“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”
Protest is at the heart of the Gospel. If protest is the antithesis of complicity in, apathy toward, or callousness in the face of suffering, then it is the definition of Jesus’ ministry! As we organize our communities in response to the Traditional Plan, we will need to follow the way of Jesus and stand between the implementation of these oppressive policies and the LGBTQIA persons and allies directly threatened by them.
Neutrality, as Archbishop Tutu reminds us, is not an option.
In our theologically and contextually diverse denomination, we know that not every community will be able or ready to engage in a sit-in or physical demonstration. But there are many ways you can engage in protest no matter your community’s position or perspective.
Additional options for direct action activism and advocacy include but are not limited to:
All of these are ways we can make our voices heard, build mutually supportive relationships, and resist the Traditional Plan. To learn more about the basics of organizing or participating in a direct action, download the planning guide below.
If you’re planning an action or protest, we encourage you to understand your state’s laws about direct action and assembly. This resource from FindLaw can help you find information about your state.
With the Traditional Plan going into effect, we strongly encourage you to consider scheduling a direction action or advocacy opportunity for your community/congregation. This is the time to make our voices heard and empower our congregations to speak out against the harm that the Traditional Plan will cause the people, congregations, and communities we call home. In addition to the above suggestions, consider:
A direct action should be family friendly, accessible, nonviolent, and legal. We want as many people as possible to feel comfortable attending these direct actions as possible.
Direct actions are not sponsored by Resist Harm but Resist Harm provides tools, resources and promotion (where possible) for direct actions focused on resisting the Traditional Plan or other forms of evil and injustice. Resist Harm relies on volunteer direct action hosts to plan and organize the direct actions; those volunteer hosts, and not Resist Harm, are the sole organizers of all direct actions on this site. By submitting this form you agree, as the host of a direct action, that:
For information on hosting a same gender wedding, we recommend the resources at MarriageRites.org.
Resist Harm is not an organization or a coalition. It has no employees, offices, or overhead. However, it does incur expenses for web infrastructure, promotion, printing, and organizing. We are a movement of volunteers and 100% funded by people and churches like you. Anything you give helps to make this movement more effective. To give, donate at Reconciling Ministries Network’s website and designate “Resist Harm.” 100% of your gift will pay for Resist Harm’s direct costs. RMN has graciously agreed to administer the funds donated for the Resistance movement for no charge.
Is your organization or group working to resist the Traditional Plan? We welcome engagement by all opposed to the Traditional Plan and who seek to resist evil and injustice in all forms. Please complete the following form, and we will add your organization to our growing list of partners.