Media Contact:
Suzanne Morse
Ph: (508) 259-9354
Email: smorse@uua.org

Boston, Mass. (April 7, 2022) – Below is a statement from Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, regarding recent legislation passed in Alabama:

I am morally outraged by the passage of SB 184 in Alabama, a bill that will criminalize—and make it a felony—to provide gender affirming medical care for trans youth in that state. As Unitarian Universalists, we deeply believe that diversity of sexuality and gender is a gift. We unequivocally uplift and support all the trans and non-binary people in our lives, our congregations, and communities, and we closely hold trans children and their families in care.

We recognize how extremely harmful the provisions of SB 184 will be to trans youth who are such a welcome and important part of our lives. The bill threatens to impose felony charges on doctors who provide this gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, punishable by up to ten years in prison. Additionally, it will require trusted education professionals – including school counselors, teachers, and nurses – to forcibly out trans youth in schools to their legal guardians. Legislators have also passed another bill that will restrict the rights of trans youth to use school bathrooms.

Such cruel and invasive actions will threaten the health and well-being of trans youth. We, as Unitarian Universalists, are in solidarity and in support of the identity and expression of trans youth, which we affirm unapologetically. This bill is the most comprehensive anti-trans legislation that has been proposed in the country and it is part of a chilling trend of discrimination.

This dehumanizing and dangerous legislation will ensure that trans youth in Alabama will be even more vulnerable and isolated in their communities. The Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to respect the interdependent web of the human family, to which we all belong. Trans youth are a part of that web, and they deserve to live in welcoming communities that hold them in love and care, and where they can thrive.

About the UUA

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to Seven Principles that hold closely the worth and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, and the right to choose one’s own beliefs.