... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnlestUZ9qk

Student Elana Owens said, “We felt very uncomfortable with a male who's not doing anything to be transgender going into the female restrooms." Student Brandi Scherlund said, “I believe if you have the male parts you go to the males’ bathroom and if you have the female parts you go to a ladies room and that's just the way I was raised." About 60 Abraham Lincoln High School students left the classroom Thursday morning in a walkout in which groups showed opposition — and support — for a transgender student who identifies as female and wishes to use the women’s bathroom at school. The walkout was triggered by a female student who believes her privacy is being invaded by a student who recently began to identify as a girl. Student Elana Owens said, “We felt very uncomfortable with a male who's not doing anything to be transgender going into the female restrooms." Student Brandi Scherlund said, “I believe if you have the male parts you go to the males’ bathroom and if you have the female parts you go to a ladies room and that's just the way I was raised." ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xzpQ6fbyE4

A teacher fired by Cathedral High School filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. In the lawsuit, attorneys for teacher Joshua Payne-Elliot claim the Archdiocese interfered with his job at Cathedral. The lawsuit says the teacher signed a contract in May, just days before the Archdiocese mandate language was added. They’re arguing the move by the Archdiocese was discriminatory because the “morality clause” wasn’t a part of his contract when he signed it. He was terminated on June 23. Payne-Elliot also filed discrimination charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Last month, the Archdiocese threatened to revoke Cathedral’s status as a Catholic school unless it parted ways with the teacher. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvJVZDlzo_4

The United Methodist Church has fractured over the role of LGBTQ people in the denomination. At a special conference in St. Louis this week, convened specifically to address divisions over LGBTQ issues, members voted to toughen prohibitions on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy. This was a surprise: The denomination’s bishops, its top clergy, pushed hard for a resolution that would have allowed local congregations, conferences, and clergy to make their own choices about conducting same-sex marriages and ordaining LGBTQ pastors. This proposal, called the “One Church Plan,” was designed to keep the denomination together. Methodist delegates rejected its recommendations, instead choosing the so-called Traditional Plan, which affirmed the denomination’s teachings against homosexuality. This is a consequential vote for the future of the United Methodist Church: Many progressive churches will now almost certainly consider leaving the denomination. It’s also a reminder that many Christian denominations, including mainline groups such as the UMC, are still deeply divided over questions of sexuality and gender identity. While the UMC in the United States is roughly evenly divided between those who identify as traditionalists and those who identify as moderates and liberals, it is also a global organization. Many of the growing communities in the Philippines or countries in Africa are committed to theological teachings against same-sex relationships and marriages. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/02/united-methodists-fracture-lgbt-plan-rejected/583693/ ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oezt6vfYf54