October 11, 2009: A Message for the Church

By Peter L. DeGroote

I didn’t need Time magazine to know that the National March for Equality on September 11, 2009 was a youth movement.

Time estimated 200,000 participants. A veteran of earlier gay rights marches, my estimate was a little higher. I also estimated that 80% of the people were under age 35. Of that total, roughly 80% were under 30. Of that total, roughly 50% were under 25. Whatever the exact numbers, young people were in an overwhelming majority.

The March demonstrated once again how communications technology has altered the task of organizing for political and social causes. There was a time when the young had to work their way into the structures of the established leadership organizations before coming into their own. That is no longer true.

To Illustrate: Originally the national organizations representing LGBT folks were less than enthusiastic about the March only to come around as it gained momentum. Also, it was reported that the cost for the March was one-fifth of the cost of the last big national gay rights march and that does not count the additional savings realized as a result of not involving the staffs and mailing lists of the national organizations. Unlike earlier generations, these young folks did not need the existing organizations to control of their program, increase their influence, and finance their movement. Instead, they employed the Internet and many of its social networking tools. 

The Message: The March for Equality on October 11, 2009 clearly demonstrated that those established institutions purporting to be leaders need to do some catching up if they are to be relevant to young folks.

This conclusion is not restricted to secular organizations. In most churches young people are already an overwhelming minority. Attitudes toward LGBT people differ as you go down the generations. Many straight young folks today have grown up with openly LGBT friends and are likely to say that “if you don’t want my friends you don’t want me.”

LGBT folks no longer stand alone and that influence has altered the agenda. The once rather timid call for inclusion has been transformed into a robust demand for the civil rights of all, including LGBT folks. The rights most demanded during the March were for service in the military, equal treatment under the law by way of hate crimes legislation, and same-sex marriage. (Interestingly, the Discipline of the UM Church does support the civil rights of all, including LGBT people.) 

The competitive disadvantage faced by most churches for the interest of young people is represented by the photo below from the website www.FaithInAmerica.com. During the march there were some banners of support from religious groups. However, it was difficult to look anywhere without seeing the posters you can see below calling to End the Harm from Religious-based Bigotry and Prejudice.

The use of the word “faith” is significant. This March for Equality was framed as a call to live out our faith in the proposition that all people are created equal. That principle is in complete harmony with the teachings of Jesus. Who in their right minds would suggest that the church should not support that principle? Unfortunately, young people are hearing too many church folks willing to do just that. 

The message for churches is the same: The March for Equality on October 11, 2009 clearly demonstrated that those established institutions purporting to be leaders need to do some catching up if they are to be relevant to young folks.