern women, children and families.

    “Our hope is to make it an annual thing,” said Culbertson. “We figure every year after the election, at the end of legislative session there will always be some issue that our state legislators possibly will be leaving on the table and will not get a vote and so…we want to be able to bring light to those causes to make sure that they get the attention they deserve.”

    For ongoing discussion on marriage equality in Ohio, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.

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