A letter to governor hutchinson of Arkansas,
Hello Governor Hutchinson,
I wish to share scripture with you that I want you to evaluate when you consider whether or not to veto the HB 1570 bill. I was raised in your state where I struggled immensely but learned so much about myself and this world. I was taught these Bible verses in a baptist school in Little Rock, and I know how deeply Bible verses are considered when decisions are made in your state.
I wish to share them with you, and I hope you listen to these words.
John 8:7 “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Throughout the Bible, God warns against casting judgments upon others.
Matthew 25: 34–36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
Mark 12:30–31 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Matthew 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones — those who believe in me — to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”
John 6:39 “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me. . .” God would not want trans people to be driven away from the church or lose their faith.
I hope you realize what this bill would mean for the trans children growing up in your state. Trans children like me. A state that I was raised in then moved away and found that I am a trans person who has always been a trans person but there weren’t opportunities for me to know that when I lived in the community that I did in your state. A community similar to one that spearheaded this bill with the same sentiments. I am still recovering from being raised in this community, and I’m sure the trans people in your state are also struggling to fight against the hate and judgement and lies they are being told about themselves today.
I urge you to think about trans people who will be hurt and cast aside by this bill. They are children of God, loved and adored by their creator as they are. I hope you think of them when you decide to veto this bill when it falls to you. We are worthy of the grace and mercy that our shared Creator gives to all.
Thank you,
A proud, recovering transgender person who was raised in Arkansas
