Parish LGBTQ+ Ministry Speaks Out Against Trump’s Anti-Trans Orders, As Well as USCCB’s Support of These Actions

The leader of a Catholic parish’s LGBTQ+ ministry group has publicly criticized the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) support of President Donald Trump’s repressive actions against transgender people, saying that such actions are “not just discriminatory; they are dangerous. . . . [and] contribute to the stigma and marginalization that transgender people already face, increasing their vulnerability to mental health issues, suicide and violence.”

All Saints Parish Church main entrance

In a letter to the editor of Syracuse, New York’s Post-Standard newspaper, Jeff Wright, the chair of the All Saints Catholic Church LGBTQIA+ Task Force, located in the same city, also announced that in response to the USCCB’s support for Trump’s policy, the parish is  establishing “a support group that will provide a compassionate and inclusive space for transgender parishioners, their families and friends. The goal is to foster understanding, offer support and strengthen the sense of community within our church, where we believe in the importance of love, unconditional acceptance and support for all individuals, inclusive of all gender identities.”

“We must advocate for policies that recognize and respect the full spectrum of gender identities,” Wright stated. “We must support transgender individuals in their fight for equality, respect and dignity. And we must hold our leaders accountable for the harm their actions cause — both political and religious leaders.”

Wright also noted that the effects Trump’s policy will have are “real and devastating,” and that such a directive “has no place in the Catholic Church in the United States or throughout the world.”

The understanding of such a policy is based on “narrow and scientifically inaccurate definition disregards the lived experiences and identities of transgender, nonbinary and intersex individuals,” Wright explained. Medical and legal experts have repudiated this approach to gender, he said, because “it fails to acknowledge the complexity and diversity of human biology and identity.”

What is your Catholic parish, institution, faith community doing to support LGBTQ+ community
as the U.S. federal government continues repressive orders against them? 

Prayer services?  Support groups? Protest demonstrations? Letter writing campaigns? Something else? Send a description of no more than 400 words to [email protected]. Be sure to include your name, parish name and location (city,state), your role in the community (pastor? volunteer? pastoral staff?  commttee member?).  We will try to publicize as many responses as we can.  Thanks!

All Saints Parish is a culturally diverse Catholic community which is the result of a merger of several parishes a number of years ago.  At least one of those parishes had a long-established gay ministry, and All Saints have continued that ministry and outreach, even as they have welcomed Syracuse’s newly-arrived Congolese immigrants. Fr. Fred Daley, an out gay priest who is a longtime advocate for welcoming marginalized groups, is the pastor.  He and many other parish lay leaders have worked successfully at integrating LGBTQ+ and Congolese people and also at helping groups who have been traditionally at odds with one another come to understand and accept each other.

Members of the All Saints LGBTQIA+ Task Force at the local Pride Parade in 2016.

The parish has the nation’s only Catholic shrine to Father Mychal Judege, OFM, the gay priest who was the NYC Fire Department chaplain who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.  Each year, the parish presents the Father Mychal Judge Award to people and groups who exemplify the values of the deceased priest.  In 2022, New Ways Ministry was the recipient.  The shrine was an emotionally moving statue of Father Judge being carried out of World Trade Center rubble by four first responders.

This letter to the editor is a strong and effective way to let others know that not all Catholics support Trump’s repressive LGBTQ+ policies, and nor do they support the praise of such policies from the USCCB’s leadership.  Disagreeing with church leaders in this way is not a disagreement about doctrine, but about political policy.

Moreover, the All Saints community’s plan to support people of all gender identities who are suffering from such policies is a powerful expression of authentic Christian charity and Catholic social justice ideals.

New Ways Ministry is proud to support the way they have responded in such fearsome, despairing, and dangerous times.  May they be an example to the entire Catholic Church in the U.S.

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, February 20, 2025

To find a welcoming Catholic community near you, check out New Ways Ministry’s list of LGBTQ-friendly parishes and faith communities online.  If you know of a parish that should be added to the list please let us know by clicking here and completing the simple form.