Six Sisters of Mercy in New Hampshire Join Interfaith Letter to Defeat Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

Six Sisters of Mercy have joined interfaith leaders in an effort to defeat anti-LGBTQ legislation in New Hampshire. The sisters signed an open letter, published by the New Hampshire Council of Churches, asserting that “LGBTQ+ people, especially youth, are created in the image of God. Their civil rights are sacred and must be protected.”

The letter criticized New Hampshire Senate Bill 272 for “target[ing] our transgender youth for increased monitoring and surveillance at school.” The bill would require educators to inform parents, when asked, about their children’s involvement in school clubs and their child’s gender identity. The legislature was proposed as a “parental bill of rights.”

Ninety faith leaders signed the open letter addressed to the state’s legislators. “We agree with the authors of this legislation that the relationship between parents, caregivers, and teachers works best with strong, open communication,” they said, but contended that, “Such communication is grounded in our students having access to appropriate confidentiality with their teachers as trusted adults.”

The six Mercy Sisters are Sr. Rosemary Burnham, Sr. Mary Ellen Foley, Sr. Madonna Moran, Sr. Assunta Riley, Sr. Natalie McDonough, and Sr. Eileen Brady. Mercy Associate Kathy Upson and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas NH Justice Committee also signed the open letter, joining with leaders and clergy of various Christian denominations and Jewish communities.

The letter cites evidence from the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization, indicating that “LGBTQ+ youth with one safe adult are 40% less likely to die by suicide.” This reality makes it morally imperative to safeguard student-teacher confidentiality. The letter argues that making a law compromising that trust “based on one, narrowly defined set of religious beliefs” would be “death dealing.” It continues, “To quote our colleague, The Hon. Mo Baxley, if legislation puts even one child in NH at higher risk of suicide, then we must ITL [vote against it in committee]. It is the moral, and ethical choice.”

The group argued that the Bible instructs people of faith to welcome and care for those who are marginalized—“those we might deem ‘other.’” In the faith leaders’ words,  “We are not to cause them harm, or to make their lives harder, but instead to show compassion, to seek understanding, and to craft systems that care for their well-being.”

Senate Bill 272 has been postponed indefinitely by a narrow vote of 195-190, according to a local news source.

The Sisters of Mercy as a community have been increasingly public and vocal in their support for transgender people. This March, for Trans Day of Visibility, the sisters’ Institute Leadership Team and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee released a statement of support, saying, “We see you, we cherish you, we love you!” In November 2022, for Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Sisters of Mercy also issued a statement mourning the violence trans people face and committing the order to advocacy.

–Ariell Watson Simon (she/her), New Ways Ministry, May 29, 2023