The Open and Affirming Coalition Responds to Missouri and Federal Attacks on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC Communities July 10, 2025- Public Witness
By UCC Coalition | July 29, 2025
On July 10, 2025, during the 2025 National Gathering in Kansas City, Missouri, the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ led a public witness march from the Downtown Marriott to Ilus W. Davis Park. There, we joined local activists and organizations for a powerful teach-in addressing the urgent issues facing LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities in Missouri and across the nation. In preparation for this witness, senior leaders of the Coalition met with local organizers, advocates, and community members to listen deeply and learn how we could amplify their efforts and elevate their calls for justice. What follows is our official public witness statement—an affirmation of solidarity and a call to action grounded in faith, justice, and our shared ONA commitments.
Jesus’ ministry was a bold declaration that no one is beyond the reach of God’s love. He stood with those on the margins, healed those denied care, challenged unjust power, and affirmed the sacred worth of people pushed aside by religion and empire. His message was, and still is, one of justice, belonging, and liberation.
To be faithful now is to refuse neutrality in the face of injustice. It is to speak out when policies target transgender youth, strip away bodily autonomy, silence queer and trans voices, and endanger the lives of BIPOC LGBTQ+ people.
Across the country, we are witnessing the erosion of rights and critical institutions that all Americans depend on. Make no mistake, the intention of this wave of regressive policies is to harm LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC populations, under the guise of religious liberty.
Missouri, like many other states in our union, has sought to ban abortion care and gender affirming care for Transgender people. Both valid forms of life-saving healthcare are now endangered by actions recently taken by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) and the Missouri General Assembly.
In 2022, the In the Dobbs decision by SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, a ruling which guaranteed the right to an abortion for nearly 50 years.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order 14168, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, withdrawing federal recognition of transgender people. A series of additional executive orders has continued the ongoing assault on transgender individuals—particularly targeting transgender military personnel, athletes, and others across various spheres of public life.
On May 14, 2025, the Missouri Senate voted to move House Joint Resolution 73 (HJR 73) to the ballot in Missouri by 2026. HJR 73 creates a state constitutional amendment to ban abortion in Missouri without the ballot clearly stating that such a ban will happen. HJR 73 would also make Missouri the first state with a constitutional prohibition on medical care for transgender youth, a cynical and very dangerous use of transgender kids as “ballot candy” to leverage yes votes for the abortion ban.
On that same day, the Missouri Senate also passed House Bill 567 to nullify the paid sick days and cost of living increases to the minimum wage passed by nearly 58% of Missouri voters on November 5, 2024, as Proposition A.
On June 27, 2025, in a 6-3 decision, SCOTUS ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor that parents must have the right to opt their children out of public school lessons with LGBTQIA+ subject material because of their right to direct their children’s religious upbringing.
On July 4, 2025, Congress enacted H.R. 1—the grossly misnamed “One Big Beautiful Budget Bill”—triggering an unprecedented transfer of resources from our most vulnerable neighbors to the nation’s richest elite. By slashing Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding while handing out massive tax breaks to the super-wealthy, this law puts profits before people. It is projected to add $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, strip health coverage from up to 17 million Americans, deepen hunger in communities already living on the brink, and drive rural hospitals—our last line of defense—into crisis. This bill betrays our collective promise of solidarity and equity. We stand united in demanding a federal budget that honors human dignity, safeguards health, and invests in the well-being of every person.
All of these actions will disproportionately impact LGBTQAI+ and BIPOC people who are already burdened by discrimination, anti-blackness, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, etc. In addition to challenges posed by poverty, under the weight of tremendous income inequality.
The Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ calls for the following actions by UCC congregations:
Educate their members about these recent decisions in state and federal branches of government and to mobilize members to advocate for justice.
UCC congregations in Missouri are urged to invite members of their congregations and communities to sign the PROMO Missouri solidarity pledge to work together to defeat the HJR 73-related constitutional amendment at the polls.
UCC congregations in Missouri and the eight states that border Missouri are called to deepen their relationships with social justice organizations addressing the issues of LGBTQIA+ people, as well as issues impacting low-wage workers. Especially the Kansas City-area organizations listed here whenever circumstances demand a united front for safety and for progress toward justice and to raise funds to support their vital missions.
BlaqOut – Learn More / Give
PROMO Missouri – Donate Here
Missouri Jobs with Justice – Donate Here
Nafasi Trans Care Collective – Donate Here
Reale Justice Network – Donate Here
Trans Women of Color Collective / Dee Dee’s House – Donate Here
Current Open and Affirming congregations are called to recommit to the work of justice named in their ONA covenants—not as a static identity, but as an ongoing, active practice, including advocacy and activism. This means educating themselves about the current threats facing LGBTQIA+ individuals—especially those living at the intersections of poverty, racism, and gender-based violence—and taking faithful, public action in response.
It also means shifting power: making intentional space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people to lead. When we follow the wisdom of those most impacted, our movements are more truthful, more just, and more life-giving. Too often, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ individuals are harmed or sidelined in justice efforts that claim to serve all—for example, during the organizing around Missouri’s Amendment 3 on abortion access. Justice demands more than inclusion. It requires shared leadership, real accountability, and deep trust in the voices of those most affected.
UCC congregations that have not yet voted to become ONA are asked to undergo the ONA study process. It is important that all UCC congregations adopt resolutions calling for an end to discrimination and for full participation by LGBTQIA+ people in church and society.
