Statement on Transgendered rights and freedom of the press

Sisters and Brothers,

This week we have watched as two major groups within society have been attacked. The first attack was the removal of protections of Transgendered individuals, and the second was the attack on the First Amendment of our Constitution when mainstream news outlets were barred from White House Press Briefings. Both of these attacks show a continued pattern of hostility from those in authority toward people they disagree with or dislike.

This is not a time to sit idly by while people are being hurt and our freedom of the press is being abridged; rather it is the time to make our voices heard. It is a time to stand up and to be counted. History will remember those who opposed such attacks in a favorable light.

We of the Old Catholic Churches International call on all people of goodwill to resist the attacks on our Transgendered brothers and sisters. We call on all people to stand up against the attempt to silence the press and to intimidate them into reporting only what the leaders of the nation want them to report on. This is a time to meet violence, hatred and intolerance with love, peace and understanding.

Join with us in a peaceful resistance to this attack on our brothers and sisters and our way of life.