Don’t Leave Sex Out of Saddleback

Rev. Rick Warren promises to engage Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama in a dialogue dedicated to "civil discourse and the common good of all" at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Saturday. Will those who advocate for sexual and reproductive justice be included in that "all?"

You may remember the "Compassion Forum" last April at Messiah
College in Pennsylvania, where Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
spoke of their personal faith and America’s response to poverty, AIDS
and the environment. Unfortunately, there was little room at the Compassion Forum for women, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons,
whose issues were largely ignored. It didn’t help that almost every
questioner from the audience was a white male Evangelical, and the
event was hosted by an institution hostile to LGBT concerns.

Now, this Saturday, comes the "Saddleback Civil Forum" at
Saddleback Church, the Southern California megachurch led by the Rev.
Rick Warren. Rev. Warren, who will engage in separate, one-on-one
conversations with Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, promises a
dialogue dedicated to "civil discourse and the common good of all."

The question remains whether those of us who advocate for sexual and
reproductive justice will be included in that "all." Rev. Warren is
anti-choice, and he recently declined to meet with a group of gay and lesbian Christians
who were visiting his church. Both the Compassion Forum and the Civil
Forum made a point of addressing a social agenda that excludes sexual
and reproductive justice. Rev. Warren intends to talk about "pressing issues that are bridging divides in our nation, such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, climate and human rights." Messiah College trumpeted these same concerns (in strikingly similar language) as "pressing moral issues that bridge ideological divides within our nation."

My fear is that, on Saturday, we will once again witness the
politics of exclusion wrapped in the language of faith. Everyone from Newsweek to the New York Times
has played up the story of how religious leaders from different points
on the political spectrum have agreed to put aside the so-called "wedge
issues" — such as sexual health, reproductive rights and marriage
equality — in favor of other moral issues with broader appeal.

The problem is, while bridges can help us address certain critical
problems, they create barriers for others. In marginalizing issues of
sexual and reproductive justice, they marginalize millions of
Americans, adults and children alike. There is no denying the numbers:
One third of American girls get pregnant before age 20. At least 35
million American women have had abortions. The number of same-sex
households in America is surely much higher than the 600,000 the Census
Bureau officially reports. More than one million children are being
raised in these households.

Sexual and reproductive issues also are directly related to economic
justice. When Saturday’s conversations turn to poverty, will Rev.
Warren, Senator McCain or Senator Obama acknowledge the particular
burden that marriage discrimination, inequitable access to reproductive
health services and the lack of comprehensive sexuality education place
on the poor?

I respectfully request that Rev. Warren consider asking the candidates these questions:

1. Recognizing that rates of unintended births are five times higher
among low-income women, that more than half of the unwanted children in
the U.S. are born into poverty, and that HIV/AIDS infections
disproportionately affect poor communities and people of color, how
will you ensure that all citizens, regardless of income or ethnicity,
have access to affordable sexual and reproductive health services?

2. As more states move toward marriage equality or civil unions for
same-sex couples, what will you do to ensure that the 1,138 federal
benefits that come with marriage (including tax benefits, Social
Security benefits and veterans’ benefits) be made available to all
legally joined couples and their families?

3. Now that a Congressional study
acknowledges that abstinence-only-until marriage programs have no
impact on reducing teen pregnancy, delaying sexual initiation, or
reducing sexually transmitted infections, will you commit to reversing
10 years of failed investment and issuing a commitment to comprehensive
sexuality education?

I recognize that Rev. Warren and the Saddleback Church are a big voice in American religion. Yet I can’t help but wonder why CNN,
and the campaigns themselves, have chosen once again to feature a
specifically Evangelical Christian venue to discuss American moral
values. Evangelical Christians speak for little more than a quarter of the people of faith in this country.
America is the most religiously diverse nation in the world; no single
religious voice can possibly represent all traditions.

Millions of progressive religious voters will be paying attention to
the Saddleback Civil Forum on Saturday. Will our concerns get a fair
hearing?

This article was first posted at Huffington Post.